TOONE, Tenn. (AP) – A defense contractor plans to invest $40 million and add 100 jobs to expand its operations in western Tennessee.

The Department of Economic and Community Development announced Tuesday that the expansion by Kilgore Flares Company, a subsidiary of Chemring Countermeasures USA, will triple production capacity at its Toone operations.

Kilgore Flares, which currently has about 280 employees, has operated in Hardeman County since 1960.

The expansion will begin in the third quarter of this year and is expected to be completed in 2022.

Kilgore makes air and naval decoy flares for the military, including infrared ones that help aircraft and ships counter the threat of guided missiles. Components used in production are highly flammable.

Records show that six people have died in explosions or fires at the plant since 1993.

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