Contract: Avarint, $83.7M

Avarint LLC, Buffalo, N.Y., has been awarded an $83,740,389 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, cost-plus-fixed-fee and cost reimbursement contract for Virtual Integrated Electronic Warfare Simulations (VIEWS) II. Contractor will provide an integrated, multi-spectral, virtual battlespace environment suitable for the test and evaluation of advanced sensor, fused system performance. Continuous advancements in survivability technologies necessitate improvements to ground and open-air test capabilities, with particular focus on the areas of sensors and avionics architectures that fuse information from multiple sources including the F-22 and F-35. The electronic warfare test and evaluation infrastructure must keep pace with advances in technology and new employment concepts. Work will primarily be performed at Buffalo and at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., and is expected to be complete by March 26, 2020. This award is the result of a sole-source acquisition. Fiscal 2015 research, development, test and evaluation, operations and maintenance and procurement funds in the amount of $180,000 are being obligated at the time of award. Air Force Test Center, Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., is the contracting activity (FA9302-15-D-0004). (Source: DoD, 03/31/15) Gulf Coast note: Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla., trains F-22 pilots and Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., trains F-35 pilots and maintainers.

Logistics contract awarded

MOBILE, Ala. -- Page & Jones Inc. of Mobile has been awarded the import clearance and export services contract with Airbus, which is building an A320 final assembly line at the Mobile Aeroplex. Financial terms of the contract were not immediately available. Page & Jones is an international logistics company with branch offices at 12 ports and airports in a six-state area. It offers U.S. Customs clearance, export forwarding and ship agency services between ports and airports worldwide. The Airbus assembly line will open this year, and the first shipments of major sections will arrive from Europe in June. (Source: al.com, 03/31/15) Related

Contract: HX5, $9.9M

HX5 LLC of Fort Walton Beach, Fla., was awarded a $9,875,000 contract for continuing research and development services. Funding and work location will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of March 29, 2017. One bid was solicited with one received. Army Corps of Engineers, Vicksburg, Miss., is the contracting activity (W912HZ-15-D-0004). (Source: DoD, 03/30/15)

Contract: Lockheed Martin, $6.8M

Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., Fort Worth, Texas, is being awarded a $6,808,493 modification to a previously awarded cost-plus-fixed-fee contract (N00019-15-C-0031) to provide interim contractor sustainment services in support of the F-35 Lightening II low rate initial production lot aircraft for the Air Force. Work will be performed at Luke Air Force Base, Glendale, Ariz., and is expected to be completed in November 2015. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 03/30/15) Gulf Coast note: Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is home of the F-35 integrated training center.

Contract: Lockheed Martin, $10.8M

Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., Fort Worth, Texas, has been awarded a $10,805,585 modification (P00599) to previously awarded contract FA8611-08-C-2897 for the F-22 sustainment contract for the Reliability and Maintainability Maturation Program (RAMMP). Contractor will provide RAMMP solution identification for various RAMMP projects. Work will be performed at Fort Worth and is expected to be complete by Feb. 28, 2017. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Hill Air Force Base, Utah, is the contracting activity (FA8611-08-C-2897). Gulf Coast note: F-22 pilots are trained at Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla., which is also home to an operational F-22 squadron.

Two die in helicopter crash

SAUCIER, Miss. -- Two people in a helicopter working a controlled burn in the DeSoto National Forest have died after their helicopter crashed Monday afternoon. A third person was airlifted by Life Flight to a hospital. The accident occurred about 3 p.m. The controlled burn today involved 800 acres at the Harrison and Stone county lines. (Source: Sun Herald, 03/30/15)

Thousands turn out for airshow

BILOXI, Miss. -- About 155,000 people attended the air show at Keesler Air Force Base, Miss., over the weekend. The show featured, among other aerial demonstrations, the Air Force Thunderbirds precision flying team. About 96,000 people attended Saturday and 59,000 were on hand Sunday for the show at the base in Biloxi. About 140,000 people turned out in 2009 to see the Thunderbirds, and 160,000 came to watch the Navy's Blue Angels in 2011. (Source: Sun Herald 03/30/15)

Contract: Rolls-Royce, $93.6M

Rolls-Royce Corp., Indianapolis, Ind., is being awarded a $93,553,851 modification to a previously awarded indefinite-delivery, requirements contract (N00019-14-D-0016) to exercise an option to provide intermediate, depot level maintenance and related logistics support for approximately 223 in-service T-45 F405-RR-401 Adour engines and MKII gas turbine starters. Work will be performed at Naval Air Station (NAS) Meridian, Miss. (47 percent); NAS Kingsville, Texas (46 percent); NAS Pensacola, Fla. (6 percent); and NAS Patuxent River, Md. (1 percent), and is expected to be completed in March 2016. No funds will be obligated at time of award; funds will be obligated on individual delivery orders as they are issued. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 03/27/15)

Contract: Boeing, $28.5M

The Boeing Co., St. Louis, Mo., has been awarded a $28,460,408 modification (P00078) to exercise the option on contract FA8678-10-C-0100 for purchase of QF-16 Full-Scale Aerial Target (FSAT) Lot 3. This option is for the purchase of 25 QF-16 FSATs and 25 four-year warranties of the QF-16 drone-peculiar equipment. Work will be performed at Cecil Field, Fla., and is expected to be complete by Oct. 31, 2017. Fiscal 2014 and 2015 procurement funds in the amount of $28,460,408 are being obligated at the time of award. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 03/27/15)

NASA awards purchase agreement

STENNIS SPACE CENTER, Miss. -- NASA has selected IT Federal Sales of Windham, N.H., to provide SAP software and maintenance support services to all NASA centers and associated facilities with a Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA) estimated at $23.1 million. The firm-fixed price BPA has a performance period of three years, including a one year base period with two-year option periods. The BPA is available for use by all NASA centers and associated facilities through March 31, 2018. The SAP agreement is administered by the NASA Shared Services Center (NSSC) at Stennis Space Center. The NSSC performs selected business activities for all NASA centers. (Source: NASA/NSSC, 03/27/15)

Two metros among fastest growing

Two metro areas in the Gulf Coast I-10 aerospace region were among the 20 fastest growing in the nation from 2013 to 2014, according to figures from the U.S. Census Bureau released Thursday. Daphne-Fairhope-Foley, Ala., with a growth of 2.4 percent, was ranked 14th fastest growing, while Panama City, Fla., with a growth of 2.2 percent, was ranked 19th. Other metro areas in the region also grew: Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin, Fla., ranked 37, had a growth rate of 1.9 percent; Pensacola-Ferry Pass-Brent, Fla., ranked 87, had a rate of 1.2 percent; Gulfport-Biloxi-Pascagoula, Miss., ranked 124, had a growth rate of 1 percent; New Orleans, ranked 142, had a growth rate of .8 percent; and Mobile, Ala., ranked 267, had a rate of .1 percent. (Source: GCAC, 03/26/15) Census Bureau release

Co-pilot deliberately crashed A320

Authorities say the Germanwings A320 that crashed in the French Alps Tuesday, killing 150 people, was intentionally flown into the mountain by the co-pilot. Co-pilot Andreas Lubitz locked the pilot out of the cockpit and refused to open the door despite frantic pounding. The plane, on a flight between Barcelona, Spain, and Duesseldorf, Germany, went into a sudden, steep descent that lasted eight minutes before it crashed in rugged terrain some 65 miles north of the French Riviera city of Nice. Germanwings is a low-cost subsidiary of Lufthansa. (Sources: multiple, including ABCNews, New York Times, 03/26/15) Gulf Coast note: Airbus will open an A320 assembly line in Mobile, Ala., this year. Previous

Contract: Kaman, $58M

Kaman Precision Products Inc., Orlando, Fla., has been awarded a $58,057,125 firm-fixed-price modification (P00028) to previously awarded contract FA8681-13-C-0029 for Lot 12 production of Joint Programmable Fuze systems. Contractor will provide an additional quantity of 15,742 state-of-the-art fuze systems being produced under the basic contract. Work will be performed at Orlando and is expected to be complete by April 30, 2017. Fiscal 2013, 2014 and 2015 ammunition procurement funds in in the amount of $45,635,806 and fiscal 2015 overseas contingency operations funds in the amount of $12,421,319 are being obligated at the time of award. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 03/26/15)

Military ops up at airport

PANAMA CITY, Fla. -- A spike in military aviation operations kept activity at Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport from taking a dip in February. Airport Executive Director Parker McClellan told the Airport Authority on Wednesday that there were 3,665 aircraft operations in February 2015 compared to 3,703 in 2014. Airline operations were down 2.86 percent, general aviation operations dropped 18.63 percent and military operations increased 58.75 percent. The Panama City airport is in West Bay. (Source: News Herald, 03/26/15)

NLRB OKs union Boeing S.C. vote

NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. -- Machinists at the Boeing plant in North Charleston will vote next month on union representation. The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) Tuesday approved an agreement between the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) and Boeing that established the date, time, duration and eligible voters for a union representation election among more than 3,000 workers at Boeing's 787 plant in South Carolina. The April 22 voting will take place at five separate locations on the Boeing campus, which builds 787 Dreamliners. There are more than 7,700 Boeing workers in South Carolina. IAM is Boeing's largest union. (Source: IAM via BusinessWire, 03/24/15) Gulf Coast note: Boeing rival Airbus will begin assembling A320 family jetliners in Mobile, Ala., beginning this year; Boeing has non-commercial aviation operations in New Orleans and Fort Walton Beach, Fla. Previous; related

Contract: Raytheon, $529M

Raytheon Co., Raytheon Missile Systems, Tucson, Ariz., has been awarded a $528,797,459 fixed-price incentive firm contract modification (P00004) to exercise the option on previously awarded contract FA8675-15-C-0022. Contractor will provide Advanced Medium Range Air to Air Missile (AMRAAM) Lot 29 production and other AMRAAM system items. Work will be performed at Tucson and is expected to be complete by Jan. 31, 2018. This contract involves foreign military sales. Fiscal year 2015 Air Force and Navy production funds in the amount of $294,661,588 are being obligated at the time of award. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 03/24/15)

Contract: Sierra Nevada, $15.1M

Sierra Nevada Corp., Sparks, Nev., has been awarded a $15,117,867 modification to exercise and option (P00006) to previously awarded contract FA8509-14-C-0001. The modification provides for contractor logistics services in support of the AC-130W and AC-130J precision strike package. Work will be performed at Cannon Air Force Base, N.M.; Hurlburt Field, Fla.; and various deployment locations, and is expected to be complete by March 31, 2016. Fiscal year 2015 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $15,117,867 are being obligated at the time of award. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Robins Air Force Base, Ga., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 03/24/15)

A320 crash in Alps claims 150

A 24-year-old Germanwings A320 with 144 passengers and a crew of six crashed near Prads-Haute-Bleone in the French Alps today. There were no survivors. Among the dead were 16 German school children and two teachers. Authorities said the plane, on a flight between Barcelona, Spain, and Duesseldorf, Germany, went into a sudden, steep descent before crashing in rugged terrain at a site between Digne and Barcelonnette, 65 miles north of the French Riviera city of Nice. A black box has been recovered. Germanwings is a low-cost subsidiary of Lufthansa. Airbus confirmed the plane is 24 years old and was first delivered to Lufthansa in 1991. It was powered by two CFM International engines. Reuters reports that routine maintenance was done on the jetliner by Lufthansa on Monday. The plane had 58,300 flight hours and 46,700 flights. The A320 is a workhorse of the industry with a good safety record. (Sources: USA Today, BBC News, Reuters, Airbus, 03/24/15) Gulf Coast note: Airbus will open an A320 assembly line in Mobile, Ala., this year.

Airbus delivers 9,000th plane

Airbus has delivered its 9,000th aircraft, an A321 for Vietnamese carrier VietJetAir. It will join the carrier’s all-Airbus A320 family fleet flying on its fast-growing Asia-Pacific network. Airbus delivered its first A300 in 1974. Its lineup today includes the popular A320 family and the world's largest aircraft, the double deck A380. The 9,000th delivery comes less than two years after Airbus reached its last milestone of 8,000 aircraft-delivered in August 2013. Over the last 10 years, Airbus has doubled its deliveries to reach over 600 aircraft a year today. (Source: Airbus, 03/23/15) Gulf Coast note: Airbus will open a new A320 final assembly line in Mobile, Ala., later this year.

Australian pilot has 1st F-35 flight

Australia's first F-35A pilot, Squadron Leader Andrew Jackson, took his first flight in an F-35A fighter at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., on March 17. He flew a U.S. plane because Australian F-35A aircraft are currently located at Luke Air Force Base, Ariz., in anticipation of the opening of a pilot training center there in mid-2015. Jackson will continue his training program over the coming months. Australia's first F-35A flew in October 2014. (Source: Australian Defence Magazine, 03/23/15) Previous

Delta IV heavy gets solar mission

NASA last week selected United Launch Alliance's Delta IV Heavy vehicle to launch the Solar Probe Plus mission to study the Sun's outer atmosphere. The mission is scheduled to launch in July 2018 from Space Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla. The Delta IV Heavy has a center common booster core and two strap-on common booster cores, each powered by the RS-68 engine. An RL10 engine will power the second stage and a third stage will be provided by Orbital ATK. The Delta IV Heavy also was used in December to launch the Orion capsule in NASA's successful Exploration Flight Test 1. (Sources: multiple, including ULA via SpaceRef, 03/18/15, Spaceflight Insider, 03/20/15) Gulf Coast note: Aerojet Rocketdyne RS-68 engines are tested at Stennis Space Center, Miss. Previous related

SSC, MAF contract awarded

STENNIS SPACE CENTER, Miss. – NASA has awarded a $23.6 million, five-year Laboratory Services Contract (LSC) to AAR, JV, known as A2R, from Huntsville, Ala. A2R will be responsible for providing technical services for laboratory operations at NASA’s John C. Stennis Space Center and Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans. Laboratory operations for Stennis include, Measurement Standards and Calibration, Gas and Material Science, Environmental, and Institutional Geographic Information System Laboratories; and MAF operations include, Metrology and Test Services Laboratories. (Source: NASA, 03/20/15)

Active recovery ops end

EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. – Officials at Eglin Air Force Base will conclude active recovery efforts Saturday in connection with the UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter accident March 10. Seven Marines and four Guardsmen died when the helicopter went down during training over Santa Rosa Sound, east of Navarre, Fla. The Safety Investigation Board from the Army Combat Readiness Center, Fort Rucker, Ala., has convened. Eglin will transfer responsibility of the accident site to the investigation board Saturday. All recovered human remains have been transferred to Dover AFB, Del. (Source: Eglin Air Force Base, 03/20/15) Previous

First production QF-16 arrives

Post-flight check of QF-16 after Tyndall arrival
Courtesy photo

TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. – The first Air Force Lot 1 production QF-16 arrived at Tyndall Air Force Base March 11. It's the first of 13 deliveries to the 82nd Aerial Targets Squadron. This is the first production QF-16 aircraft to be delivered off of the Drone Peculiar Equipment production line. The QF-16 will replace the legacy QF-4 as the next generation representative aerial target, with missions that encompass manned combat training profiles and unmanned live-fire threat scenarios at Tyndall and Holloman Air Force Base, N.M. The 82nd ATRS is a geographically separated unit of the 53rd Wing, headquartered at Eglin AFB. (Source: 96th Test Wing Public Affairs, 03/19/15) The first QF-16 for developmental testing arrived at Tyndall in November 2012. 2013 background article

Contract: Raytheon, $91.6M

Raytheon Co., Missile Systems, Tucson, Ariz., has been awarded a $91,562,375 modification (P00012) to exercise the option on previously awarded contract FA8682-14-C-0004 for Lot 8 of the Miniature Air Launched Decoy Jammer (MALD-J) missile. Contractor will provide 250 MALD-J missiles. Work will be performed at Tucson and is expected to be complete by June 30, 2017. Fiscal year 2014 and 2015 procurement funds in the amount of $91,562,375 are being obligated at the time of award. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 03/18/15)

Airbus expects union to target FAL

Airbus already has developed a strategy to counter an internally expected move by unions to organize the A320 final assembly line that will open this year in Mobile, Ala. "I don't think there's any question that organized labor will want to try to approach our employees there," Alan McArtor, chairman and chief executive of the Airbus Group, told Flightglobal in an interview. The Airbus business case for the Mobile plant doesn't rely on whether workers decide to organize, he said, but the company will seek to avoid a union presence. "I think unions are unnecessary if you have the right kind of rapport and communications and fair treatment of your employees," McArtor said. (Source: Flightglobal, 03/18/15) Previous: Union rates released; Union seeks Boeing S.C. election

Reaper makes history at Eglin

EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. – An MQ-9 Reaper remotely piloted aircraft fired a Hellfire missile at a sea-going target for the first time in a maritime test at Eglin Air Force Base. The test was during Eglin’s Weapons Systems Evaluation Program over the Gulf of Mexico on March 16. The missile hit a boat that was being towed by another remotely-controlled vessel. Lt. Col. Scott Logan, commander of the 86th Fighter Weapons Squadron, said no other test range has the capacity to do this type of maritime testing. Testing will be done throughout the week on A-10s, F-16s, F-15Es, MQ-9s, and some F-35s. Operations will continue through March 19. (Source: Northwest Florida Daily News 03/17/15)

Tyndall to host air show

TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. -- Tyndall Air Force Base will host the Gulf Coast Salute 2015 air show and open house April 11-12. The show will feature the Air Force's Thunderbirds flying demonstration team, the Army's Golden Knights parachute team, and the F-22 Raptor aerial demonstration team. There will also be ground displays and othr attractions. Admission and parking for the show are free. Shuttle bus transportation is to be provided from the parking area to the flight line. (Source: Gulf Coast Salute, 03/10/15, News Herald, 03/16/15)

Union seeks Boeing S.C. election

NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. -- The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers today filed a petition with the National Labor Relations Board to hold an election for more than 2,400 production employees at the Boeing plant here. Both the union and Boeing issued press releases. The plant, which opened in late 2011, is one of two final assembly and delivery points for the 787. Boeing last month opened a new propulsion plant in North Charleston and now employs about 7,500 people in South Carolina. (Sources: IAM via BusinessWire, Boeing, 03/16/15) Gulf Coast note: Boeing rival Airbus will begin assembling A320 family jetliners in Mobile, Ala., beginning this year; Boeing has non-commercial aviation operations in New Orleans and Fort Walton Beach, Fla.

Guard crash victims named

The Louisiana Army National Guard today released the names of the four guardsmen killed March 10 when their Black Hawk helicopter crashed into Santa Rosa Sound near Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. Killed were Chief Warrant Officer 4 George Wayne Griffin Jr., 37; CWO 4 George David Strother, 44; Staff Sgt. Lance Bergeron, 40; and Staff Sgt. Thomas Florich, 26. The crew members were part of the Guard's 1-244th Assault Helicopter Battalion based at the Hammond airport. The seven Marines from Camp Lejeune, N.C., who also died were identified Friday. (Source: multiple, including WEAR-TV, The Advocate, 03/16/15) Previous

Fire Scout in Korean war games

A Fire Scout and a Littoral Combat Ship are both making showings for the first time in annual war games in South Korea. The "Key Resolve/Foal Eagle" exercises began March 2 and will continue through April 24. The exercises involve thousands of U.S. troops working alongside their South Korean counterparts on land, at sea and in the air. They are among the largest and longest-standing maneuvers conducted each year by the U.S. and its allies. According to AP, the North has special umbrage this year at the participation of the USS Fort Worth (LCS 3), one of two LCS designs intended to fight in areas closer to shore than larger ships can enter and to counter attacks by swarms of smaller vessels, which is believed to be one of the strong points of North Korea's far less sophisticated navy. Fort Worth deployed to South Korea and to northeast Asia for the first time to participate in the maneuvers. In another first, it's carrying the MQ-8B Fire Scout unmanned helicopter. (Source: AP via U-T San Diego, 03/14/15) Gulf Coast note: Northrop Grumman Fire Scouts are built in part in Moss Point, Miss.; Austal USA builds the second LCS variant in Mobile, Ala.

Marine fatalities identified

The Marines killed in the Tuesday crash of a UH-60 helicopter during a training mission in Northwest Florida have been identified. All were from the 2nd Special Operations Battalion of the Marine Corps Special Operations Command at Camp Lejeune, N.C. They were identified as Capt. Stanford H. Shaw III, 31, Basking Ridge, N.J.; Master Sgt. Thomas A. Saunders, 33, of Camp Lejeune; Staff Sgt. Liam A. Flynn, 33, Queens, N.Y.; Staff Sgt. Trevor P. Blaylock of Lake Orion, Mich.; Staff Sgt. Kerry M. Kemp, 27, of Port Washington, Wisc.; Staff Sgt. Andrew C. Seif of Holland, Michigan; and Staff Sgt. Marcus S. Bawol, 27, of Warren, Mich. Four Louisiana National Guard soldiers also died in the crash. Their names have yet been released. (Sources: multiple, 03/13/15) Previous

Contract: UTC, $33.9M

United Technologies, Pratt & Whitney, Military Engines, East Hartford, Conn., is being awarded a $33,928,095 modification to a previously awarded cost-plus-incentive-fee contract (N00019-14-C-0026). This modification provides for retrofit modifications to the production thrust recovery, lift systems, and controller systems for low rate initial production VII F135/600 and F135/100 propulsion systems. Work will be performed in Oklahoma City, Okla., and is expected to be completed in December 2016. Fiscal 2013 aircraft procurement (Navy/Marine Corps and Air Force); fiscal 2014 aircraft procurement (Navy/Marine Corps); and international partner funds in the amount of $33,928,095 will be obligated at time of award, $19,920,721 of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract combines purchases for the U.S. Navy/Marine Corps (89.22 percent); the U.S. Air Force (24 percent); and the international partners (10.54 percent). The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 03/13/15)

Contract: Airbus D&S, $24M

Airbus Defense and Space Inc., Herndon, Va., was awarded a $23,954,200 modification (P00890) to contract W58RGZ-06-C-0194 to exercise an option to procure Program Year 10 contractor logistics support for UH-72A Lakota Helicopters. Fiscal 2015 operations and maintenance (Army) funds in the amount of $23,954,200 were obligated at the time of the award. Estimated completion date is June 30, 2016.Work will be performed at in Columbus, Miss. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Ala., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 03/13/15)

Italy rolls out F-35

First Italian-built F-35 rolls out March 12.
Lockheed Martin photo

CAMERI, Italy -- The first F-35 assembled outside the United States rolled off an assembly line in Italy on Thursday. The fighter, an F-35A conventional takeoff and landing variant designated AL-1, was being assembled at the final assembly and check out (FACO) facility at Cameri Air Base in northern Italy. It's the first of eight for a production run of 90. AL-1 is due to fly for the first time later this year. Cameri will assemble F-35s for Italy and the Netherlands at the facility, which is also being used to build wing sets for Lockheed Martin. The first wing section has been completed and is due to be shipped to Lockheed's Fort Worth, Texas, F-35 production line. Owned by the Italian Ministry of Defense, Cameri is operated by Finmeccanica-Alenia Aermacchi and Lockheed Martin. It currently has 750 workers at the 101-acre facility. The plant has 22 buildings and over a million square feet of covered workspace. Last December, the site was chosen by the U.S. Defense Department as Europe's F-35 airframe maintenance, repair, overhaul and upgrade center, which should guarantee work for Cameri after Italy's jets have been assembled. (Source: Lockheed Martin, 03/12/15) Gulf Coast note: Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is home of the F-35 integrated training center.

Training exercise slated

EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. – The 86th Fighter Weapons Squadron will conduct flight and boat operations in the Gulf of Mexico eight to 20 miles south of Destin and in Choctawhatchee Bay March 16-19. The operations are part of the 53rd Wing's weapon system evaluation program. Fighter aircraft will release munitions in the morning between 8 a.m. and 1 p.m. about eight to 20 nautical miles out in the Gulf of Mexico. Around 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. in the bay, about 30 boats will be used as visual targets by fighter aircraft and helicopters flying mid to low level. The boats traveling in formation will transverse between the Mid-Bay Bridge and the Highway 331 Bridge and also eight to 20 miles south of Destin in the Gulf of Mexico. No munitions will be involved, but some boat operators will be dressed in various uniforms and costumes and may carry rubber rifles painted in highly visible colors. Some boats will have simulated, fake deck guns and rocket launcher tubes. The boats may use marine flares as visual markers. (Source: Eglin Air Force Base, 03/13/15) A similar exercise was held in early February.

UH-60 salvage barge arriving

EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. - Resolve Marine Group of Mobile, Ala., has been contracted to complete the recovery of the UH-60 aircraft from Santa Rosa Sound. The helicopter went down Tuesday during a training mission in heavy fog. Seven Marines and four Army crewmen died in the crash just east of Navarre, Fla. The salvage barge arrives today and the operation is expected to take eight hours, weather pending. An Army and Coast Guard dive team will also be on site to assist in the recovery. Once the aircraft has been removed from 25 feet of water, the recovery operations are expected to be turned over to the Safety Investigation Board already on site. That effort is being headed by the U.S. Army Combat Readiness Center out of Fort Rucker, Ala. (Source: Eglin Air Force Base, 03/13/15) Previous

Army UH-60 found

EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. – The Army UH-60 that crashed in Northwest Florida's Santa Rosa Sound has been found and the search and rescue is now officially a recovery effort. Eleven servicemen, seven Marines and four Army, were onboard the Black Hawk that was on a training mission when it went down Tuesday. "At this point, we are not hopeful of any survivors and therefore our efforts have shifted to recovery operations," said Col. Monte Cannon, 96th Test Wing vice-commander. "Our thoughts and prayers continue to be with the family members and the units where our soldiers and Marines call home." The names of the victims have not yet been released. The Army members were from Hammond, La., and the Marines from Camp Lajuene, N.C. (Source: Eglin Air Force Base, 03/12/15) Previous

Rucker team to lead crash probe

The U.S. Army’s Combat Readiness Center at Fort Rucker, Ala., will take lead of the investigation into the crash this week of a Louisiana Air National Guard UH-60 helicopter near Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. Fort Rucker is dispatching an accident investigation team to the scene at Navarre, Fla, according to Mike Negard, director of public affairs with the Army readiness center. The team will consist of four investigators from Fort Rucker, one from the Aviation Center's directorate of evaluation and standards, two from the Navy and Marine Corps, and two from the National Guard. (Source: Dothan Eagle 03/11/15) Previous

Contract: Atlas NA, $14M

Atlas North America LLC, Virginia Beach, Va., is being awarded a $14,085,779 firm-fixed-priced, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity requirements contract for depot level repair, maintenance, modifications, engineering services and spare parts for the AN/SLQ-60 Surface Mine Neutralization System (SMNS) to support the Navy for the currently deployed mine countermeasures legacy systems. The SMNS provides neutralization of shallow and deep-water mines located by the AN/AQS-24A Mine Detecting Set, and/or other mine countermeasures assets. The system is used by Navy ships and helicopters. This contract includes options which, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of this contract to $76,469,768. Work will be performed in Panama City Beach, Fla. (60 percent); Bahrain (25 percent); Virginia Beach, Va. (10 percent); South Korea (2.5 percent); Japan (2.5 percent), and is expected to be completed by March 2016. No funding is being obligated at time of award. No funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured in accordance with 10 U.S.C. 2304(c)(1), as implemented by FAR 6.302-1 (a) (2) - only one responsible source and no other supplies or services will satisfy agency requirements. Naval Surface Warfare Center Panama City Division, Panama City, is the contracting activity (N61331-15-D-0012). (Source: DoD, 03/11/15)

UH-60 crashes; 11 presumed dead

EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. – Seven Marines and four Army helicopter crew members are missing and presumed dead after a UH-60 helicopter crashed during a routine night training exercise near a military-owned stretch of beach between Pensacola and Destin. The Black Hawk from the Louisiana Army National Guard was reported missing around 8:30 p.m. CDT Tuesday. Search-and-rescue crews found debris around 2 a.m. today at Eglin Range A-17, east of the Navarre Bridge. Human remains have washed up on shore, according to Eglin. The Marines are assigned to a Marine Special Operations group from Camp Lajuene, N.C., and the helicopters is assigned to the 1-244th Assault Helicopter Battalion in Hammond, La. Reports indicate the helicopter took off from an airport in Destin and joined other helicopters in the training exercise. The names of the Marines and Army aircrew have not been released pending appropriate notifications. (Source: GCAC, 03/11/15)

Turkish Airlines picks Trent 700

Turkish Airlines selected Rolls-Royce to supply Trent 700 engines and long-term service support, worth $300 million, to power four Airbus A330 freighter aircraft. The airline already operates 11 A330ceo passenger and five A330 freighter aircraft powered by the Trent 700. In the A330 freighter market, the Trent 700 now accounts for 90 percent of aircraft in service and on order. More than 1,500 Trent 700s are now in service or on firm order, making it the largest in-service Trent engine. (Source: Rolls-Royce, 03/09/15) Gulf Coast note: Rolls-Royce tests the Trent family of engines at its outdoor test facility at Stennis Space Center, Miss.

Airbus could hike output again

Airbus could commit to a new hike in production of its A320 family of jetliners before the end of the year, Reuters reports, but a final decision depends in large part on the health of the supply chain. Sales chief John Leahy made the prediction days after the European plane maker announced plans to raise production from 42 planes a month now to 50 a month in 2017, almost matching a monthly rate of 52 targeted by Boeing for the following year. (Source: Reuters, 03/09/15) Gulf Coast note: Airbus this year will open an A320 final assembly line in Mobile, Ala.

Global Hawk flight hour cost down

The U.S. Air Force RQ-4 Global Hawk unmanned aircraft system has seen a significant decrease in cost per flight hour coupled with a sharp increase in flight hours, officials said. The Global Hawk program has brought the system's cost per flight hour down to the point of being half the cost of the manned alternative. It also saw close to a 40 percent increase in flight hours from 2013 to 2014. Global Hawk variants have flown more than 140,000 flight hours in support of diverse surveillance missions. (Source: Northrop Grumman, 03/04/15) Meanwhile, An RQ-4B Global Hawk, A2019, embarked on a mission March 7 that sent the aircraft past the 10,000 flying-hour milestone at an undisclosed location in Southwest Asia. The aircraft has been providing support to warfighters by relaying communications between people and aircraft as well as enabling airstrikes on the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). (Source: AFNS, 03/10/15) Gulf Coast note: Fuselage work for all Global Hawk variants is done in Moss Point, Miss.

F-16 radar urgently requested

The Air Force's F-16s used for homeland protection need radar upgrades urgently, according to the commander of the First Air Force at Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla. These are upgrades the service put off due to funding restrictions. The First Air Force, the numbered Air Force with sole responsibility of ensuring air superiority and air sovereignty of the U.S., recently filed the urgent operational need request with the Air Force Requirements Council for fiscal 2015 funding for its Aerospace Control Alert mission, Air Force Times has learned. The request now being considered, specifically for Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve Block 30 F-16s, seeks the installation of the Northrop Grumman APG-83 SABR active electronically scanned array radar. The radar was part of the combat avionics program extension suite that the Air Force dropped from its fiscal 2015 and 2016 budget requests both because of budget shortfalls. The First Air Force, part of the Air Combat Command, has subordinate units throughout the United States. (Source: Air Force Times, 03/05/15)

Aviation career fair scheduled

MOBILE, Ala. – Alabama Aviation Center will hold its second Aviation Career Fair and Open House March 13. It's the center’s second career fair in five months. Ten employers and recruiters from the Air National Guard and Air Force will be on hand. The career fair is coordinated by the Southwest Alabama Workforce Development Council and the aviation center of Enterprise State Community College. The Alabama Aviation Center is at 1975 Avenue C at the Mobile Aeroplex. (Source: al.com, 03/05/15)

Contract: Lockheed, $8.2M

Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., Fort Worth, Texas, is being awarded an $8,225,563 modification to a previously awarded fixed-price-incentive-firm contract (N00019-12-C-0004) for the procurement and delivery of electronic components to support low-rate initial production Lot VII F-35 aircraft for the U.S. Air Force, Marine Corps, Navy and international partners. Work will be performed in Fort Worth and is expected to be completed in March 2016. Fiscal 2014 aircraft procurement (Air Force); fiscal 2013 aircraft procurement (Marine Corps and Navy) and international partner funds in the amount of $8,225,563 will be obligated at time of award, none of which will expire this fiscal year. This contract combines purchases for the U.S. Air Force (59.4 percent); the U.S. Navy (18.7 percent); U.S. Marine Corps (12.5 percent); and international partners (9.4 percent). The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 03/04/15) Gulf Coast note: Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is home of the F-35 integrated training center.

Aero Sekur picks Pensacola

PENSACOLA, Fla. – Aero Sekur, specialist in helicopter lift-raft and flotation systems, is relocating its U.S. subsidiary from Parsippany, N.J., to a Pensacola location that's three times larger. The move provides the company with an 8,000 square-foot facility for its administrative offices, maintenance repair and overhaul operations and spare parts buildings. The site on Herman Street is west of Interstate 110 and north of Town and Country Plaza. There was no indication of how many jobs will be involved. Aero Sekur specializes in safety systems and advanced flexible structures for the global aerospace and defense markets. Aero Sekur is headquartered in Italy. (Sources: multiple, including Aero Sekur via AviationPros, 03/27/15, Rick's Blog, Pensacola News Journal, Community Economic Development Association of Pensacola and Escambia County, 03/04/15)

Contract: UTC, $7M

United Technologies Corp., Pratt & Whitney Military Engines, East Hartford, Conn., is being awarded a $7,067,175 modification to a previously awarded cost-plus-incentive-fee contract (N00019-14-C-0026) for retrofit modifications to the F-135 propulsion system, including production thrust recovery and integrated power package manifold. Work will be performed in Oklahoma City, Okla., and is expected to be completed in December 2016. Fiscal 2013 aircraft procurement (Air Force) funds in the amount of $3,568,757 will be obligated at time of award, all of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract combines purchases for the U.S. Air Force (50 percent); the U.S. Navy (49 percent); and the international partners (1 percent). The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 03/03/15) Gulf Coast note: The F135 is used in the F-35. Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is home of the F-35 Integrated Training Center.

Contract: Bell, $8.4M

Bell Helicopter Textron Inc., Hurst, Texas, is being awarded an $8,431,030 modification to a previously awarded firm-fixed-price contract (N00019-14-C-0022) to exercise an option for delivery of one Bell 407 Analog Helicopter, and preservation and storage of seven aircraft in support of the endurance upgrade of the MQ-8C Fire Scout. Work will be performed in Ozark, Ala., and is expected to be completed in September 2015. Fiscal 2015 aircraft procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $8,431,030 will be obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 03/03/15) Gulf Coast note: Final assembly of the Fire Scout is done at Moss Point, Miss.

Passenger counts up

Three airports in Northwest Florida had more passengers in January 2015 than in the same month a year earlier. The newly renamed Destin-Fort Walton Beach Airport at Eglin Air Force Base had an 8.56 percent increase. Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport near Panama City had a 5.83 percent increase and Pensacola International Airport had an increase of 4.5 percent. (Source: Northwest Florida Daily News, 03/02/15)

Contract: L-3 Vertex, $8.8M

L-3 Communications, Vertex Aerospace LLC, Madison, Miss., has been awarded a $8,819,740 modification for F-16 aircraft maintenance for Taiwan. Work will be performed at Luke Air Force Base, Ariz., and is expected to be complete by Feb. 29, 2016. This contract involves foreign military sales. The 338th Specialized Contracting Squadron, Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph, Texas, is the contracting activity (FA3002-09-C-0006). (Source: DoD, 03/02/15)

Two airlines to begin new service

PANAMA CITY, Fla. – Agreements have been finalized with United Airlines and Silver Airways to begin service at Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport in this month. Starting Thursday, United Express will begin daily service to George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston. Silver Airways is set to kick off service to Orlando and Tampa March 19. The airport is in West Bay, northwest of Panama City. (Source: News Herald, 03/01/15)

Eglin demo results in HIT

An operator demonstrates HIT.
Sensor Concepts photo

WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio -- The F-35 Joint Program Office has asked Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) to start an initial low-rate production of a new hand-held imaging tool (HIT) that will be able to check the surface of a plane to verify the plane's health. The Air Force currently uses a 1,200-pound piece of equipment and needs two operators and three hours. To find a more efficient system, AFRL through a Small Business Innovation Research contract managed as an Advanced Technology Demonstration Program, developed HIT, a portable, non-destructive method to inspect an aircraft. It consists of a handheld unit of less than seven pounds and an 11-pound backpack that can image 100 percent of an aircraft’s surface in 15 minutes. A demonstration at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., in late 2014 led to the culmination of a five-year research effort. (Source: Air Force Research Lab Materials and Manufacturing Directorate, 03/01/15)