System: Westover

[3067] Free Worlds Defense Industries formed in 2562 in response to the shifting economic climate in the League. The merger of Gibson Federated BattleMechs and Andurien Aerotech formed a corporation of sufficient size to compete against large multinationals such as Kallon and Earthwerks, as well as powerful national companies like Irian Technologies. Despite this, only government involvement in the labor disputes that wracked the company in the 27th century allowed it to survive near-bankruptcy and limp on to the financial goldmine of the rearmament that followed the repeal of First Lord’s Edict 2659. The counterstrikes of the First and Second Succession Wars exacted a terrible toll from FWDI, whose Lopez facility was razed by Liao forces and only rebuilt with grants from the Andurien government.

The company’s ties to the Humphreys clan placed the board in a difficult position during the crises of the 3030s — FWDI found itself an unwilling partner in the secession attempt, the Andurien Aerospace plant forcibly incorporated into the duchy’s war efforts while Marik forces occupied the Gibson facility. Only in 3041 did the board regain control of its sites, instituting a decade-long program to rebuild and upgrade the shattered complexes. The cost of reconstruction pushed the company to the brink of bankruptcy again, but once more its fortunes shifted with the renewal of war — this time the Clan invasion and massive export orders from the AFFC and the DCMS.

Andurien, Lopez, and the Ennis plant on Westover are home to the principal Andurien AeroTech factories, responsible for building advanced models for domestic use and cut-down export models that often use low-quality generic components. A halo of subsidiary companies and contractors supports the main aerospace plants and their workers, providing everything from airframe components and electronics to catering services and uniforms. ‘Mech-armed corporate security troops guard each facility but each plant also has close links with federal military forces charged with their defense.

The ‘Mech plant on Gibson escaped the ravages of the Andurien War, but recent years have seen it co-opted by the Word of Blake into building up forces for the Blakist military. Only since the occupation of Terra by Blakist forces and the shift of production to former Hegemony sites has FWDI regained full control over its factories. Initial hopes that the years of Blakist domination over the Gibson complex would result in a cutting-edge facility proved unfounded—almost all of the advanced systems installed by Word of Blake engineers were stripped out, and only a handful of systems predate the occupation of Gibson.