County gets another AdvantageSite

GULF SHORES, Ala. -- Gulf Shores Business and Aviation Park is Baldwin County's eighth Alabama AdvantageSite. Adjacent to the Jack Edwards National Airport, the 78.6-acre industrial park is within the Gulf Shores city limits, some 15 miles from Interstate 10. The site is owned by the Gulf Sores Airport Authority. The preparedness program, coordinated by the Economic Development Partnership of Alabama, is sponsored by the Alabama Department of Commerce, Alabama Gas Corp., Alabama Power Co., the North Alabama Industrial Development Association and PowerSouth Energy Cooperative. The program recognized locations in the state that meet guidelines such as utility and environmental standards, size, zoning and accessibility. (Source: al.com, 07/31/15) Previous related

Marines declare F-35B operational

The U.S. Marine Corps today declared the F-35B operational with a squadron of 10 ready for worldwide deployment. The B variant of the Joint Strike Fighter, which can take off from short runways and land vertically, is the first of the F-35 Lightning II variant to achieve Initial Operational Capability, marking a milestone in the evolution of the fighter. The decision was made following an Operational Readiness Inspection that assessed the Marine Corps' ability to employ the high-tech weapon system in an operational environment. In a statement, Frank Kendall, undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics, said the achievement is an affirmation that the F-35 program is on track to deliver essential 5th generation warfighting capabilities to the U.S. and international partners. The first operational squadron is Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 121 (VMFA-121) of Yuma, Ariz. (Sources: DoD, Marine Corps, 07/31/15) Gulf Coast note: Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is home of the F-35 integrated training center and F-35 reprogramming lab. The Air Force version of the fighter is the F-35A and the carrier-capable Navy variant is the F-35C.

NASA work being done at airport

ANDALUSIA, Ala. – A NASA-owned C-130 is almost halfway through some modification work being done at South Alabama Regional Airport. The Kearns Group of Daleville and Pinnacle Solutions of Huntsville are doing electrical and structural work on the plane, which got to the airport in June. A team of eight has been installing an emergency communications system and routine maintenance is also being performed on the four engines. It’s being modified for NASA’s Atmospheric Carbon and Transport-America mission, which will measure atmospheric carbon dioxide and methane over the central and eastern U.S. during all four seasons. (Source: Andalusia Star News, 07/30/15)

Ghostrider arrives at Hurlburt

Airmen watch the arrival of AC-130J.
Air Force photo

HURLBURT FIELD, Fla. -- Hundreds turned out Wednesday for the arrival of the Air Force Special Operations Command’s new AC-130J "Ghostrider" gunship. The plane, a heavily modified Lockheed Martin C-130, combines the firepower capabilities of the AC-130W and AC-130U gunships. It spent the last few months at nearby Eglin Air Force Base where it went through an array of tests. Four pilots assigned to the new 2nd Detachment of the 1st Special Operations Group will put the aircraft through operational testing. A second Ghostrider is currently undergoing testing at Eglin. (Sources: 1st Special Operations Wing Public Affairs, Northwest Florida Daily News, 07/29/15) The gunships are notable for their ability to circle a target and fire down with pinpoint accuracy. Previous related

Contract: Lockheed, $37.5M

Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., Fort Worth, Texas, is being awarded a not-to-exceed $37,538,800 undefinitized contract action modification for a delivery order (5507) against a previously issued basic ordering agreement (N00019-14-G-0020). This modification authorizes engineering change proposals for air vehicle retrofit modifications to be incorporated into designated aircraft and supporting subsystems in support of the F-35 aircraft Block 3F requirements. This modification also includes retrofit modification kits, installation, and labor to incorporate the modification kits. Work will be performed in Fort Worth (90 percent); Marietta, Ga. (9 percent); and Palmdale, Calif. (1 percent), and is expected to be completed in August 2018. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 07/28/15) Gulf Coast note: Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is home of the F-35 integrated training center and reprogramming office.

Contract: L-3, $274.6M

L-3 Communications Corp., Systems Field Support, Madison, Miss., was awarded a $274,596,000 modification (P00163) to contract W58RGZ-10-C-0107 for continued contractor logistic support for approximately 235 government aircraft (40 RC-12s, 167 C-12s, 28 UC-35s). Work will be performed in Madison with an estimated completion date of July 31, 2016. Fiscal 2015 operations and maintenance (Army) funds in the amount of $134,000,000 were obligated at the time of the award. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Ala., is the contracting authority. (Source: DoD, 07/27/15)

Aeroplex lands REEL

MOBILE, Ala. – The REEL Group of France is establishing its first U.S. facility with 4,500 square-foot office, warehouse, and workshop space at Mobile Aeroplex. The announcement is in direct response to REEL Service Division being awarded the jigs and tools maintenance service provider contract for the soon-to-open, $600 million Airbus A320 plant, also located at the Aeroplex. The newly formed subsidiary, REEL USA Corp., is expected to create more than 20 full-time positions at the Aeroplex. The lease with the Mobile Airport Authority also allows for expansion. (Source: al.com, 07/27/15)

Baldwin gets new AdvantageSite

The Segers Aerospace Site has become Baldwin County's seventh designated Alabama AdvantageSite. The 39.5-acre site, originally part of the Fairhope Industrial Park, is owned by Aviation Industrial Group Inc. The industrial site preparedness program, coordinated by the Economic Development Partnership of Alabama, is sponsored jointly by the Alabama Department of Commerce, Alabama Gas Corp., Alabama Power Co., the North Alabama Industrial Development Association and PowerSouth Energy Cooperative. The program has recognized 49 AdvantageSite locations in the state that meet guidelines such as utility and environmental standards, size, zoning and accessibility. (Source: al.com, 07/24/15)

Last QF-4 leaves Tyndall

TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. – The last QF-4 from the 82nd Aerial Target Squadron (ATS) left Tyndall Air Force Base Friday. Piloted by Lt. Col. Todd Houchins, commander of the 53rd Test Support Squadron, the QF-4 is flying cross-country to Holloman Air Force Base, N.M., where the jet will remain for its final missions. The F-4 originally was used as a fighter aircraft during the Vietnam War, but it began serving Tyndall as a QF-4 aerial target in 1997. The departure of the QF-4 marks the full transition for the 82nd ATS to the QF-16. Like the QF-4, the QF-16 is a full-scale aerial target that can be flown manned or unmanned. (Source: Panama City News Herald, 07/24/15)

Crestview gets gunship work

HURLBURT FIELD, Fla. – Lockheed Martin will modify two MC-130J aircraft to turn them into AC-130J gunships. The work, which will cost around $20 million, will be done at Bob Sikes Airport near Crestview. Right now two planes will be modified, but the Air Force Special Operations Command plans to modify 33 aircraft in coming years. The AC-130J is designed to provide close air support for ground troops and air interdiction roles such as strike coordination and reconnaissance. It's being developed to replace the AC-130H, AC-130U and AC-130W gunships. (Source: Northwest Florida Daily News, 07/22/15)

Contract: PAE, $115.9M

PAE Aviation and Technical Services LLC, Marlton, N.J., has been awarded an $115,885,628 firm-fixed-price, incentive and award fee contract with cost-reimbursable line items for aerial targets operations and maintenance services. The aerial targets mission provides for conducting lethality testing of major weapons systems and munitions programs. The 53rd Weapons Evaluation Group evaluates all Air Force fighter, air-to-air missile, and conventional precision guided munitions supporting Department of Defense and foreign military customers. It also hosts live-fire Weapons Systems Evaluation Program (WSEP) exercises. Work will be performed at Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla., and Holloman Air Force Base, N.M., and is expected to be complete by Sept. 30, 2022. This award is the result of a competitive acquisition with three offers received. Headquarters Air Combat Command, Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Va., is the contracting activity (FA4890-15-C-0018). (Source: DoD, 07/22/15)

Machinists open Mobile office

MOBILE, Ala. -- The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) has opened an organizing office in Mobile to provide support for Airbus workers interested in forming a union at the company's assembly line. The office will be staffed by full-time IAM organizers and supported by community allies and volunteers from IAM and AFL-CIO-affiliated unions in the Mobile and Gulf Coast area. (Source: Business Wire, 07/21/15) The $600 million A320 assembly line will employ about 1,000 workers and produce four to five passenger jets each month when in fully operational. The first plane, an A321, will be delivered to JetBlue in 2016.

Boeing sees tech need increasing

Boeing today released a new forecast showing continued strong demand for commercial airline pilots and maintenance technicians as the world's airlines add 38,000 airplanes to the global fleet over the next 20 years. Boeing's 2015 Pilot and Technician Outlook projects that between 2015 and 2034, the world will require 558,000 new commercial airline pilots and 609,000 new commercial airline maintenance technicians. The largest demand for pilots and technicians will be in the Asia Pacific region, but North America will need 95,000 pilots and 113,000 technicians, according to Boeing. (Source: PRNewswire, 07/20/15)

Pilot lauded for heroics

NEW ORLEANS, La. – A pilot with the Navy Reserve's Strike Fighter Squadron 204 was awarded the Air Medal earlier this month for a frightening incident that occurred last year over the Gulf of Mexico. It was July 18, 2014 that Navy Cmdr. Abaxes "Chili" Williams' F/A-18s out of Naval Air Station-Joint Reserve Base was hit by lightning while he was flying at 23,000 feet. He's had planes hit by lightning before, but this time he felt it and struggled for 25 minutes to wear off the effect and control the fighter until he could return to the Belle Chasse base. The award he received early this month was for saving the $70 million jet, his life and the lives of those on the ground. (Source: Times-Picayune 07/17/15)

LM buying Sikorsky

Lockheed Martin has agreed to buy Sikorsky Aircraft, maker of the Black Hawk helicopters, from United Technologies Corp. for $9 billion, UTC and Lockheed Martin announced today. Reuters, citing two unnamed sources, first reported the sale Sunday. Lockheed Martin is already the largest military contractor, and this would further distance it from No. 2 Boeing. Lockheed Martin also builds the F-35. It will be Lockheed's largest acquisition since it bought Martin Marietta Corp. for about $10 billion two decades ago. (Sources: Reuters, 07/19/15, Hartford Courant, New York Times, 07/20/15) Gulf Coast note: Lockheed Martin and UTC both have operations in the Gulf Coast I-10 region.

Fort Walton Machining expanding

FORT WALTON BEACH, Fla. -- Fort Walton Machining announced an expansion that will add 30 new jobs and more than $1.5 million in new manufacturing equipment purchases. The company was the first to apply for the city of Fort Walton Beach's Economic Development Ad Valorem Tax Exemption for new and expanding businesses that was approved by voters in August. Fort Walton Beach City Council voted unanimously to support this project at their meetings in June. Okaloosa County approved a similar exemption in July. Greg Britton, CEO of Fort Walton Machining, said the additional equipment will give the company greater capabilities in aerospace manufacturing. The new jobs are expected to have average annual pay of more than $41,000. (Source: Northwest Florida Daily News, 07/17/15)

RS-25 puts pedal to metal

STENNIS SPACE CENTER, Fla. – A Space Launch System RS-25 engine had a 535-second test today at NASA's South Mississippi test facility. During the test, operators ran the engine through a series of power levels, including a period of firing at 109 percent of the engine's rated power. Data collected at various power levels will aid in adapting the former space shuttle engines to the new SLS vehicle, including development of an all-new engine controller and software. Two additional tests are planned before September in the current test series. Four RS-25 engines will power the SLS core stage during launch. The SLS will take astronauts further into space than ever before. (Source: NASA, 07/17/15)

City OKs airport contracts

PENSACOLA, Fla. – An $8 million contract was awarded Thursday to Phoenix Construction Services to expand Pensacola International Airport’s cargo apron, needed as part of the project to bring an aircraft MRO to the airport. Another contract for $2.5 million was awarded to Atkins North America for architectural and engineering design for the VT MAE maintenance, repair and overhaul facility. Local company Greenhut Construction was awarded construction manager privileges when it comes time to build the facility, slated for Jan. 2016. (Source: Pensacola News Journal, 07/16/15) VT MAE, which has a 1,000-employee MRO operation in Mobile, Ala., chose Pensacola for an expansion project. The two-hangar facility will employ some 300 workers when it opens.

Contract: Onvoi, $9.2M

Onvoi LLC, Newbury Park, Calif., has been awarded a $9,236,896 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for contracted training flight services. Contractor will provide commercial services for contracted flight training hours in support of the Air Force Undergraduate Air Battle Manager Training Course. Training services will include ground-controlled intercept target training, basic airmanship training, live-fire training, weapons system evaluations, and major command-directed development test and evaluations. Work will be performed at Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla., and is expected to be complete by Sept. 30, 2019. This award is the result of a 100 percent small business set-aside competitive acquisition. The 325th Contracting Squadron, Tyndall Air Force Base, is the contracting activity (FA4819-15-C-0013). (Source: DoD, 07/15/15)

Contract: Lockheed, $718.3M

Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., Fort Worth, Texas, is being awarded a $718,299,821 modification to a previously awarded cost-plus-fixed-fee contract (N00019-15-C-0031) for non-air vehicle spares, support equipment, Autonomic Logistics Information System hardware and software upgrades, supply chain management, full mission simulators and non-recurring engineering services in support of low-rate initial production Lot 8 F-35 aircraft for the Air Force, Marine Corps, Navy, international partner, and foreign military sales customers. Work will be performed in Orlando, Fla. (70 percent); Fort Worth, Texas (17 percent); El Segundo, Calif. (7 percent); Owego, N.Y. (4 percent); Greenville, S.C. (1 percent); and Samlesbury, U.K. (1 percent), and is expected to be completed in April 2020. This contract combines purchases for the Air Force (12 percent); Navy (5 percent); Marine Corps (16 percent); international partners (39 percent); and FMS customers (28 percent). The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md.. is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 07/14/15) Gulf Coast note: Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is home of the F-35 integrated training center and F-35 reprogramming lab.

Contract: Lockheed, $101.3M

Lockheed Martin Corp., Fort Worth, Texas, is being awarded a $101,304,341 modification to the previously awarded Lot IX F-35 advance acquisition contract (N00019-14-C-0002) for the procurement of helmet mounted display systems (HMDS) (383) for the Air Force, Marine Corps, Navy; international partners; and the governments of Japan and Israel under the Foreign Military Sales program. The HMDS is a bi-ocular helmet display system that provides the pilot with aircraft/mission data on the visor display. Data consists of flight, navigation, and weapons symbology and video from onboard sensors. Work will be performed in Cedar Rapids, Iowa (65 percent); and Fort Worth (35 percent) and is expected to be completed in June 2018. This modification combines purchase for the Air Force (46.5 percent); Marine Corps (22.4 percent); Navy (14.9 percent); international partners (12 percent); and the governments of Japan (0.45 percent) and Israel (3.75 percent) under the Foreign Military Sales program. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 07/14/15) Gulf Coast note: Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is home of the F-35 integrated training center and F-35 reprogramming lab.

JAGM goes two for two in tests

Lockheed Martin demonstrated its multi-mode Joint Air-to-Ground Missile (JAGM), engaging two laser-designated stationary targets during recent tests at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. In the first test, the missile flew four kilometers, engaged its precision-strike, semi-active laser and hit the stationary target. During the second flight, the missile flew four kilometers, acquired the target using its precision strike, semi-active laser while simultaneously tracking the target with its millimeter wave radar, and hit the stationary target. (Source: PRNewswire, 07/13/15) Eglin is the home of Air Force aerial weapons development.

Command change scheduled

CAMP SHELBY, Miss. -- The 177th Combined Arms Training Brigade is scheduled to conduct a change of command ceremony July 15 at 9 a.m. on the Camp Shelby Joint Forces Training Center parade field. Col. William Chlebowski will relinquish command to Col. Brandon Robbins
during the ceremony. Robbins previously served as operations officer for the U.S. Army 101st Air Assault Division at Fort Campbell, Ky. Chlebowski has commanded the 177th CATB since July 2013. Camp Shelby, south of Hattiesburg, is the nation's largest state-owned training site. (Source: Camp Shelby, 07/13/15)

Ft. Rucker to lose personnel

FORT RUCKER, Ala. – South Alabama's Fort Rucker, home of Army aviation training, will lose 186 soldiers and an unspecified number of civilians by Sept. 30, 2018. The cuts are due to a planned Army-wide reduction of 40,000 soldiers and 17,000 civilians. The Aviation Center of Excellence itself is expected to lose about 68 percent of the 186 soldiers, according to a Fort Rucker news release. (Source: Dothan Eagle, 07/11/15)

Ft. Rucker gets new commander

FORT RUCKER, Ala. – Col. Shannon Miller became the garrison commander at Fort Rucker in a change of command ceremony July 10. Miller has responsibility for overseeing the day-to-day operations at the base near Dothan. She replaced Col. Stuart McRae, who becomes deputy of the Installation Management Command Pacific Region at Fort Shafter, Hawaii. Fort Rucker is home of Army aviation training. (Source: Dothan Eagle, 07/10/15)

Squadron gets new commander

NEW ORLEANS, La. – Cmdr. Rigel "Pep" Pirrone, who began his career as a Navy pilot after he graduated from Tulane University 16 years ago, took command July 11 of Strike Fighter Squadron 204, a reserve unit known as the "River Rattlers" at the Belle Chasse air station. The squadron, at Naval Air Station-Joint Reserve Base since 1978, plays the role of the enemy in training exercises. (Source: Times-Picayune, 07/11/15)

Airbus e-plane crosses channel

Airbus completed its first flight of an electric plane across the English Channel on Friday. The two-seat E-Fan demonstrator is powered by lithium batteries and took 36 minutes to fly from Lydd in southern Enland to Calais, France. Airbus is not the first. A private named Hugues Duval thwarted Airbus's aim to be the first to cross the Channel in a battery-powered aircraft by making the flight the evening prior in his home-built single-seat plane. Airbus subsidiary VoltAir SAS aims to have two-seat E-Fan 2.0 planes flying in 2017, an evolution of today's prototype. Construction of a new factory in Pau in southwest France begins in 2016. A four-seat hybrid model with a range extender powered by traditional fuel will follow in 2019. (Source: Wall Street Journal, 07/10/15) Gulf Coast note: Airbus has an A320 assembly line and engineering center in Mobile, Ala.

Blue Angels perform at home

PENSACOLA, Fla. – The Navy's Blue Angels flight demonstration team performs this weekend before a hometown crowd at Pensacola Beach. It's one of two shows the team, based at Naval Air Station Pensacola, performs during every show season at home. The other show is at the end of the season. The team today also announced the officers selected for the 2016 team. The squadron selected two F/A-18 demonstration pilots, one C-130 demonstration pilot, a maintenance officer and public affairs officer. The Blue Angels will celebrate 70 years as a flight demonstration team during the 2016 season. Since 1946, the team has performed for more than 484 million fans. (Source: NNS, 07/10/15)

Airport marks concessions opening

PENSACOLA, Fla. -- Pensacola International Airport and OHM Concessions Group today held a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the grand opening of the airport's renovated and expanded food and beverage concession areas. The new concessions include Pensacola Beach House bar and restaurant, Einstein Bros. Bagels, Freshens and Chick-Fil-A, all operated by OHM Concessions Group. The city's contract with OHM is expected to generate more than $1 million over ten years in additional non-airline revenue for airport. (Source: City of Pensacola, 07/07/15)

NAS Pensacola wins honor

Northwest Florida's Naval Air Station Pensacola is among the winners of the 2015 Commander in Chief’s Annual Award for Installation Excellence. Secretary of Defense Ash Carter announced the winners today, which also includes U.S. Army Garrison Fort Stewart and Hunter Army Airfield, Ga.; Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, N.C.; Joint Base Andrews, Md.; and DLA Distribution Susquehanna, Pa. The award recognizes outstanding and innovative efforts to operate and maintain U.S. military installations. Each winning installation will receive a commemorative commander in chief’s award trophy and flag and a congratulatory letter from the president. (Source: DoD, 07/06/15)

Boeing expands in FWB

FORT WALTON BEACH, Fla. -- Boeing has expanded its local presence by taking over the former Edwin Watts Golf facility. The facility has 83,000 square feet of space dedicated to laboratories and an expanded repair center. Boeing’s Fort Walton Beach location is home to the Boeing Special Operations Forces Programs group that modifies, tests, repairs and services aircraft used by U.S. Air Force Special Operations, as well as foreign military modifications to partner nations. (Source: Northwest Florida Daily News, 07/03/15)

Contract: Raytheon, $36.8M

Raytheon Missiles Systems, Tucson, Ariz., has been awarded a $36,800,000 cost-plus-incentive-fee, cost-plus-fixed-fee and a fixed-price contract for System Improvement Program II- Engineering Manufacturing, Development. Contractor will provide an incremental software solution for AIM-120D to improve missile performance against rapidly advancing threats. Work will be performed at Tucson and is expected to be complete by Feb. 3, 2019. This award is the result of a sole-source acquisition. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is the contracting activity (FA8675-15-C-0061). (Source: DoD, 07/02/15)

Airbus to use AAA Aerospace

MOBILE, Ala. -- Airbus has selected AAA Aerospace USA to provide services for its A320 production facility at Mobile Aeroplex, according to the Mobile Airport Authority. The Montgomery-based company offers subcontracting services for aircrafts and aircraft elements and is part of the larger AAA Group, servicing the United States, Asia and Europe. It will provide engine installation, wheel assembly, and test and battery management services for the assembly line. (Source: al.com, 07/01/15)

F-16 shows up F-35

A high-tech F-35 was recently outperformed by an F-16 during an air combat test, according to the military blog War Is Boring. It was beaten in nearly all aerial maneuvering in a January test near Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. The site obtained a five-page report by the joint strike fighter test pilot. But Maj. Gen. Jeffrey Harrigian, director of the F-35 Integration Office of the Air Force, said the report was misleading. He said the F-35 involved in the test was a variation designed for flight sciences testing and was not equipped with newer features, weapons and software that allow the F-35 pilot to turn, aim a weapon with the helmet and fire "without having to point the aircraft at its target," Harrigian said in a statement. (Source: Stars and Stripes, 07/01/15) Gulf Coast note: Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is home of the F-35 integrated training center and F-35 reprogramming lab.

Contract: Alliant Tech, $6.6M

Alliant Techsystems Operations LLC., Rocket Center, W.Va., has been awarded a $6,623,123 firm fixed price modification (P00041) to previously awarded contract FA8681-11-C-0039 for Hard Target Void Sensing Fuze system. Contractor will provide 226 HTVSF systems, eight D-1 Inert Bomb Fuzes, 35 D-2 Dummy Load Trainer and Dummy Initiators, 13 D-5/B Classroom Trainers, and 325 Retaining Ring Torque Adapters (Spanner Wrenches) under the contract. Work will be performed at Rocket Center and is expected to be complete by Jan. 30, 2017. Fiscal year 2015 procurement funds in the amount of $6,623,123 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, 07/01/15)

State awards defense grants

Northwest Florida will get more than $900,000 in defense grants, Gov. Rick Scott announced Tuesday. Santa Rosa County will get $360,000 through Florida's Defense Reinvestment and Infrastructure Grant Programs and $41,310 from the Florida Defense Support Task Force for Naval Air Station Whiting Field. Okaloosa County will get $300,000 through Florida's Defense Reinvestment and Infrastructure Grant Programs for Eglin Air Force Base and Hurlburt Field. Escambia County will get $170,000 through the Defense Reinvestment and Infrastructure Grant Programs for Naval Air Station Pensacola, and Walton County will get $38,000 through the Defense Reinvestment Grant Program to support Eglin. (Sources: Pensacola News Journal, Northwest Florida Daily News, 06/30/15)