Contract: Raytheon, $16M

Raytheon Missile Systems, Tucson, Ariz., was awarded a $16,130,000 contract for 155mm Excalibur Block 1A-1 projectiles. Six percent of the work will be performed in Niceville, Fla. Other works sites are in Arizona, Oklahoma, New Mexico., California, Alabama, Ohio, Virginia, Missouri, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Sweden and the United Kingdom, with an estimated completion date of Oct. 31, 2011. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Joint Munitions & Lethality Contracting Center, CCJM-CA, Combat Ammo Center, Picatinny Arsenal, N.J., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 09/30/09)

Contract: Kaman, $6.4M

Kaman Precision Products Inc of Orlando, Fla., was awarded a $6,448,592 contract which will provide for joint programmable fuze systems. At this time, the entire amount has been obligated. 679 ARSS, Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 09/30/09)

Contract: Cubic, $8.6M

Cubic Defense Application Inc., San Diego, Calif., was awarded an $8,581,782 contract which will provide for 20 P5 combat training system pods, four display and debrief stations and two control display units, as well as contractor logistical support to be placed at two locations in Egypt. 675 ARSS/PK, Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 09/30/09)

Contract: McDonnell, $17M

McDonnell Douglas Corp., of St. Louis, Missouri was awarded a $17,000,000 contract which will provide for miniature weapon demonstration research and development for a 5-year ordering period. AFRL/RWK, Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 09/30/09)

AF welcomes T-1A

PENSACOLA, Fla. - Air Force officials with a new flight training group at Naval Air Station Pensacola marked the arrival of their first jet at the base Wednesday. The T-1A Jayhawk, given the ceremonial name “The Spirit of Pensacola,” is the first jet assigned to the Air Force 479th Flight Training Group, which is officially activating at NAS Pensacola Friday. Last year construction began on the $45 million training facility for navigators and combat systems officers at the base. The group will train about 360 students each year. (Source: Pensacola News Journal, 09/30/09)

Eglin range tests B-1 tactics

EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. - Members of the 53rd Wing tested the capabilities of B-1s recently in an effort to better defend the aircraft and prove the strength of new software systems. "The main purpose of our deployment out here is to conduct defensive threat reaction test to basically validate our defensive tactics against threats," said Lt. Col. Jeff Aldridge, 337th Test Evaluation Squadron commander. The squadron, located at Dyess AFB, Texas, flew two B-1s to Eglin for a week and was able to complete extensive testing. Aldridge said that normally they fly two missions a week but at Eglin they are flying every day. The B-1, a long-range bomber, can track, target and engaging moving land vehicles. The tests revealed more information about the aircraft's software. (Source: Eglin Air Force Base, 09/28/09)

National Guard to bid farewell to UH-1

GULFPORT, Miss. – A workhorse of the military will be given a ceremonial goodbye during an event at the Army National Guard’s Aviation Classification Repair Activity Depot in Gulfport Saturday. The 9 a.m. event commemorates the UH-1 Iroquois "Huey," which retires from the Army inventory this month. The event will also pay tribute to the pilots and crew chiefs from Mississippi who flew the UH-1 during its tenure with the Army National Guard. The ceremony, at the South end of the AVCRAD hangar, will include two UH-1s on static display and a “fly-in” of a Huey. The AVCRAD is at the Trent Lott National Guard Training Center on the east side of Gulfport-Biloxi International Airport. It does repair work on helicopters from a nine-state region, as well as Puerto Rico and the U.S.V.I. (Source: Tcp, 09/30/09)

Northrop says Boeing given advantage

Grounds for a potential protest are already appearing even as the new contest for an aerial refueling tanker gets underway. Northrop Grumman said it’s unfair that its rival, Boeing, had access to its pricing information from the previous competition, yet Northrop has been denied similar access to Boeing’s information. Said Paul Meyer, Northrop’s president and general manager: “With predominant emphasis placed on price in this tanker re-competition and Northrop Grumman again proposing its KC-45 refueling tanker, such competitive pricing information takes on even greater importance. It is fundamentally unfair, and distorts any new competition, to provide such critical information to only one of the bidders.” (Source: Northrop Grumman, MarketWatch, Reuters, 09/29/09) Gulf Coast note: Northrop and partner EADS plan to assemble the planes in Mobile, Ala., if the team wins the competition.

Contract: L-3, $47.4M

L-3 Communications Vertex Aerospace LLC, Madison, Miss., is being awarded a $47,447,684 modification to a previously awarded contract to exercise an option for total aircraft maintenance and logistics life cycle support for 54 Navy and 11 Marine Corps C-12 aircraft. Work will be performed at a variety of naval air stations inside and outside the United States, including in this region Naval Air Station New Orleans, and is expected to be completed in June 2010. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 09/28/09)

Contract: L-3, $17.8M

L-3 Communications Vertex Aerospace LLC, Madison, Miss., is being awarded a $17,766,702 modification to a previously awarded contract to provide for additional logistics services and materials for organizational, intermediate, and depot level maintenance of 14 T39N and 6 T-39G aircraft located at the Naval Air Station Pensacola, Fla. This modification provides for aircraft intermediate maintenance services in support of Chief of Naval Air Training aircraft and transient aircraft at NAS Pensacola and NAS Corpus Christi, Texas. The work, 99 percent, will be performed in Pensacola and is expected to be completed in March 2010. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md. is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 09/28/09)

Contract: L-3, $6.9M

Contract: L-3, $6.9M
L-3 Vertex Aerospace of Madison, Miss., is being awarded a $6,960,600 aircraft lease service contract for four helicopters for pilot training in support of U. S. Special Operations Command's Air Force Special Operations Command. Work will be performed at Hurlburt Field, Fla., and is expected to be completed by March 31, 2010. (Source: DoD, 09/28/09)

Contract: Sikorsky, $133.5M

Sikorsky Support Services Inc., Pensacola, Fla., is being awarded a $133,542,526 modification to a previously awarded contract to exercise an option for maintenance and logistics services in support of 374 T-34, T-44, and T-6 aircraft. Work will be performed at the NAS Corpus Christi, Texas,; NAS Whiting Field, Fla.,; NAS Pensacola, Fla.,; NAS Oceana, Va.,; NAS Lemoore, Calif.,; Marine Corps Air Station, Miramar, Calif.,; Fort Rucker, Ala.,; Naval Air Facility, El Centro, Calif.,; Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, Patuxent River, Md.,; Pope Air Force Base, Fayetteville, N.C.,; National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Edwards Air Force Base, Calif.,; NASA Cleveland, Ohio,; and Fort Eustis, Va., and is expected to be completed in September 2010. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 09/25/09)

Contract: L-3, $112.6M

L-3 Communications Vertex Aerospace LLC, Madison, Miss., is being awarded a $112,650,548 modification to a previously awarded contract to exercise an option for logistics services and materials for organizational, intermediate, and depot level maintenance required to support 49 T-45A and 151 T-45C aircraft based at Naval Air Station Meridian, Miss.; NAS Kingsville, Texas; and NAS Pensacola, Fla. This requirement also includes the organizational level maintenance for the engine. Work is expected to be completed in September 2010. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 09/25/09)

Contract: Rolls-Royce, $90.7M

Rolls-Royce Defense Services Inc., Indianapolis, Ind., is being awarded a $90,674,394 modification to a previously awarded contract to exercise an option for intermediate and depot level maintenance and related support for in-service T-45 F405-RR-401 Adour engines. Work will be performed at the Naval Air Station Kingsville, Texas; NAS Meridian, Miss.; NAS Pensacola, Fla.; and NAS Patuxent River, Md., and is expected to be completed in September 2010. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 09/25/09)

Contract: Jacobs, $18.1M

Jacobs Technology Inc., Fort Walton Beach, Fla., is being awarded $18,134,187 under a previously awarded contract. The scope of this effort is to provide support of the transition from the NMCI environment to the next generation USMC IT environment. Work will be performed in Quantico, Va., and work is expected to be completed in September 2010. The Marine Corps System Command, Quantico, Va. is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 09/25/09)

Contract: BAE Systems, $5.9M

BAE Systems Technology Solutions & Services, Fort Walton Beach, Fla., is being awarded a $5,881,774 modification under a previously awarded contract to exercise option year three for ammunition handling and management services for Navy Munitions Command, East Asia Division Detachment Pearl Harbor. Work will be performed in Hawaii, and is expected to be completed by September 2010. The Fleet and Industrial Supply Center Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 09/25/09)

Avalex sets sights on UK

PENSACOLA, Fla. – Avalex Technologies is moving into the United Kingdom’s law enforcement market. The company is teaming with the United Kingdom’s Police Aviation Services. Currently, Avalex and PAS, which provides aviation support to various UK police forces, are working together to provide displays and digital video recorders to the Dorset, England, police department and other UK law enforcement agencies. (Source: Avalex, 09/22/09)

Contract: InDyne, $14M

InDyne Incorp., of Reston, Va., was awarded a $14,095,664 contract which will provide Eglin Test and Training Complex range operations and maintenance of test and training areas and technical facilities to include test and training mission support, engineering support for range system design/modification/range configuration and range support services to accomplish authorized range activities. AAC/PKET, Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 09/24/09)

Contract: Del-Jen, $23.1M

Del-Jen, Inc., Gardena, Calif., is being awarded $23,127,300 modification under a previously awarded contract to exercise the second option period for base operations support services at Naval Air Station Pensacola, Fla., and surrounding areas (Saufley Field, Corry Station, and Bronson Field). The current total contract amount after exercise of this option will be $69,728,751. Work will be performed in Pensacola and is expected to be completed Sept. 30, 2010. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Southeast, Jacksonville, Fla., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 09/24/09)

Contract: L-3, $44.5M

L-3 Communications Vertex Aerospace LLC, Madison, Miss., is being awarded a $44,489,426 modification to a previously awarded contract to exercise an option for logistics support for 126 TH-57B/TH-57C aircraft. The work, 99 percent, will be performed at Naval Air Station Whiting Field, Milton, Fla. and is expected to be completed in September 2010. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 09/24/09)

Pentagon relaunches tanker competition

The Pentagon is relaunching a competition for the $35 billion fleet of aerial tankers. Boeing is vying for the contract against a team made up of Northrop Grumman and Airbus parent EADS. The contract for 179 plans is the first of three acquisition stages. Lawmakers will be briefed on the draft request for proposal at 11 a.m. Thursday, and reporters will be briefed at 4 p.m. It will be made public Friday. (Sources: Reuters via New York Times, Mobile Press-Register, 09/24/09) Gulf Coast note: The Northrop/EADS team wants to assemble the planes in Mobile, Ala.

Tanker guidelines to be released soon

The Air Force is expected to release its requirements for the aerial refueling tankers this week. Some news reports are saying it will be Friday, some say Thursday. The team of Northrop Grumman and EADS, parent of Airbus, won the $40 million contract in February 2008, but a Boeing protest was upheld on grounds the selection process was flawed. Boeing wants to build the tankers in Washington and Kansas, and Northrop/EADS want to assemble them in Mobile, Ala. Air Force Secretary Michael Donley said last week that he expects the contract to be awarded in 2010. (Source: Multiple, 09/23/09)

NASA targets date for Ares flight test

NASA is targeting Oct. 27 for the flight test of the Ares I-X rocket. Senior managers made the decision after a meeting Monday at NASA Headquarters in Washington. The date will be finalized at a Flight Test Readiness Review scheduled for Oct. 23 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The launch will provide NASA with an opportunity to test and prove hardware, facilities and ground operations, while gathering critical data for the Ares I rocket and future launch vehicles. (Source: NASA, 09/22/09) Gulf Coast note: Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans and Stennis Space Center, Miss., are both involved in the NASA’s space program.

Airport to seek privatization bids

NEW ORLEANS - Local officials intend to find out whether investors are interested in making Louis Armstrong International Airport the nation's first privately operated airport. The Federal Aviation Administration this month accepted the local airport's preliminary application to participate in a pilot privatization program that the FAA authorized for U.S. airports in 1997. Airport officials now can begin a bidding process. (Source: New Orleans Times-Picayune, 09/23/09)

Surgical training accredited

BILOXI, Miss. – Keesler Air Force Base’s 81st Medical Group has received full accreditation as a joint training platform. The program was evaluated by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education in April and can proceed with training four general surgeons each year for five years of general surgery residency. The surgical residency was closed after Katrina in 2005, re-established in 2007 and restructured in 2008 to include integration with the Naval Hospital in Pensacola, Fla., 96th Medical Group at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., and the Biloxi Veterans Affairs Medical Center. (Source: Sun Herald, 09/20/09)

LM satellite operating successfully

A next-generation satellite designed and built by Lockheed Martin is performing as required following its successful launch from Cape Canaveral earlier this month. The program, designated PAN, consists of a turnkey commercial-based satellite, ground and launch system developed to meet the U.S. government's future needs. The satellite is based on Lockheed Martin's A2100 spacecraft series. (Source: Lockheed Martin, 09/22/09) Gulf Coast note: Some of the work on the satellite was done at Lockheed Martin Space and Technology Center, Stennis Space Center, Miss.

Contract: Harkins, $7.5M

Harkins Development Corp., Sanford, Fla., was awarded a $7,460,948 contract for the design/build of a concrete block facility at Hurlburt Field, Fla., with an estimated completion date of June 3, 2011. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Mobile, Regional Contracting Center, Mobile, Ala., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 09/17/09)

Contract: Hanco, $8.1M

Hanco Corp., Hattiesburg, Miss., was awarded an $8,174,000 contract for construction of a barracks, warehouse, and houses. Work is to be performed at Camp Shelby, Miss., with an estimated completion date of March 2011. U.S. National Guard Bureau, United States Property & Fiscal Office, Jackson, Miss., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 09/18/09)

Contract: Greenhut, $10.6M

Greenhut Construction Co. Inc., Pensacola, Fla., is being awarded a $10,598,586 contract for the design, repair and modernization of Administrative Building 1500 at Naval Air Station Pensacola. Work will be performed in Pensacola and is expected to be completed by April 2011. Funds are provided by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Southeast, Jacksonville, Fla., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 09/18/09)

New non-stop announced

PENSACOLA, Fla. – A major airline serving Pensacola Gulf Coast Regional Airport has announced new nonstop service to two cities. American Airlines said it will offer two nonstop daily flights to Miami on its American Eagle regional jet service by the end of this year. In August, US Airways announced nonstop service between Pensacola and Washington, D.C.'s Reagan National early next year. (Source: Pensacola News Journal, 09/18/09)

Criteria released for basing JSF

Air Force officials released the criteria to determine where F-35 Joint Strike Fighters will be based. Airspace, flight training ranges, weather, support facilities, runways, taxi ramps, environmental concerns and cost are factors. More than 200 sites will be evaluated. Other factors, including maintenance and logistics and integration with the Air National Guard and Reserve, will also be considered. The result will be two candidate basing lists, one for operations and the other for training for the 250 to 300 aircraft scheduled for delivery through 2017. The lists will be announced in the spring of 2010. (Source: AFNS, 09/17/09) Gulf Coast note: Eglin Air Force Base is the home of the F-35 training center.

Northrop's Sugar sets retirement

LOS ANGELES – Ronald D. Sugar, chairman and CEO of Northrop Grumman since 2003, has announced he'll retire in June 2010. Sugar will step down from his chairman and CEO positions and the company's board of directors at the end of the year. He’ll continue as an employee officer advising the company until his retirement date. Wesley G. Bush, president and chief operating officer, will become CEO and president Jan. 1, 2010. Bush was also elected to the Northrop Grumman board of directors, effective immediately. (Source: Northrop Grumman, 09/16/09) Gulf Coast note: Northrop Grumman has a number of operations in the Gulf Coast region.

AF to take lead in tanker award

The Air Force will be in charge of awarding a $40 billion contract for aerial tankers, according to Defense Secretary Robert Gates. The authority had been removed earlier when two previous attempts to award a contract were botched. Boeing and the Northrop Grumman/EADS team are competing for the contract. (Source: New York Times, 09/16/09) Gulf Coast note: EADS plans to assemble the planes in Mobile, Ala., if it wins.

Contract: Rehabilitation Svc., $19.5M

Rehabilitation Services of Madison, Miss., was awarded a $19,547,353 contract to provide a full food service contract at Keesler Air Force Base, Miss. At this time $11,581,103 has been obligated. 81 CONS, Keesler Air Force Base, is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 09/15/09)

Contract: BAE Systems, $39.6M

BAE Systems Technical Services of Fort Walton Beach, Fla., was awarded a $39,553,260 contract to manage, operate, maintain, and logistically support the solid state phased array radar system at Beale, Air Force Base, Calif., Thule Air Base, Greenland, Clear Air Force Station, Alaska, and Royal Air Force Flyingdales, United Kingdom. 21 CONS/LGCZG, Peterson Air Force Base, Colo., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 09/15/09)

Survey: A&D workplace woes continue

Expected increases in retirement rates of existing workers and increases in attrition of younger workers, along with weak demand for future contracts, has aerospace and defense companies facing the most challenging business environment in recent history, according to a new workforce survey by Aviation Week and sponsored by Hitachi Consulting. (Source: Business Wire, 09/15/09)

Eglin's 308th ARSW gets director

EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. - The 308th Armament Systems Wing appointed a new director, Randy Brown, during a ceremony last week. The wing is transitioning to a directorate as part of the realignment plan. The 308th ARSW is a joint Air Force and Navy organization responsible for management of air dominance weapon system programs. (Source: Eglin Air Force Base, 09/15/09)

WTO ruling won't play role in tanker RFP

WASHINGTON – The Air Force sees no need to add language about the World Trade Organization ruling over subsidies to the request for proposal in the multibillion-dollar tanker project. In a case brought by the U.S., the WTO ruled subsidies from European governments to EADS’ Airbus were illegal, andBoeing supporters want that considered when awarding the tanker project. Reuters reports that Air Force Secretary Michael Donley called the WTO ruling preliminary, and noted that another case brought by the European Union is pending. Boeing and the EADS/Northrop Grumman team are competing to build tankers. (Source: Reuters, 09/14/09) Gulf Coast note: EADS wants to assemble the tankers in Mobile, Ala.

Boeing talks tanker at AF expo

WASHINGTON - Boeing unveiled additional details of the company's potential offering in the Air Force aerial tanker competition. In a briefing Monday at the Air Force Association's 2009 Air & Space Conference and Technology Exposition, Rick Lemaster, Boeing KC-X director and program manager, said Boeing is prepared to offer either the 767 or larger 777. The company also launched a new Web site for information on the KC-7A7. (Source: Boeing, 09/14/09) Gulf Coast note: Boeing is competing against the Northrop Grumman/EADS team to build the tankers. EADS wants to assemble them in Mobile, Ala.

Eglin gets plaque as historic site

EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. - A bronze plaque was mounted on a granite pedestal and placed in front of the Air Armament Museum last week to commemorate Eglin Air Force Base as a historic aerospace site. The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics named Eglin as one of four sites to receive the honor for 2009. The other sites: NASA Ames Research Center; North American/Rockwell Downey Industrial site; Igor Sikorsky Airport and Vought-Sikorsky plant; and Honeysuckle Creek/Tidbinbilla/Orroral Valley Tracking Station in Australia. (Source: Eglin Air Force Base, 09/14/09)

Alabama gov rides Airbus tanker

Alabama Gov. Bob Riley flew over Spain for an hour Friday in an aerial tanker built by EADS company Airbus. Riley also toured EADS aircraft-assembly bays in Madrid. Riley, Neal Wade, director of the Alabama Development Office, and a security officer spent Wednesday and Thursday in Germany before going to Spain and return home Sunday. EADS plans to build a tanker assembly plant in Mobile, Ala., if it wins the competition against Boeing to build Air Force tankers. (Source: Birmingham News, 09/12/09)

Contract: BAE Systems, $7.4M

BAE Systems Technology Solutions and Services, Fort Walton Beach, Fla., is being awarded a $7,382,503 modification under previously awarded contract to exercise option two for operation and maintenance support for facilities operating under Naval Computer & Telecommunications Area Master Station Hawaii. Work will be performed in Hawaii, and work is to be completed by September 2011. The Fleet and Industrial Supply Center Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 09/11/09)

Ares I first stage motor tested

PROMONTORY, Utah – NASA and ATK conducted the first test of the Ares I first stage five-segment development solid rocket motor Thursday. The solid rocket booster is planned for NASA's Ares I and Ares V rockets. The Ares I is a crew launch vehicle in development for NASA's Constellation Program. ATK is the prime contractor for the Ares I first stage. (Source: NASA, 09/10/09) Gulf Coast note: Michoud Assembly Facility, New Orleans, and Stennis Space Center, Miss., are key NASA facilities on the Gulf Coast.

2nd AF gets new commander

KEESLER AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. – Maj. Gen. Mary Kay Hertog has assumed command of the 2nd Air Force from Maj. Gen. Alfred Flowers. The 2nd Air Force at Keesler Air Force Base is the Air Education and Training Command organization that oversees technical and combat training for 250,000 students annually. The change of command ceremony was Wednesday. (Source: Keesler, 09/09/09)

Contract: Defense Support Svc., $86.4M

Defense Support Services LLC of Mount Laurel, N.J., was awarded an $86.4 million contract for acquisition of aircraft maintenance support services for Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla. At this time, $16.9 million has been obligated. AETC CONS/LGCK, Randolph Air Force Base, Texas, is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 09/09/09)

EADS suggests settling with Boeing

PARIS – EADS chief Louis Gallois says Airbus did nothing wrong in a trade dispute with the U.S. over subsidies, and called for a negotiated settlement with Boeing. In an interview published Wednesday in La Tribune, a French business daily, Gallois said the system of government launch aid is more transparent than "opaque subsidies" he said Boeing gets. The World Trade Organization ruled last week that Airbus, owned by EADS, received illegal subsidies. (Source: The Associated Press, 09/09/09) Gulf Coast note: Boeing is competing against the Northrop Grumman/EADS team to build Air Force tankers. EADS wants to assemble them in Mobile, Ala.

Jacobs gets $98M Eglin option

PASADENA, Calif. - Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. received the third of four one-year options on a contract for the U.S. Air Force Air Armament Center at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., and other locations. The option year, which begins October 1, has a potential value of $98.1 million. Jacobs provides technical and engineering acquisition support for weapons systems development and testing for the AAC. (Source: PRNewswire, 09/08/09)

Panel wants NASA to reset goals

A panel recommends NASA shelve the idea of rapidly returning to the moon and instead focus on nurturing a robust commercial space industry that can handle short-term objectives. The Review of U.S. Human Space Flight Plans Committee was convened by the Obama administration to assess NASA’s goals. The White House received the findings Tuesday, which stop short of explicitly rejecting the goal of launching a mission back to the moon. (Source: Wall Street Journal, 09/09/09) Gulf Coast note: Stennis Space Center, Miss., and Michoud Assembly Facility, New Orleans, are key NASA centers on the Gulf Coast.

F-15s depart from Eglin

EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. - The 33rd Fighter Wing ended a 30-year history at Eglin Air Force Base when the wing’s last three F-15s left the base Tuesday for Arizona. The wing that was once the home of 54 F-15s soon will host the Joint Strike Fighter Training School. The official transition is Oct. 1. (Source: Northwest Florida Daily News, 09/08/09)

Ares I motor test scheduled

NASA and Alliant Techsystems Inc. have rescheduled the test of the new first-stage solid rocket motor for the Ares I rocket. The static firing of the five-segment solid motor, designated development motor -1, is scheduled for Thursday at the ATK test facility in Promontory, Utah. The first firing attempt on Aug. 27 was scrubbed because of an anomaly with the ground test controller. (Source: NASA, 09/04/09)

QinetiQ subsidiary honored

FAIRFAX, Va. - A QinetiQ North America subsidiary, Analex Corp., has been honored as large business prime contractor of 2009 by NASA's Kennedy Space Center. The award recognizes outstanding engineering and technical management services to NASA on the Expendable Launch Vehicle Integrated Support contract to the NASA Launch Services Program. (Source: PRNewswire, 09/08/09) Gulf Coast note: QinetiQ has an operation in Long Beach, Miss.

Sides reviewing WTO ruling

The World Trade Organization today issued a confidential ruling about Airbus subsidies, and both sides are now reviewing the 1,000-page document. One news organization, the Wall Street Journal, is reporting that the panel ruled the subsidies by European governments were illegal. The U.S. filed a complaint in 2004, citing the aid as unfair to U.S.-based Boeing. A parallel complaint alleging illegal government subsidies have been given to Boeing is also before the WTO. (Source: Dow Jones, 09/04/09) Gulf Coast note: Boeing is competing against Airbus parent, EADS, to build tankers for the U.S. Air Force. EADS and partner Northrop Grumman want to assemble the planes in Mobile, Ala.

UAV sense-and-avoid system planned

Northrop Grumman is developing a common autonomous airborne sense-and-avoid system for both the Air Force RQ-4B Global Hawk and the Navy RQ-4N Broad Area Maritime Surveillance derivative. The services were pursuing separate solutions for operating the aircraft in national airspace, but the Navy announced its intention to award Northrop Grumman a sole-source contract to develop a common system. (Source: Aviation Week, 09/03/09) Gulf Coast note: Global Hawks are built in part in Moss Point, Miss.

Orion passes design milestone

HOUSTON - NASA has taken another step toward building the next crew exploration vehicle by completing the Orion Project's preliminary design review. Orion is being designed to carry astronauts to the International Space Station and other destinations as part of the Constellation Program. The preliminary design review is one of a series of checkpoints that occurs in the design life cycle before hardware manufacturing can begin. (Source: NASA, 09/01/09) Gulf Coast note: Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans and Stennis Space Center, Miss., are both involved in the Constellation Program.

Stennis holds industry day

STENNIS SPACE CENTER, Miss. - Industry Day will be held Wednesday at NASA's John C. Stennis Space Center to inform contractors and small businesses about upcoming contracting opportunities. The event is hosted by the Office of Procurement. (Source: NASA, 09/01/09)

Gates gives strong F-35 endorsement

FORT WORTH, Texas – Defense Secretary Robert Gates visited the Lockheed Martin F-35 factory Monday, saying the importance of the aircraft can’t be overstated. He held up the Joint Strike Fighter as an example of new, innovative and more cost-effective ways to meet the country's current and future defense needs. It’s being developed for the Air Force, Navy and Marines by the U.S. and allied nations. Gates said he’s particularly excited that the F-35 appears to be on schedule to equip the first training squadron at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., by 2011. (Source: American Forces Press Service, 09/01/09)

Augustine panel report delayed

The independent Augustine Commission will release its report on the future of U.S. manned spaceflight in mid-September. The report was to be released Monday. The 10-member panel plans to send a draft of its executive summary to NASA and the White House this week. The panel is headed by retired Lockheed Martin CEO Norm Augustine. (Sources: Huntsville Times, Orlando Sentinel, 09/01/09)