First flight of MK-84 successful

Boeing successfully completed the first flight tests of the MK-84 Laser Joint Direct Attack Munition at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. The first two of seven planned tests at Eglin demonstrated the 2,000-pound weapon's capability against fixed, relocatable and moving targets. During the tests in July, two inert MK-84 Laser JDAM weapons were released from an F-16 flying at 30,000 feet. Both weapons flew a series of preprogrammed maneuvers to verify maneuverability and aerodynamic performance. An existing JDAM becomes a Laser JDAM with the installation of the Precision Laser Guidance Set. (Source: Boeing, 09/28/10)

Contract: Mississippi Aerospace, $8.6M

Mississippi Aerospace Corp., Picayune, Miss., was awarded an $8,642,054 contract which will acquire loadmaster scanner crashworthy seats for the Air Force Special Operations Command MC-130H/W and EC 130J aircraft, and Air Combat Command and Air Force Reserve Command HC-130P aircraft. WR-ALC/GRUK, Special Forces Contracting Division, Robins Air Force Base, Ga., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 09/30/10)

Contract: Northrop Grumman, $99M

Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., Aerospace Battle Management and Engagement Systems Decision Support and Targeting, Hollywood, Md., was awarded a $99,000,000 contract which will procure weapons planning software. At this time, $1,000,000 has been obligated. AAC/EBSK, Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 09/29/10)

Contract: Kaman, $36M

Kaman Precision Products Inc., Orlando, Fla., was awarded a $35,985,342 contract modification which will procure joint programmable fuze systems for four Foreign Military Sales countries at a total quantity of 10,518 units. At this time, the entire amount has been obligated. AAC/EBDK, Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 09/29/10)

Contract: Sikorsky, $63.5M

Sikorsky Support Services Inc., Pensacola, Fla., is being awarded a $63,500,000 modification to a previously awarded contract to exercise an option for contractor logistics support services for the T-34, T-44 and T-6 aircraft. Work will be performed at the Naval Air Station Whiting Field, Fla. (43 percent); NAS Corpus Christi, Texas (29 percent); NAS Pensacola, Fla. (10 percent); NAS Oceana, Va. (2 percent); NAS Lemoore, Calif. (1 percent); Marine Corps Air Station, Miramar, Calif. (1 percent); Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, Patuxent River, Md. (.79 percent); Naval Air Facility, El Centro, Calif. (.1 percent); and Redstone Army Airfield, Huntsville, Ala. (1 percent). Work is expected to be completed in March 2011. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 09/29/10)

NASA picks NRL imager

WASHINGTON - NASA has chosen the Naval Research Laboratory's Wide-field Imager to be part of the Solar Probe Plus mission set for launch no later than 2018. The Solar Probe Plus, a car-sized spacecraft, will plunge directly into the sun's atmosphere about four million miles from our star's surface. It will explore a region no other spacecraft ever has encountered in an effort to unlock the sun's biggest mysteries. (Source: NRL, 09/27/10) Gulf Coast note: NASA has activities at Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans and John C. Stennis Space Center, Miss. The NRL also has a detachment at Stennis Space Center.

AFRL has new chief scientist

EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. - Dr. Mikel Miller was recently promoted to chief scientist and senior technologist for the Air Force Research Lab Munitions Directorate. Miller is a retired Air Force lieutenant colonel who served for 30 years on active duty. In his new position, he will help lead the AFRL Munitions Directorate to the next generation of munitions systems. Among his goals: Boost the number of AFRL scientists who have doctorate degrees from the current 17 percent to 30 to 35 percent by hiring new scientists and through internal academic growth. Another goal is to grow AFRL's future workforce through educational partnerships. (Source: Eglin Public Affairs, 09/27/10)

Avalex moving to Gulf Breeze

PENSACOLA, Fla. - Avalex Technologies, which makes aerial surveillance equipment, is moving its headquarters from Pensacola to nearby Gulf Breeze. The 9.2-acre property is the former home of car dealer World Ford. The new building will be some 53,000 square feet with room for more buildings. The two downtown Pensacola buildings had 17,000 square feet. Avalex equipment is designed for law enforcement and the military, and includes flat panel displays, digital mapping systems and sensor pointing systems. (Source: Pensacola News Journal, 09/29/10)

Contract: Raytheon, $10.2M

Raytheon Missile Systems, Tucson, Ariz., was awarded a $10,223,663 contract modification which will extend the period of performance of the Advanced Medium Range Air-to Air Missile (AMRAAM) aircraft integration support effort through Sept. 30, 2013. At this time, $1,815,268 has been obligated. AAC/EBAK (AMRAAM Development Branch), Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 09/28/10)

Contract: L-3 Vertex, $18.5M

L-3 Communications Vertex Aerospace LLC, Madison, Miss., is being awarded an $18,530,000 modification to a previously awarded indefinite-delivery requirements contract to exercise an option for logistics support for TH-57B/TH-57C aircraft. Work will be performed at Naval Air Station Whiting Field, Milton, Fla. (99 percent), and NAS Patuxent River, Md. (1 percent). Work is expected to be completed in March 2011. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 09/28/10)

Contract: Rolls-Royce, $89.1M

Rolls-Royce Defense Services Inc., Indianapolis, Ind., is being awarded an $89,119,156 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 under the power-by-the-hour arrangement. In addition, this modification provides for inventory control, sustaining engineering and configuration management, as well as integrated logistics support and required engineering elements necessary to support the F405-RR-401 engine at the organization level. Work will be performed at the Naval Air Station Kingsville, Texas (54 percent), NAS Meridian, Miss. (41 percent); NAS Pensacola, Fla. (4 percent), and NAS Patuxent River, Md. (1 percent) and is expected to be completed in September 2011. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 09/27/10)

Contract: L-3 Vertex, $125M

L-3 Communications Vertex Aerospace LLC, Madison, Miss., is being awarded a $125,000,000 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 47 T-45A and 158 T-45C aircraft based at Naval Air Station Meridian, Miss.; NAS Kingsville, Texas; NAS Pensacola, Fla., and Patuxent River, Md. This requirement also includes the organizational level maintenance for the engine. Work will be performed in Kingsville, Texas (54 percent); Meridian, Miss. (41 percent); Pensacola, Fla. (4 percent); and Patuxen River (1 percent), and is expected to be completed in September 2011. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md. is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 09/27/10)

Southwest to buy AirTran

Southwest Airlines is buying AirTran for about $1.4 billion. The companies said Monday that the new Southwest-Airtran operation would operate from more than 100 different airports and serve more than 100 million customers. In the Gulf Coast region, AirTran serves the Gulfport-Biloxi International Airport, New Orleans and Pensacola. Southwest Airlines serves New Orleans and Panama City Beach, Fla. (Source: Multiple, including AP via Sun Herald, Forbes, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 09/27/10)

Contract: L-3 Vertex, $21M

L-3 Communications Vertex Aerospace, LLC, Madison, Miss., is being awarded a $21,098,439 modification to a previously awarded contract to provide 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. In addition, 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. Work will be performed in Pensacola, Fla. (99 percent), and Corpus Christi, Texas and is expected to be completed in March 2011. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 09/24/10)

Contract: Marianna Airmotive, $20M

Marianna Airmotive Corp., Cantonment, Fla., was awarded a $20,000,000 contract which will procure 18 national stock numbers of structural components, i.e., spoilers, applicable to C-5 aircraft. At this time, $786,450 has been obligated. 409 SCMS/GUMD, Robins Air Force Base, Ga., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 09/24/10) Gulf Coast note: Cantonment is north of Pensacola, Fla.

Commander tapped for promotion

EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. - Maj. Gen. C. R. Davis, program executive officer for weapons and Air Armament Center commander, was nominated for appointment to lieutenant general. Davis arrived at Eglin in May 2009 and is responsible for the development, acquisition, testing, deployment and sustainment of all air-delivered weapons. AAC plans, directs and conducts test and evaluation of U.S. and allied air armament, navigation and guidance systems, and command and control systems. Once confirmed, Davis will be reassigned to Hanscom AFB, Mass., as Commander, Electronic Systems Center. Plans for a change of command ceremony are pending senate confirmation. (Source: Eglin Air Force Base, 09/22/10)

Shuttle tank on way to Kennedy

NEW ORLEANS - The external fuel tank that will power the last planned space shuttle is expected to arrive Sunday at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Fla. The tank has been restored to flight configuration at NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans after sustaining damage during Hurricane Katrina in 2005. The tank, ET-122, was shipped out Tuesday. It will support shuttle Endeavour's flight targeted for launch in February. (Source: Tcp, based on NASA release, 09/20/10)

AF narrows list of airfields

EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. - The Air Force has narrowed the primary airfields for the Joint Strike Fighter to Eglin Main and Duke Field. In a draft of the Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement released this week, the Air Force said the JSF will bed down, be maintained, launched and recovered at one of the two fields. A decision will be made after public hearings and release of the final EIS. (Source: Northwest Florida Daily News, 09/23/10)

Contract: Del-Jen, $23.4M

Del-Jen Inc., Clarksville, Tenn., is being awarded a $23,380,548 modification under a previously awarded contract to exercise Option 3 for base operations support services at Naval Air Station Pensacola and surrounding areas. The work to be performed provides for public works administration including labor, management, supervision, materials, supplies, and tools for facilities management. Work will be performed in Pensacola, Fla., and is expected to be completed by September 2011. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Southeast, Jacksonville, Fla., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 09/23/10)

Contract awarded for road expansion

STENNIS SPACE CENTER, Miss. - NPD Resources Inc. of Brookhaven, Miss., has been awarded a $12.46 million contract to expand Highway 607 at Stennis Space Center from two lanes to four lanes. The project is expected to take 18 months. The highway will be expanded to a four-lane divided roadway between Saturn Drive and Texas Flat Road at Stennis Space Center, a distance of about four miles. The improvement will be made by adding two lanes west of the existing roadway from Saturn Drive to the north security gate at Stennis and adding two lanes east of the existing roadway from the gate to Texas Flat Road. A 30-foot median will separate the four lanes. The roadway addition is part of a larger project to expand state Route 607 to four lanes all the way to I-59. The expanded road not only will provide service to Stennis Space Center, but will serve as a hurricane evacuation route. (Source: NASA, 09/22/10)

PW on track for 2011 test at SSC

Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne successfully completed the latest round of tests on the gas generator for NASA's J-2X rocket engine. With the first NASA J-2X engine far along in development, Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne is on track to begin testing in 2011 at John C. Stennis Space Center, Miss. Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne is a United Technologies Corp.company. It has an operation at Stennis Space Center. (Source: PRNewswire, 09/21/10)

Contract: Aerojet, $8M

Aerojet General Corp., Cordova, Calif., was awarded an $8,088,294 contract to manufacture empty warhead cases to support the precision lethality MK82 quick reaction capability program. At this time, $3,963,265 has been obligated. AAC/EBSK, Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 09/21/10)

Contract: Roy Anderson, $14.4M

Roy Anderson Corp., Gulfport, Miss., is being awarded $14,430,700 for firm-fixed-price task order #0002 under a previously awarded multiple award construction contract for the addition to and alteration of Air Force Central Command Headquarters at Shaw Air Force Base. Work will be performed in Sumter, S.C., and is expected to be completed by September 2012. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Southeast, Jacksonville, Fla., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 09/21/10)

Work continues toward alternative fuels

ARNOLD AIR FORCE BASE, Tenn. - An F-15 Eagle engine is undergoing performance testing using a unique blend of three different fuel types. The F100 engine is being tested with a combination of JP-8 conventional aviation fuel, a biofuel derived from an animal fat and a synthetic fuel derived from coal. The fuels testing is being conducted to ensure the different fuels, in varying combinations, are suitable for an upcoming series of F-15 flight tests tentatively scheduled for October at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. (Source: AFNS, 09/20/10)

Fire Scout flights to resume soon

Flights of the Fire Scout unmanned helicopter the Navy is testing to operate from its warships will resume Sept. 20, the Navy announced late Thursday. The UAVs were grounded after operators lost control of one on Aug. 2 and it entered restricted airspace around Washington. This time they’ll be flying in Yuma, Ariz. The Navy had been flying Fire Scouts from a field near Naval Air Station Patuxent River in southern Maryland. Testing will resume there after engineers validate updated software for the aircraft. New software is scheduled to be installed early next month. (Source: Navy Times, 09/16/10) Gulf Coast note: Fire Scouts are built in part in Moss Point, Miss.

Airport chief gives blunt assessment

NEW ORLEANS - After 100 days in office, the new head of the New Orleans airport said Louis Armstrong International suffers from major management and staffing deficiencies and is headed for more problems if things don't change quickly. Iftikhar Ahmad, former airport administrator in Nashville, Tenn., said the airport is understaffed, lacks an overall business strategy and there are no performance measures. (Source: New Orleans Times-Picayune, 09/15/10)

Contract: Jacobs, $12M

Jacobs Technology Inc., Fort Walton Beach, Fla., is being awarded $12,058,815 for a task order under a previously awarded contract to provide support of the transition from the Navy/Marine Corps Intranet environment to the next Marine Corps Information Technology environment. This includes financial planning, programming, budgeting and execution of the USMC enterprise budget throughout the Future Year Defense Plan; program management activities; USMC representation and coordination with Navy Next Generation Enterprise Network office, the Secure Operational Network Infrastructure Capability Program of Record activities as well as providing expertise in all other forums related to the delivery of this new IT environment. Work will be performed in Dumfries, Va., Washington, D.C., and Stafford, Va. Work is expected to be completed in September 2011. The Marine Corps System Command, Quantico, Va., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 09/16/10)

Contract: EDO, $11.4M

EDO Communications & Countermeasures Systems Inc., Thousand Oaks, Calif., was awarded a $11,400,000 contract modification to provide sustaining engineering services in support of the B-1 and B-52 mission data test laboratories and special test equipment. Work will directly support the maintenance, operation and technical capabilities of the electronic warfare systems mock-ups, special test equipment and mobile test facilities. AAC/PKES, Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 09/16/10)

WTO: Boeing received illegal subsidies

The World Trade Organization dispute settlement panel ruled Wednesday that Boeing received U.S. government subsidies to develop aircraft. The interim ruling, reported by numerous media organizations, is confidential and a final ruling is not expected for several months. Three months ago the WTO found that European countries provided illegal subsidies to Boeing rival Airbus. The biggest impact of the ruling could be forcing the United States and European Union to come up with a negotiated settlement on subsidies. (Sources: Multiple, including Reuters, AP, Bloomberg, 09/15/10) Gulf Coast note: Boeing and Airbus parent, EADS, are competing for a $40 billion contract to build tankers for the U.S. Air Force. EADS wants to assemble its tankers in Mobile, Ala.

Squadron gets new commander

KEESLER AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. - Col. Richard McBride Jr. took command of the 81st Diagnostics and Therapeutics Squadron Tuesday. He succeeds Col. Stephanie McCann, who retired Aug. 1. McBride's squadron consists of diagnostic imaging, nutritional medicine, pharmacy and pathology and clinical laboratory flights and is comprised of more than 300 military members and civilians. (Source: 81st Medical Group Public Affairs, 09/15/10)

Testing snow tires in Florida

EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. - Snow fell and temperatures reached 20 degrees inside the McKinley Climatic Lab at Eglin Air Force Base in preparation to test snow traction and ice braking capabilities on vehicle tires. Lab engineers had snow falling Sept. 4 to fill the chamber and create the freezing and icy conditions needed for the customer, Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co. It took two long days to fill the 55,000 foot chamber with snow and reach the conditions required, according to Matt McCarty, test engineer with McKinley Lab. The McKinley Lab has been an Eglin icon since 1947 and is the largest climatic lab in the world. The 46th Test Wing facility is primarily used for military testing, but provides services to commercial companies and even foreign countries. (Source: Eglin Public Affairs, 09/13/10)

Contract: BAE Systems, $38M

BAE Systems of Fort Walton Beach, Fla., was awarded a $38,096,209 contract modification which will manage, operate, maintain and logistically support the solid state phase array radar system at Cape Cod, Air Force Station, Massachusetts; Beale Air Force Base, Calif.; Thule Air Base, Greenland; Clear Air Force Station, Alaska; and Royal Air Force Flyingdales, United Kingdom, for fiscal 2011. At this time, the entire amount has been obligated. 21 CONS/LGCZB, Peterson Air Force Base, Colo., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 09/13/10)

Orion testing continues at Michoud

NEW ORLEANS - The first Orion capsule passed a structural proof pressure test at the NASA Michoud Assembly Facility on Aug. 30. The proof test article will be used for ground and flight evaluations, which will correlate test data with analytical models to validate Orion’s flight design engineering. Lockheed Martin is outfitting the test unit with its final configuration of interior and exterior mass and volume simulators. Around December the Orion will be delivered to the company’s Denver, Colo., facility for performance testing in an acoustic chamber. (Source: Aviation Week, 09/10/10)

Contract: Raytheon, $25.8M

Raytheon Missile Systems, Tucson, Ariz., was awarded a $25,778,000 contract modification which will procure Radome Phase II Advanced medium range air to air missile. At this time, the entire amount has been obligated. 695 ARSS/PK, Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 09/10/10)

Contract: Rehabilitation Svc., $8M

Rehabilitation Services Mississippi, Madison, Miss., was awarded a $7,986,886 contract modification which will procure full food services at Keesler Air Force Base, Miss., with a period of performance of Oct. 1, 2010 through September 30, 2011. At this time, the entire amount has been obligated. 81 CONS, Keesler Air Force Base, is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 09/10/10)

Contract: Raytheon, $6.9M

Raytheon Missile Systems, Tucson, Ariz., was awarded a $6,938,105 contract modification which will procure the study for the replacement for the Advanced Medium Range Air to Air Missile (AMRAAM) transponder module used in the AMRAAM telemetry section. At this time, the entire amount has been obligated. AAC/EBAK, Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 09/10/10)

L-3 keeps door open on tanker work

L-3 Communications is open to joining the rematch to build aerial tankers for the Air Force, despite halting talks in April with EADS. Chief Executive Michael Strianese said conditions had not been right at that time. "The door is still open if EADS wants to talk in the future, or Boeing for that matter," Strianese told the Reuters Aerospace and Defense Summit in Washington on Thursday. (Source: Reuters, 09/10/10) Gulf Coast note: EADS and Boeing are competing to build the planes in a contract worth $40 billion. An award is expected in the fall. EADS wants to assemble the planes in Mobile, Ala.

SLAMRAAM test successful

Raytheon's Surface Launched Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missile system (SLAMRAAM) successfully participated in a ballistic test vehicle firing at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. The test included the firing of multiple AMRAAM missiles from the new family of medium tactical vehicle platform. The new platform provides additional armored capability and is more ruggedized to support the SLAMRAAM mission. (Source: Raytheon via PRNewswire, 09/09/10)

Army eyeing missile test site

Plaquemines Parish, La., officials say the Army is considering building a missile test site at Port Eads. The Army told parish officials that it needs a site from which to launch missiles over the open waters of the Gulf of Mexico for target practice. In a statement, the Army Space and Missile Defense Command in Huntsville, Ala., said it received money for a feasibility study "to consider locations within the Gulf Coast region as potential sites for test and evaluation assets." The Air Force already operates aerial combat ranges in the eastern Gulf of Mexico, including live-fire ranges off the Panhandle involving air-to-air and air-to-surface missiles. (Source: New Orleans Times-Picayune, 09/08/10)

New tower topped off

GULFPORT, Miss. - The new Federal Aviation Administration control tower at Gulfport-Biloxi International Airport was topped off Wednesday with a 50-foot-tall metal superstructure. That along with the existing concrete structure creates a 148-foot-tall tower that will replace the existing 90-foot-tall tower built in the 1970s. Construction is expected to be completed during the first quarter of 2011. (Source: Sun Herald, 09/08/10)

Tanker award date slipping?

The target date to award the U.S. Air Force tanker contract may be slipping, according to military officials. An Air Force spokesman said the decision will be announced in the fall, and possibly as late as Dec. 20. The Air Force previously said it expected to announce a winner by mid-November. Boeing and EADS are competing for the contract. EADS plans to assemble its tankers in Mobile, Ala. (Source: Mobile Press-Register, 09/08/10)

Boeing gets AC-130U support contract

FORT WALTON BEACH, Fla. - Boeing has received a contract from the U.S. Air Force to provide spare servo-actuators for the AC-130U gunship. The five-year contract, which includes a base year plus four out-year ordering periods, is worth up to $7.2 million. A total of $1.2 million of the first phase has been obligated. Between now and July 2011, Boeing will provide 10 servo-actuators for the Trainable Gun Mount Systems needed to install 40-millimeter guns on four AC-130Us. The work will be performed by Boeing teams in Fort Walton Beach. (Source: Boeing, 09/02/10)

Northrop begins BAMS production

MOSS POINT, Miss. - Northrop Grumman has begun work on the first MQ-4 Broad Area Maritime Surveillance drone at the company's Moss Point facility. The Global Hawk BAMS aircraft is the first of about 40 of the high-altitude spy drones that will serve the Navy. It's designed to work with the Navy's new P-8 maritime patrol planes. The BAMS UAV is a multi-mission maritime intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance system that will support a variety of missions while operating independently or in direct collaboration with fleet assets. The Air Force version of the Global Hawk is the RQ-4. The Unmanned Systems Center at Moss Point does fuselage work on the Global Hawk. (Source: Defense News, Globe Newswire, 09/01/10)