J-2X marks first in test

J-2X marks first at SSC. NASA/SSC photo

STENNIS SPACE CENTER, Miss. – A J-2X engine that will eventually be used in the NASA Space Launch System had a 40-second test on the A-2 Test Stand Friday. For the first time, test conductors fired the J-2X in both the secondary and primary modes of operation, 20 seconds in each. Previous tests were run in one mode only; combining the two allowed operators to collect critical data on engine performance. Pratt and Whitney Rocketdyne is developing the J-2X engine for NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala. (Source: NASA/SSC, 05/25/12)

ISS captures Dragon

The cargo-carrying spacecraft Dragon successfully hooked up to the International Space Station Friday. It’s a major first for a commercial space ventures. The SpaceX unmanned Dragon capsule was captured by the space station's robotic arm by astronaut Don Pettit aboard the space station. The hookup occurred some 250 miles above Australia. (Sources: multiple, 05/25/12)

Strike in fifth week

FORT WORTH, Texas -- The strike of machinist union workers at the Lockheed Martin plant that builds F-35s is now in its fifth week. Lockheed is under contract to build about 100 planes for the U.S. and foreign governments in five "low-rate initial production" lots. It's delivered 14 of the first 31 aircraft on order, including three since the strike began April 23. Lockheed is trying to maintain production and testing by having salaried employees fill in. (Source: Star Telegram, 05/23/12) Gulf Coast note: Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is home of the F-35 training center. It currently has 12 of the 59 F-35s it's scheduled to receive.

Segers joins R-R team

FAIRHOPE, Ala. -- Segers Aero Corp. is now an authorized maintenance center for the Rolls-Royce T56 series of engines. That could open new markets in Central and South America for the Fairhope company, which repairs and overhauls turbine engines. The company has about 104 workers and handles 45 engines a year. Rolls-Royce of Indianapolis announced the 10-year agreement naming Segers Aero as a new member of the Rolls-Royce AMC Global Network. (Source: Mobile Press-Register, 05/23/12)

Guard F-35 pilots ready to fly

EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. -- Two Florida National Guard pilots are now assigned to the 33rd Operations Group at Eglin and will be the first Guard aviators to fly the F-35. Lt. Col. Randal Efferson and Maj. Jay Spohn will be among the first to learn how to fly the stealth fighter. Once trained, they'll help develop the training and standards for other F-35 pilots. Spohn will be the fifth member of the 33rd to fly the F-35, and the second to train at Eglin; about three months later Efferson will be the 10th military cadre pilot to fly. (Source: Florida National Guard Public Affairs Office, 05/23/12)

Medic joins "Hunters" on tour

KEESLER AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. -- An 81st Aerospace Medicine Squadron flight surgeon recently participated in the annual 403rd Wing Caribbean Hurricane Awareness Tour. Maj. Rhodora Beckinger joined the "Hurricane Hunters" of the Air Force Reserve Command's 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron during their travel to six locations in Mexico, Costa Rica, St. Maarten and Puerto Rico to perform hurricane awareness and coordinate with local emergency managers and weather services in the host countries. (Source: 81st Medical Group Public Affairs, 05/23/12)

Silver Airways to serve airports

HATTIESBURG, Miss. -- Hattiesburg-Laurel Regional Airport will have a new commercial carrier and a new destination beginning in August. Silver Airways of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., will take over routes currently served by Delta Air Lines connecting to Memphis through three Mississippi regional airports. Delta had notified the Department of Transpiration in July that it intended to drop 24 routes in smaller markets, including Hattiesburg-Laurel, Greenville and Tupelo. Now, all three will connect to Atlanta-Hartsfield International Airport. (Source: Hattiesburg American, 05/22/12) Previous

F-35B has first Eglin flight

F-35B takes off at Eglin. Lockheed Martin photo

EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. -- An F-35B made its first flight at Eglin Air Force Base Tuesday, two months after 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing officially introduced the Marine Corps' variant at the 33rd Fighter Wing. The goal for Marines was to start local area operations and conventional flights, beginning the process of gradually expanding the envelope to short takeoffs and vertical landings and more complex aerial training. Maintainers have been preparing for the flight with engine runs and taxi operations for about eight months since F-35 aircraft began arriving at Eglin last summer. (Source: Eglin Public Affairs, 05/22/12)

APKWS successfully tested

APKWS test on armored vehicle. Eglin photo

BAE Systems said Tuesday that the Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System scored its first-ever penetrating guided-rocket shots with the M282 warhead during tests at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. The tests showed the product's ability to engage targets at close range and penetrate complex targets. Using inert M282 warheads with unmodified flight software, APKWS engaged six targets from airborne helicopters at ranges of 1.5 to 4 kilometers. All six shots hit the target less than two meters from the laser spot. During two live warhead ground shots, APKWS rockets with the M282 warheads penetrated a triple brick wall and an M114 armored personnel carrier. (Source: Business Wire, 05/22/12)

SpaceX launches rocket

Falcon 9 lifts off. SpaceX photo

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- The SpaceX rocket launched Tuesday from a pad at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station for a cargo mission to the International Space Station. Falcon 9 lifted the Dragon capsule at 3:44 a.m. Eastern Time. Before docking with the ISS, the capsule will undergo a series of tests to determine if the vehicle is ready to berth with the station. (Sources: multiple, 05/22/12) Gulf Coast note: Stennis Space Center, Miss., tests rocket engines for other private companies involved in space flight.

MAF sets networking event

NEW ORLEANS -- Michoud Assembly Facility on Thursday will hold a free networking conference for government agencies, prime contractors and small businesses. Held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Michoud Assembly Facility, it's designed to showcase the facility's manufacturing community and to help small businesses find opportunities to grow. (Source: New Orleans Times Picayune, 05/21/12) NASA-owned MAF has 43 acres under one roof.

NATO getting 5 Global Hawks

Northrop Grumman and NATO signed a $1.7 billion contract Sunday for a new surveillance and intelligence system that will include five unmanned Global Hawk Block 40s. Called the Alliance Ground Surveillance (AGS) system, it's designed to support a broad range of missions for the alliance. The deal was signed during the meeting of NATO members in Chicago. Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Germany, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Norway, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia and the United States are expected to participate in the system's acquisition, but all 28 alliance nations are to participate in long-term support. The first aircraft will arrive at Sigonella air base in Sicily in 2015 with full operational capability in 2017. The NATO AGS will be co-located with U.S. Air Force Global Hawks and U.S. Navy Broad Area Maritime Surveillance aircraft. (Source: multiple, including Reuters, Northrop Grumman via PRNewswire, 05/20/12) Gulf Coast note: Global Hawk center fuselages are built in Moss Point, Miss.

Contract: Raytheon, $85M

Raytheon Co., Tucson, Ariz., is being awarded an $85,500,000 firm-fixed-price/cost-plus-fixed-fee contract to procure of Griffin missiles. First delivery order is for the procurement of 22 all-up-rounds and 43 telemetry rounds. The location of the performance is Tucson, Ariz. Work is to be completed by July 31, 2013. AAC/PKES, Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 05/18/12)

NASA eyes Delta IV stage

NASA plans to use a modified Delta IV second stage atop an early version of the Space Launch System for the unmanned Orion test flight in 2017, as well as for the manned flight four years later. In a May 3 procurement notice, NASA said the Boeing-designed Delta IV second stage is the only means available to support the immediate propulsion needs, and it’s the only one that requires relatively minor modifications to launch astronauts by 2021. (Source: Florida Today, 05/16/12; NASA procurement notice, 05/03/12) Gulf Coast note: The Orion crew vehicle is built at Michoud Assembly Facility, New Orleans; the SLS first stage will use four RD-25 engines, tested at Stennis Space Center; Delta IV is built in Decatur, Ala., by Boeing and Lockheed Martin's United Launch Alliance. The first stage is powered by RS-68 engines, tested at SSC, and the second by a Pratt & Whitney RL-10; NASA and the Air Force are studying a replacement for the RL-10 class.

18 Hurlburt civilians to be cut

HURLBURT FIELD, Fla. -- Eighteen civilian workers at Hurlburt Field will be let go as a result of cutbacks announced in November 2011. Most of the positions were vacant when the cuts were first announced, but voluntary retirements and separation incentives did not reach the goal of losing 100 positions, leaving 18 people without jobs at the end of September 2012. Before then, however, they may be placed in other positions. The cuts are designed to return Hurlburt Field to 2010 employment levels. (Sources: WEAR-TV, WTVY-TV, Northwest Florida Daily News, 05/17/12)

Keesler to get new commander

BILOXI, Miss. -- Brig. Gen. Bradley Spacy will assume command of the 81st Training Wing during a ceremony at Keesler Air Force Base on Friday. Spacy will replace Brig. Gen. Andrew Mueller, who has been selected for a new command assignment at the North Atlantic Treaty Organization Air Base Geilenkirchen in Germany. Spacy comes to Keesler from the Office of the Secretary of the Air Force in Washington, D.C., where he served as chief of the Senate Liaison Office and was responsible for communicating Air Force priorities and programs to the U.S. Senate. (Source: Sun Herald, 05/16/12)

J-2X tested seven seconds

STENNIS SPACE CENTER, Miss. -- A Rocketdyne J-2X had a seven-second test firing Wednesday that focused on a modified nozzle extension that dissipates heat generated by the engine. The test was on the A-2 stand at the South Mississippi NASA center. The Pratt and Whitney Rocketdyne J-2X is being developed for use in the second stage of NASA's Space Launch System. Another J-2X test, this one a powerpack, is expected next week. The powerpack sits on top of the engine and feeds the thrust chamber system, which produces engine thrust. (Source: GCAC, photo release, 05/16/12) Previous

RS-68A tested at SSC

STENNIS SPACE CENTER, Miss. -- A Pratt and Whitney Rocketdyne RS-68A engine was tested Tuesday at Stennis Space Center, Miss. The engine, an upgrade of the RS-68 engine, is a liquid-hydrogen/liquid-oxygen booster engine designed to provide increased thrust and improved fuel efficiency for the Delta IV family of launch vehicles. Each RS-68A provides 702,000 pounds of lift-off thrust, or 39,000 more pounds of thrust than a basic RS-68 engine. After testing at Stennis Space Center, the engines are shipped to Decatur, Ala., for integration into a United Launch Alliance Delta IV to lift government payloads. (Source: GCAC, 05/16/12) Previous

12th F-35 now at Eglin

The 12th Lockheed Martin F-35 that will be used for the training fleet at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., arrived Tuesday after a 90-minute flight from Fort Worth, Texas. The pilot of BF-11 was U.S. Marine Corps Lt. Col. Fred Schenk. The F-35B short takeoff/vertical landing production jet is now assigned to the Marine Fighter/Attack Training Squadron 501 residing with the host 33d Fighter Wing, where it will be used for pilot and maintainer training. Eglin now has 12 F-35s. (Source: Lockheed Martin, 05/15/12)

Keesler in running for school

Keesler Air Force Base, Miss., and Joint Base San Antonio, Texas, are candidate bases for the Tactical Air Control Party (TACP) and Air Liaison Officer (ALO) School. Recent and current operations have created an increase in demand for TACPs to support Army units. The current TACP/ALO School at Hurlburt Field, Fla., lacks adequate facilities and ranges to train the required number of TACP airmen. Both bases will be evaluated and officials expect to announce the preferred location this summer. The final decision will be made after environmental impacts are analyzed. (Source: AFNS, 05/15/12) Keesler is home of the Air Force's technical training schools, including cybersecurity.