North Carolina-based parachute manufacturer plans to create 375 new jobs in its home city to help meet demand for a new military contract.

Gov. Beverly Perdue announced Tuesday that North American Aerodynamics will expand employment in Person County while investing $900,000 toward an expansion project.

The company already has 45 employees at its headquarters in Roxboro and hires 55 more seasonally.

Perdue said the new jobs paying on average $23,834 a year include sewing and assembling parachutes for U.S. armed forces in Afghanistan.

North American Aerodynamics currently has 45 employees, along with 55 seasonally furloughed workers, at its headquarters and manufacturing facility.

The company received $300,000 from the One North Carolina Fund, which provides taxpayer-funded financial assistance to encourage industrial expansion.