Contract: Lockheed, $450M

Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., Fort Worth, Texas, is being awarded a $450,042,458 firm-fixed-price modification to the previously awarded low-rate initial production Lot 10 F-35 Lightning II advance acquisition contract (N00019-15-C-0003). This modification continues the integration work to implement the development and delivery of the F-35A Air System to the Republic of Korea under the Foreign Military Sales program. This effort will also provide for non-recurring engineering work. Work will be performed in Fort Worth, Texas, and is expected to be completed in August 2019. Foreign military sales funding in the amount of $450,042,458 are being obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 12/29/16) Gulf Coast note: Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is home of the F-35 integrated training center.

Contract: Boeing, $308.3M

The Boeing Co., St. Louis, Mo., is being awarded $308,343, 387 for modification P00004 to a previously awarded cost reimbursement contract (N00019-16-C-0032) to provide for the engineering change proposal (ECP) 6472 integration of Next Generation Jammer (NGJ) Pod onto the EA-18G aircraft. This effort is in support of the engineering and manufacturing development phase of the NGJ program and will include the design and manufacturing of 12 ECP 6472 A kits, and the integration, demonstration, and test of NGJ pods on the EA-18G aircraft and equipment needed for System Integration Laboratories. Work will be performed in St. Louis (89.43 percent); Bethpage, N.Y. (8.47 percent); Oklahoma City, Okla. (1.16 percent); El Segundo, Calif. (0.54 percent); Mesa, Ariz. (0.20 percent); Fort Walton Beach, Fla. (0.10 percent); and Annapolis-Junction, Md. (0.10 percent), and is expected to be completed in December 2021. Fiscal 2017 research, development, testing and evaluation (Navy) funds in the amount of $11,000,000 will be obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 12/29/16)

Contract: Lockheed, $19.3M

Lockheed Martin Corp., Fort Worth, Texas, is being awarded $19,320,000 for modification P00010 to a previously awarded fixed-price-incentive-firm contract (N00019-16-C-0004) to procure, deliver, and install a deployable mission rehearsal trainer in support of F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter aircraft. Work will be performed in Orlando, Fla. (92 percent); Owego, N.Y. (7 percent); and Fort Worth, Texas (1 percent), and is expected to be completed April 2019. Non-Department of Defense funding in the amount of $3,000,000 is being obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 12/29/16) Gulf Coast note: Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is home of the F-35 integrated training center.

Contract: CAE, $50M

CAE USA Inc., Tampa, Fla., was awarded a $50,079,091 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for rotary wing flight training instructor support services. Bids were solicited via the Internet with three received. Work will be performed at Fort Rucker, Ala., with an estimated completion date of March 31, 2026. Fiscal 2017 operations and maintenance (Army) funds in the amount of $3,000,000 were obligated at the time of the award. Army Contracting Command, Fort Rucker, is the contracting activity (W9124G-17-C-0001). (Source: DoD, 12/29/16)

Contract: Lockheed, $20M

Lockheed Martin Corp. - Rotary and Mission Systems, Orlando, Fla., has been awarded a $19,992,388 modification (P00086) to previously awarded contract FA8621-11-C-6288 for training system support center services. Contractor will provide software and hardware support, monitor modification work, obsolescence monitoring and identification, and overall system operation reporting. Work will be performed at Little Rock Air Force Base, Ark.; Kessler AFB, Miss.; Dyess AFB, Texas; Kirtland AFB, N.M.; Cannon AFB, N.M; Moody AFB, Ga.; Hurlburt AFB, Fla.; Davis Monthan AFB, Ariz.; Mildenhall Air Base, United Kingdom; Kadena Air Base, Japan; Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, N.C.; Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, Calif.; Marine Corps Station Iwakuni, Japan; and Ramstein Air Base, Germany. Work is expected to be complete by Dec. 29, 2017. Fiscal 2017 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $4,564,670 are being obligated at the time of award. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 12/27/16)

Contract: UTC, $313.9M

United Technologies Corp., Pratt and Whitney, East Hartford, Conn., has been awarded a $313,879,396 modification (P00180) to previously awarded contract FA8611-08-C-2896 for sustainment of F119-PW-100 engines. Contractor will provide parts necessary for engine sustainment. Work will be performed at East Hartford; Edwards Air Force Base, Calif.; Elmendorf AFB, Alaska; Hickam AFB, Hawaii; Hill AFB, Utah; Holloman AFB, N.M.; Langley AFB, Va.; Nellis AFB, Nev.; Sheppard AFB, Texas; Tinker AFB, Okla., and Tyndall AFB, Fla., and is expected to be complete by Dec. 31, 2017. Fiscal 2017 operations and maintenance; and research, development, test, and evaluation funds in the amount of $51,380,834 are being obligated at the time of award. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, is the contracting activity (FA8611-08-C-2896). (Source: DoD, 12/23/16)

Contract: Lockheed, $14.9M

Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., Fort Worth, Texas, has been awarded a $14,903,066 modification (P00712) to previously awarded contract FA8611-08-C-2897 for F-22 sustainment trainer requirements. Contractor will provide training system sustainment, system hardware modifications, and distributed mission operations federation management and integration. Work will be performed at Langley Air Force Base, Va.; Elmendorf AFB, Alaska; Tyndall AFB, Fla.; Hickam AFB, Hawaii; Sheppard AFB, Texas; and St. Louis, Mo., and is expected to be complete by Dec. 31, 2018. Fiscal 2017 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $1,571,582 are being obligated at the time of award. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Hill AFB, Utah, is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 12/23/16)

Triton to take EP-3 role

The Navy will field low- and high-band signals receivers on the unmanned MQ-4C Triton starting in fiscal year 2021, adding to the Triton's Northrop-designed maritime patrol radar, said Sean Burke NAVAIR's Triton program manager. That multi-intelligence suite of sensors will enable the Navy to proceed with plans to retire the Lockheed Martin EP-3E ARIES II, the subset of the P-3C fleet tasked with eavesdropping on communications and other transmissions. (Source: FlightGlobal, 12/22/16) Gulf Coast note: The Triton is a Navy variant of the Global Hawk. Fuselage work for all variants of the system is done by Northrop Grumman in Moss Point, Miss.

James museum kickoff set

PENSACOLA, Fla. -- The City of Pensacola and the Community Redevelopment Agency will host a kickoff ceremony Jan. 10, 2017 at 3:30 p.m. for the General “Chappie” James Jr. Museum and Flight Academy Project, a public and private partnership in the Eastside Redevelopment Area. This city-owned site is the historic home of America’s first African-American four-star general and was donated to the city by the James family. The residence, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, was built in 1909 by Daniel James Sr., Chappie James’ father, and is located at 1608 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) tutoring and youth flight academy workshops will be provided by the Chappie James Youth Flight Academy organization to help prepare community youth for potential careers in the field of aviation. (Source: City of Pensacola, 12/23/16)

Contract: Lockheed, $30.6M

Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., Fort Worth, Texas, has been awarded a $30,602,218 modification (P00766) to previously awarded contract FA8611-08-C-2897 for F-22 sustainment. Contractor will support the F-22 Reliability and Maintainability Maturation Program. Work will be performed at East Hartford, Conn.; Edwards Air Force Base, Calif.; Elmendorf AFB, Alaska; Hickam AFB, Hawaii; Hill AFB, Utah; Langley AFB, Va.; Nellis AFB, Nev.; Sheppard AFB, Texas; Tinker AFB, Okla.; and Tyndall AFB, Fla., and is expected to be complete by Dec. 31, 2020. Fiscal 2017 operations and maintenance; research, development, test, and evaluation; and aircraft procurement funds in the amount of $27,660,093 are being obligated at the time of award. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Hill AFB, Utah, is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 12/22/16)

Contract: Lockheed, $90.3M

Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., Fort Worth, Texas, is being awarded a $90,318,983 firm-fixed-price modification to the previously awarded low-rate initial production Lot 10 F-35 Lightning II advance acquisition contract (N00019-15-C-0003). This modification provides for the procurement of 249 Generation 3, Lightweight Helmet Mounted Display systems, oxygen masks, and initial spares for the Air Force (110), Navy (30), Marine Corps (35), international partners (49), and foreign military sales (FMS) customers (25). Work will be performed in Fort Worth and is expected to be completed in November 2018. Fiscal 2015 and 2016 aircraft procurement and sustainment (Navy/Marine Corps and Air Force); international partner; and FMS funding in the amount of $28,293,024 are being obligated at time of award, $1,375,140 of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract combines purchases for the Air Force (45 percent); Navy/Marine Corps (25 percent); non-DoD participants (20 percent); and FMS customers (10 percent). The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 12/22/16)

Contract: Lockheed, $20.6M

Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., Fort Worth, Texas, is being awarded $20,641,849 modification P00595 to a previously awarded cost-plus-incentive-fee contract (N00019-02-C-3002) for the critical safety items program plan in support of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. Work will be performed in Fort Worth and is expected to be completed in December 2017. No funding will be obligated at time of award. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 12/22/16)

Contract: UTC, $68.7M

United Technologies Corp. - Pratt and Whitney, East Hartford, Conn., has been awarded a $68,678,727 modification (P00178) to previously awarded contract FA8611-08-C-2896 for F119 engine sustainment. Contractor will provide necessary labor for engine sustainment. Work will be performed at East Hartford; Edwards Air Force Base, Calif.; Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska; Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii; Hill Air Force Base, Utah; Holloman Air Force Base, N.M.; Langley Air Force Base, Va.; Nellis Air Force Base, Nev.; Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas; Tinker Air Force Base, Okla. and Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla., and is expected to be complete by Dec. 31, 2017. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity (FA8611-08-C-2896). (Source: DoD, 12/21/16)

Contract: Raytheon, $8.6M

Raytheon Co., Tucson, Ariz., has been awarded an $8,604,775 cost-plus-incentive-fee modification (P00003) to previously awarded contract FA8675-16-C-0044 for missile support. Contractor will provide additional required application-specific-integrated-circuit (ASIC) work in support of the Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile Form, Fit, Function, Refresh Phase 4a. Work will be performed at Tucson and is expected to be complete by June 30, 2017. This contract involves foreign military sales to Norway, Turkey, Japan, Romania and Australia. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 12/20/16)

Contract: Head/Diaz, $37.3M

Head Inc./Diaz JV, Columbus, Ohio, is being awarded a $37,315,434 firm-fixed-price contract for repair to Sherman Field runway pavement and lighting at the Naval Air Station Pensacola, Fla. The work to be performed provides for major electrical vault repair, electrical infrastructure work, grade correction, pavement mill and overlay, airfield lighting, signage and marking for one runway and up to two taxiways, and reconfiguration of the main airfield apron. Clearing, demolition and all other associated work necessary to accomplish the project are to be included. Work will be performed in Pensacola and is expected to be completed by June 2018. This contract was competitively procured via the Navy Electronic Commerce Online website with two proposals received. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Southeast, Jacksonville, Fla., is the contracting activity (N69450-17-C-0503). (Source: DoD, 12/19/16)

Companies supply STEM monies

MOBILE, Ala. – Continental Motors said it's joining other members of the Mobile Aeroplex and the Mobile Airport Authority Foundation to contribute to a STEM initiative that will sponsor 36 students to attend the National Flight Academy's six-day deployment program in June 2017. The program adjacent to the National Museum of Naval Aviation at Naval Air Station Pensacola, Fla., begins on a landlocked, virtual aircraft carrier, AMBITION. Students live aboard the carrier surrounded by advanced technologies and virtual reality missions that encourage learning. On board they participate in activities that demonstrate the practical uses of STEM skills. (Source: Continental Motors Group via AviationPros, 12/15/16)

Tianjin delivers 300th A320

BEIJING – The 300th A320 to come off the assembly line at the Airbus Tianjin Delivery Center was delivered to China Development Bank Financial Leasing Co. Ltd. Thursday. It was then turned over to Sichuan Airlines, according to Airbus China. Inaugurated in 2008, the Tianjin assembly line has reached its phase I production target of four aircraft per month. The assembly line is a joint venture between Airbus, Tianjin Airport Economic Area Zone and Tianjin Port Free Trade Administrative Committee, and the state-owned Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC). The partners have agreed to extend the joint venture until 2025 for phase II. It was the third A320 final assembly line in the world and the first outside Europe. It delivered its first aircraft in June 2009. (Source: China Daily, 12/16/16) Gulf Coast note: The fourth A320 family assembly line was established in Mobile, Ala.

Contract: Lockheed, $181.2M

Lockheed Martin Corp., Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., Fort Worth, Texas, is being awarded $181,168,994 for modification P00060 to a previously awarded cost-plus-incentive-fee contract (N00019-15-C-0114) recurring logistics services of F-35 aircraft in support of the Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps, non-Department of Defense (DoD) participants and foreign military sales (FMS) customers. Sustainment services to be provided include ground maintenance; action request resolution; depot activation; Automatic Logistics Information System; operations and maintenance; reliability, maintainability and health management implementation and support; supply chain management; and activities to provide and support pilot and maintainer initial training. Work will be performed in Fort Worth, Texas (46 percent); Orlando, Fla. (32 percent); Warton, United Kingdom (9 percent); El Segundo, Calif. (7 percent); and Greenville, S.C., and is expected to be completed in February 2017. This contract combines purchases for the Air Force (44 percent); Marine Corps (26 percent); Navy (14 percent); non-DoD participants (13 percent); and FMS customers (3 percent) under the Foreign Military Sales Program. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 12/15/16)

Contract: Primus, $12.6M

Primus Solutions, LLC, Beltsville, Md., was awarded a $12,628,303 modification (P00053) to contract W91247-12-C-0023 for refuel and defuel services contract. Work will be performed at Fort Rucker, Ala., with an estimated completion date of Dec. 16, 2017. Army Contracting Command, Fort Rucker, Alabama, is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 12/15/16)

The collaboration card

PENSACOLA, Fla. -- The new $46 million VT MAE maintenance, repair and overhaul operation being built in Pensacola could wind up being for more important for the growth of the Pensacola aerospace sector than some might think. A hint about what might be in store for the Pensacola airport operation can be found in Mobile, Ala., where VT MAE is working with MAAS Aviation to jointly market both. VT MAE says such collaborative arrangements could also work in Pensacola. (Source: Gulf Coast Reporters’ League Aerospace Newsletter, 12/13/16)

Summit sees good news

GULFPORT, Miss. – If there was one overall message that resonated during the fifth aerospace summit held last month in Gulfport, Miss., it was that aerospace growth is in the cards for all four member states of the Aerospace Alliance. One participant thinks the longevity of the group, which was launched eight years ago, provides an example of other cooperative marketing ventures for the region. (Source: Gulf Coast Reporters’ League Aerospace Newsletter, 12/13/16)

Trump and the aero corridor

President-elect Donald Trump's stated views bode well for military aerospace and defense in the Gulf Coast region, but the devil is in the detail. In addition, there's a lot of uncertainty when it comes to commercial aviation, private space companies and NASA. (Source: Gulf Coast Reporters' League Aerospace Newsletter, 12/13/16)

Contract: Raytheon, $102M

Raytheon Co., Goleta, Calif., is being awarded a $101,967,288 performance-based logistics, firm-fixed-price requirements contract for repair support of 10 weapon replaceable assemblies for the AN/ALR-67(V)3 for F/A-18 A/B/C/D/E/F aircraft. The contractor is also responsible for managing technical and configuration changes, and obsolescence. This is a four-year base period contract with a one one-year option period, which if exercised, brings the total estimated value to $128,175,612. Work will be performed in Goleta (44.9 percent); Jacksonville, Fla. (13.3 percent); Port Mugu, Calif. (8.7 percent); Lansdale, Pa. (8.6 percent); Forest, Miss. (7 percent); Tucson, Ariz. (7 percent); Chatsworth, Calif. (5.2 percent); San Diego, Calif. (3.5 percent); and Hudson, N.H. (1.8 percent). Work is expected to be completed by December 2020. Naval Supply Systems Command Weapon Systems Support, Philadelphia, Pa., is the contracting activity (N00383-17-D-A001). (Source: DoD, 12/09/16)

Contract: Multiple, $45.8M

Booz Allen Hamilton, McLean Va. (N00189-17-R-Z011); Deloitte Consulting LLP, Arlington, Va. (N00189-17-D-Z012); Reef Point Group LLC, Edgewater, Md. (N00189-17-D-Z013); and Whitney, Bradley & Brown Inc., Reston, Va. (N00189-17-D-Z014), are being awarded an estimated $45,804,991 multiple award, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, cost-plus-fixed-fee contracts that will include terms and conditions for the placement of both cost-plus-fixed-fee and firm-fixed-price task orders for performance and process improvement support services in support of the Bureau of Medicine and Surgery of Falls Church, Va., for the Military Health System at its headquarters, medical treatment facilities, the Defense Health Agency, and the health systems for the Army, Navy, and Air Force. Each contract will run concurrently and includes a 60-month ordering period. Work will be performed in Falls Church (25.5 percent); Portsmouth, Va. (13 percent); San Diego, Calif. (11 percent); Bremerton, Wash. (4 percent); Camp Lejeune, N.C. (4 percent); Jacksonville, Fla. (4 percent); Pensacola, Fla. (4 percent); Camp Pendleton, Calif. (4 percent); Twenty-nine Palms, Calif. (4 percent); Lemoore, Calif. (4 percent); Japan (4.5 percent); Guam (4.5 percent); Europe (2.5 percent); and 10 percent in contractor facilities in response to awarded task orders which cannot be reasonably estimated at the time of contract award. The ordering period of the contract is expected to be completed by January 2022. This contract was competitively procured with the solicitation posted to the Federal Business Opportunities website, with eight offers received. Naval Supply Systems Command Fleet Logistics Center Norfolk, Contracting Department, Philadelphia Office, Pa., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 12/08/16)

Tyndall hosts exercise

TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. – More than 50 aircraft from six installations are at Tyndall for concurrent large-scale air integration exercises Checkered Flag and Combat Archer. The Air Combat Command live-fire training runs Dec. 5-16 and includes F-35A, F-22, F-15E, F-16, HH-60G and E-3 aircraft. Assets have traveled from as far away as Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho, and Tinker Air Force Base, Okla. Also involved are aircraft from Shaw Air Force Base, S.C., Moody Air Force Base, Ga., nearby Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., and Florida Air National Guard and Louisiana ANG. Combat Archer evaluates weapons systems specifically in air-to-air exercise and regularly deploys more than 300 air-to-air missiles in evaluating over 200 fighter aircraft per year. (Sources: 325th Fighter Wing Public Affairs, 12/02/16, Air Force magazine, 12/08/16)

Contract: Dawson, $21.4M

Dawson Enterprises LLC, Honolulu, Hawaii, has been awarded a $21,357,584 firm-fixed-price contract for construction of modular buildings. Contractor will provide all site preparation and construction of modular buildings. Work will be performed at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., and is expected to be complete by Aug. 31, 2017. This award is the result of a sole-source acquisition. Fiscal 2016 and 2017research, development, test, and evaluation funds in the amount of $12,700,000 are being obligated at the time of award. Air Force Test Center, Eglin Air Force Base, is the contracting activity (FA2823-17-C-4010). (Source: DoD, 12/05/16)

PNS getting new daily route

PENSACOLA, Fla. -- American Airlines will launch daily nonstop service between Pensacola International Airport (PNS) and Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) on April 4, 2017. Flights are scheduled to depart Pensacola daily at 11 a.m. and arrive in Washington DC at 2 p.m. Washington National becomes Pensacola International Airport’s twelfth destination, the fourth daily nonstop served by American Airlines. American previously offered weekend service only. (Source: City of Pensacola, 12/05/16)

Last QF-4 retiring

The 53d Wing and 49th Wing alongside veterans, retirees and community members will bid farewell Dec. 21 to the last active duty F-4 Phantom II airframes, the QF-4 aerial drone, in a ceremony at Holloman Air Force Base, N.M. The F-4 Phantom II entered Air Force inventory in 1963 and was the primary fighter-bomber aircraft in the U.S. Air Force throughout the 1960s and 1970s. F-4s also flew reconnaissance and "Wild Weasel" anti-aircraft missile suppression missions. Phantom II production ended in 1979 and some of the inventory were converted to aerial drones. The QF-4 aerial targets are currently assigned to the 82 Aerial Target Squadron, Detachment 1 at Holloman, a geographically separated unit of the 53rd Wing at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. (Source: Air Force, 12/05/16) Previous

Delta jet delivered

MOBILE, Ala. – Delta Air Lines took delivery of its first U.S.-built A321 during a ceremony Friday at the Airbus U.S. Manufacturing Facility at the Mobile Aeroplex. On hand for the occasion were executives from Airbus and Delta Air Lines, a team of employees from the airline’s Minneapolis-St. Paul station, and representatives of the more than 370 employees at the facility. This jet also flew a flyover at the Iron Bowl in late November. It is the 14th A321 to join Delta's fleet, but it is the first to be built in the United States. Airbus in Mobile delivered its first aircraft to JetBlue in April. Airbus announced it would build the plant in 2012 and had a ceremonial inauguration of the plant in September 2015. The plant has delivered 15 aircraft so far. Airbus anticipates delivering four aircraft per month at Mobile by the end of 2017. (Sources: Aviation Tribune, 12/03/16, al.com, WPMI, 12/02/16) A321 set for game flyover; Delta A321 takes flight

Contract: Raytheon, $25M

Raytheon Co., Missile Systems, Tucson, Ariz., has been awarded a $24,993,572 firm-fixed-price contract for Griffin A Block /III missiles. Work will be performed at Tucson, and is expected to be complete by Dec. 1, 2017. 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 (FA8656-17-C-0006). (Source: DoD, 12/02/16)

Contract: L-3, $13.7M

L-3 Communications Vertex Aerospace, Madison, Miss., is being awarded $13,674,743 for firm-fixed-price modification P00058 to a previously awarded indefinite-delivery requirements contract (N00019-11-D-0010) for aircraft maintenance and logistics life cycle support for 49 C-12 aircraft. Work will be performed in Corpus Christi, Texas (42 percent); Patuxent River, Md. (6 percent); Guantanamo Bay, Cuba (6 percent); Manama, Bahrain (6 percent); Atsugi, Japan (6 percent); Beaufort, S.C. (4 percent); San Angelo, Texas (4 percent); Yuma, Ariz. (4 percent); New Orleans, La. (4 percent); Iwakuni, Japan (4 percent); New River, N.C. (3 percent); Kadena, Japan (3 percent); Manassas, Va. (2 percent); Miramar, Calif. (2 percent); Futenma, Japan (2 percent); and Misawa, Japan (2 percent), and is expected to be completed in March 2017. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 12/01/16)

Contract: UTC, $309.8M

United Technologies Corp., Pratt & Whitney Military Engines, East Hartford, Conn., is being awarded a $309,820,767 not-to-exceed undefinitized contract for propulsion system services in support of the F-35 aircraft for the Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, non-U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) participants and foreign military sales (FMS) customers. This effort includes hardware, training course materials and equipment. Work will be performed in East Hartford (73 percent); Oklahoma City, Okla. (18 percent); Camari, Italy (3 percent); Eglin Air Force Base , Fla. (2 percent); Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. (1 percent); Hill Air Force Base, Utah (1 percent); Luke Air Force Base, Ariz. (1 percent); and Beaufort Marine Corps Air Station, S.C. (1 percent), and is expected to be completed in November 2017. This contract combines purchases for the Air Force (37 percent); Marine Corps; (35 percent); Navy (8 percent); international partners (14 percent); and FMS customers (6 percent) under the FMS Program. This contract was not competitively procured pursuant to 10 U.S. Code 2304( c)(1). The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity (N00019-17-C-0010. (Source: DoD, 11/30/16)

WTO rules against Boeing

The World Trade Organization on Monday determined a tax benefit granted for production of its long-haul 777X violates international trade rules. The tax was a central part of a case the European Union filed against the U.S. as part of a wider dispute over subsidies to aircraft makers. The WTO said the U.S. should withdraw the subsidy within 90 days, though the decision can be appealed. The wider dispute dates back more than a decade over government handouts provided to Boeing and the Airbus Group. The U.S. and EU have successfully challenged subsidies to the other’s large commercial airplane maker, and there have been repeated appeals. The tax cut in question was provided by the state of Washington in 2013 to ensure that wings for the 777X jetliner were made only there. The tax cut was prohibited under its rules, said the WTO. (Sources: multiple, including the Wall Street Journal, BBC, CBSNews, Seattle Times, Reuters, 11/28/16) Gulf Coast note: Airbus has an A320 series assembly plant in Mobile, Ala. Previous related

Orion test article at KSC

The Orion crew module structural test article (STA) arrived at Kennedy Space Center’s Shuttle Landing Facility Nov. 15 after a flight from Stennis Space Center, Miss., aboard NASA’s Super Guppy aircraft. The test article was transported to Stennis Space Center from the Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, where it was built by Lockheed Martin. The container was offloaded and transported to the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout building the next day, where it was moved to a test tool called a birdcage where it was secured for further testing. The test article will undergo mechanical assembly for the next several months before being transported to Lockheed Martin in Denver for additional testing. Meanwhile, processing activity at KSC ramped up in preparation for the launch of the Orion atop the Space Launch System for Exploration Mission 1, slated for late 2018. The Orion crew module adapter for EM-1 was lifted for the first and only time Nov. 11, during its processing flow inside the O and C building high bay at KSC. (Source: Space Daily, 11/22/16)

Contract: Lockheed, $7.2B

Lockheed Martin Corp., Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., Fort Worth, Texas, is being awarded a $7,189,297,142 undefinitized not-to-exceed modification to the previously awarded low-rate initial production Lot 10 F-35 advance acquisition contract (N00019-15-C-0003). This modification provides for the procurement of 90 aircraft, comprised of 76 F-35A aircraft for the Air Force (44), non-U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) participants (16), and Foreign Military Sales (FMS) customers (16); 12 F-35B aircraft for the Marine Corps (9), and non-U.S. DoD participants (3); and two F-35C aircraft for the Navy. In addition, this modification provides for diminishing manufacturing and material shortages redesign and management; non-recurring engineering, changes to correct deficiencies resulting from concurrency between systems development and demonstration and production; and unique requirements for non-U.S. participants and FMS customers. Work will be performed in Fort Worth (30 percent); El Segundo, Calif. (25 percent); Warton, United Kingdom (20 percent); Orlando, Fla. (10 percent); Nashua, N.H. (5 percent); Nagoya, Japan (5 percent); and Baltimore, Md. (5 percent), and is expected to be completed in March 2020. This contract combines purchases for the Air Force (47.3%); Navy (13.9%); non-DoD participants (21.0%); and FMS customers (17.8%). The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 11/23/16) Gulf Coast note: Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is home of the F-35 integrated training center.

Contract: Raytheon, $9M

Raytheon Co., El Segundo, Calif., is being awarded a $9,003,960 modification (01) to a fixed-price-incentive order (000501) against a previously issued basic ordering agreement (N00019-15-G-0003) to manufacture and deliver three AN/APG-79 Active Electronically Scanned Array Radars in support of the F/A-18 E/F and EA-18 aircraft. Work will be performed in Forest, Miss. (48 percent); Dallas, Texas (31 percent); El Segundo, Calif. (13 percent); and Andover, Mass. (8 percent), and is expected to be completed in August 2018. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 11/22/16)

Contract: Bell-Boeing, $267.2M

Bell-Boeing Joint Project Office, Amarillo, Texas, is being awarded a $267,250,000 modification (P00042) to a previously awarded cost-plus-incentive-fee, fixed-price incentive (firm target) contract (N00019-09-D-0008) for additional joint performance-based logistics support for the Marine Corps MV-22, and the Air Force and Special Operations Command CV-22 aircraft. Work will be performed in Fort Worth, Texas (40 percent); Ridley Park, Pa. (40 percent); New River, N.C. (3.9 percent); Hurlburt Field, Fla. (3.9 percent); Miramar, Calif. (3.8 percent); Cannon, N.M. (1 percent); Quantico, Va. (0.6 percent); Kirtland, N.M. (0.6 percent); Camp Pendleton, Calif. (0.3 percent); Cherry Point, N.C. (0.3 percent); Yuma, Ariz. (0.2 percent); Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii (0.2 percent); Norfolk, Va. (0.2); and various locations outside the continental U.S. (5 percent), and is expected to be completed in November 2018. This modification combines purchases for the Navy ($174,679,463); Special Operations Command ($83,531,000); and the Air Force ($9,039,537). The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 11/22/16)

Contract: UTC, $93.2M

United Technologies Corp. - Pratt and Whitney, East Hartford, Conn., has been awarded a $93,181,130 modification (P00176) to previously awarded contract FA8611-08-C-2896 for F119 engine sustainment. Contractor will provide engine sustainment labor, data and combined test force operations and support. Work will be performed at East Hartford, Edwards Air Force Base, Calif.; Elmendorf AFB, Alaska; Hickam AFB, Hawaii; Hill AFB, Utah; Langley AFB, Va.; Nellis AFB, Nev.; Sheppard AFB, Texas; Tinker AFB, Okla.; and Tyndall AFB, Fla., and is expected to be complete by Dec. 31, 2017. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 11/22/16)

A321 set for game flyover

An A321 built in Mobile, Ala., for Delta Air Lines will perform a flyover at the Iron Bowl football game between archrivals Alabama and Auburn. The game at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa is Nov. 26 at 2:30 p.m. CST. The A321, which had its first flight Nov. 12, will be delivered to the customer in December. The flyover will be after the National Anthem and before the kickoff. "Airbus is proud to call Mobile home for an Engineering Center, the U.S. Manufacturing Facility and a Defense and Space Military Aircraft facility,” said Allan McArtor, Chairman and CEO of Airbus Group, Inc. (Source: Airbus, 11/22/16) Related

Land will help buffer NAS Whiting

Some 626 acres of Northwest Florida's Wolfe Creek Forest has been acquired and added to the Blackwater River State Forest. The Trust for Public Land said the acquisition will protect Milton's Naval Air Station Whiting Field operations, water sources, provide public recreational activities, bird migration, and habitat for endangered species and other wildlife. TPL bought the land Oct. 18 from CF Florida LLC for $1,526,038.85, and sold it to the state for the same amount Nov. 4. Funding came by leveraging both Florida Forever funds with the Navy's contribution through its Readiness and Environmental Protection Integration program. Protecting the property ensures the land adjacent to Whiting Field will not be incompatibly developed in ways that may limit flight operations and vital military training. (Source: Trust for Public Land, 11/14/15)

Carter joins exercise

EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. -- Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter joined in a training exercise here with special tactics airmen and Army Green Berets early Thursday. He toured the U.S. Air Force Special Operations Headquarters at Hurlburt Field and met with base commanders before the hour-long exercise with a special forces assault team in a simulated hostage rescue that included landing in two CV 22 Ospreys and assaulting a mock target. In the drill Carter called in an air strike involving an F-35, C-130 gunship and a U28 surveillance aircraft. During a news conference later Thursday, Carter said the training simulated scenarios that U.S. forces face in locations around the world. (Source: Pensacola News Journal, 11/18/16)

Contract: Raytheon, $17.6M

Raytheon Co. - Missile Systems Div., Tucson, Ariz., has been awarded a $17,580,811 modification (P00008) to previously awarded contract FA8675-15-C-0004 for depot repairs and sustainment activities. Contractor will provide High-speed Anti-Radiation Missile targeting system contractor logistics support services. Work will be performed at Tucson and is expected to be complete by Nov. 30, 2017. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 11/15/16)

Delta A321 takes flight

A Delta jetliner built in Mobile takes flight.
Photo by T. Habelmann

MOBILE, Ala. -- The first Airbus A321 aircraft built for Delta Air Lines at the Airbus U.S. Manufacturing Facility took to the air for the first time Saturday for a three and a half-hour flight. The jetliner will go through a couple more weeks of final production before being delivered to Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines. This is the fourth customer’s aircraft to have their first flight in Mobile in 2016, and this will be the 15th aircraft to be delivered in 2016. (Source: Airbus, 11/12/16)

Contract: Raytheon, $76M

Raytheon Co. - Missile Systems, Tucson, Ariz., has been awarded a $76,056,334 option (P00003) to previously awarded contract FA8682-16-C-0004 for Lot 10 Miniature Air Launched Decoy Jammer (MALD-J) vehicles and support equipment. Work will be performed at Tucson and is expected to be complete by June 30, 2020. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 11/10/16)

Test center realignment OKd

The Air Force has approved the realignment of selected Air Force Test Center operations and facilities from several separate locations under one commander at Arnold Engineering Development Complex, Tenn. This change consolidates the current capabilities of the AEDC at Arnold; the Hypersonic Combined Test Force, currently part of the 412th Test Wing at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif.; and all the current capabilities of the 96th Test Group, headquartered at Holloman Air Force Base, N.M.; and the McKinley Climatic Laboratory at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., both currently part of the 96th Test Wing at Eglin. Also part of the consolidation are the Federal Research Center at White Oak, Md., and operating locations at Kirtland Air Force Base, N.M.; Moffett Federal Airfield, Calif.; Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio; and the Army's White Sands Missile Range, N.M. As part of this action the 96th Test Group and 796th Test Support Squadron at Holloman will be inactivated and will then be activated as the 704th Test Group and 704th Test Support Squadron, respectively. The duty locations, manpower authorizations and resources of the 704th TG and 704th TSS will be exactly the same as the inactivated 96th TG and 796th TSS. Only the parent unit will change from the 96th TW to AEDC. This realignment will only impact the administrative reporting chain of the affected organizations and will not require the transfer of personnel or any change in missions at those locations. (Source: 96 Test Wing, 11/09/16)

Contract: UTC, $167.5M

United Technologies Corp., Pratt & Whitney Military Engines, East Hartford, Conn., is being awarded a $167,502,348 fixed-price-incentive-firm target advance acquisition contract for long lead components, parts and materials associated with the low-rate initial production Lot XI of 48 F135-PW-100 propulsion systems for the Air Force; 14 F135-PW-600 propulsion systems for the Marine Corps; and 4 F135-PW-100 propulsion systems for the Navy. In addition, this contract provides for the long lead components, parts and materials associated with 41 F135-PW-100 and 3 F135-PW-600 propulsion systems for international partners and foreign military sales customers. Work will be performed in East Hartford (67 percent); Indianapolis, Ind. (26.5 percent); and Bristol, United Kingdom (6.5 percent), and is expected to be completed by May 2019. This contract combines purchases for the Air Force (33 percent); the Navy/Marine Corps (27 percent); international partners (23 percent); and foreign military sales (17 percent). The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity (N00019-17-C-0020). (Source: DoD, 11/08/16)

Fake threats don't fake F-35s

Is the F-35 too smart? When the Joint Strike Fighters flew simulated combat missions around Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., their pilots couldn’t see the “enemy” radars on their screens. That’s because the F-35s’ on-board computers analyzed data from the fighters’ various sensors, compared the readings to known threats, and figured out the radars on the training range weren’t real, so the software didn’t even display them. The F-35 and the F-22 fifth-generation fighters are overturning how the Air Force operates. In its simplest terms, it could be that a pilot closer to the battle has an even better picture of the battle than senior officers further away in an AWACs or operations center. (Source: Breaking Defense, 11/07/16) Eglin is home of the F-35 integrated training center.

Contract: DCS, $59.5M

DCS Corp., Alexandria, Va., is being awarded $59,490,647 for modification P00031 to a previously awarded cost-plus-fixed-fee, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract (N68936-11-D-0001) for weapons and systems integration support services for the Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division’s (NAWCWD’s) aircraft integrated product teams. Services to be provided include system engineering, analysis, research, development, logistics and configuration and data management, which are critical in the development, integration, test, evaluation and fielding of new and upgraded capabilities, including F/A-18, EA-18G, F-35, AV-8B, AHN-1/UH-1, and unmanned aerial systems. Work will be performed at NAWCWD China Lake, Calif. (87 percent); Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. (8 percent); and at various locations within the U.S. (5 percent), and is expected to be completed in October 2017. The Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division, China Lake, California, is the contracting activity. (Source: 11/03/16)

Alliance summit wraps up

GULFPORT, Miss. – The fifth annual Aerospace Alliance summit held Thursday and Friday attracted about 130 economic development, business and academic leaders from Alabama, Florida, Louisiana and Mississippi to discuss an industry they all have targeted. Richard Aboulafia, vice president of analysis with the Teal Group, discussed the growth of the aerospace industry, still the strongest industry on the planet. But he also warned that a correction looms in the future. There were also several panel discussions, including one on commercial applications of unmanned aircraft systems. Glenn McCullough Jr., executive director of the Mississippi Development Authority, said the event highlighted that there are great opportunities for the four states. Don Pierson, secretary of Louisiana Economic Development, said the region is building an important corridor, noting that among other things the shared “NASA DNA” provides unique advantages. Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant in his welcoming address focused on the significance of aerospace for Mississippi, and said the four-state region is where the growth of the industry is going to be. The Aerospace Alliance was formed to promote and leverage the region’s aerospace assets. (Source: GCAC, 11/04/16)

Training preps Spec Ops

GULFPORT, Miss. -- More than 200 members of the 1st Special Operations Wing at Hurlburt Field, Fla., are participating in exercise Southern Strike with the Mississippi National Guard at the Gulfport Combat Readiness Training Center and Camp Shelby Joint Forces Training Center, Miss. The exercise began Oct. 22, and is focused on preparing the special operators to deploy overseas. Participants have received combat arms training and have practiced clearing buildings. "The planning and support team from the 1st Special Operations Mission Support Group and 1st Special Operations Air Operations Squadron have been spectacular," said Lt. Col. John Ross, director of operations. In addition to the 1st SOMSG, 1st SOW aircrews assigned to the AC-130U Spooky gunship, MC-130H Combat Talon II, CV-22 Osprey and U-28 aircraft are scheduled to support three, large-war games, multiple bilateral events, and end the exercise with one finale culmination exercise. (Source: 1st Special Operations Wing, 10/25/16)

Contract: HX5, $7.3M

HX5 LLC, Fort Walton Beach, Fla., was awarded a $7,328,152 modification (P00019) to contract W9133L-11-C-0033 for a six-month extension providing for the entire spectrum of mission planning support for 98 Army National Guard flying units. The contractor is responsible for keeping mission planning software up to date, keeping threat warning date up to date, maintaining airspace and de-confliction data up to date, as well as a myriad of other services vital to real-world and training missions. The contract provides staff who are skilled in flight operations and intelligence information systems. These personnel require skill sets that not only support information technology systems, but must also possess experience in the management of flight operations. Work will be performed in Arlington, Va.,, with an estimated completion date of April 30, 2017. Army National Guard Bureau, Arlington, is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 10/31/16)

Contract: Northrop, $10.4M

Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., San Diego, Calif., is being issued a $10,362,211 modification (P00001) to a previously awarded fixed-price-incentive-firm target contract (N00019-16-C-0055) for production of one MQ-8C Fire Scout unmanned air system. Work will be performed in San Diego (33 percent); Ozark, Ala. (27 percent); Fort Worth, Texas (18 percent); Moss Point, Miss. (16 percent); and various locations within the U.S. (6 percent), and is expected to be completed in August 2019. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 10/28/16)

Hangar construction begins Monday

PENSACOLA, Fla. – About 100 invited guests were on hand Friday for the groundbreaking of the VT MAE maintenance, repair and overhaul hangar at Pensacola International Airport. Construction of the four-acre building will begin Monday and is scheduled to be finished by February 2018. Pensacola Mayor Ashton Hayward said the project was five years in the making. While he admitted being an impatient man, he said he's learned that some things are worth the wait. The hangar will be larger than the Pensacola airport terminal. VT Mobile Aerospace Engineering is part of ST Engineering of Singapore. VT MAE, which has more than 1,000 workers at its MRO in Mobile, Ala., will have about 400 workers in Pensacola. (Source: GCAC, 10/28/16)

Job fair set for Friday

PENSACOLA, Fla. - Sixty companies will be on hand to take applications from job-seekers Friday at the 8th annual CareerSource Escarosa job fair at Pensacola State College's Jean and Paul Amos Performance Studio, Building 23, at 1000 College Blvd. Among the companies are VT Mobile Aerospace Engineering, Eastridge Workforce Solutions, and Navy Federal Credit Union. EWS is hiring people to build solar energy farms that are part of a partnership between regional military bases and Gulf Power. The job fair is from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. (Source: WEAR-TV 10/26/16)

VT MAE breaking ground

PENSACOLA, Fla. – Ground will be broken Friday for a new VT Mobile Aerospace Engineering maintenance, repair and overhaul hangar at Pensacola International Airport. The invitation-only event will be at 11 a.m. Singapore-owned VT MAE will eventually employ 300 to 500 workers at the Pensacola operation. The $46 million project allows the company, which has had an more than 1,000-employee operation in Mobile, Ala., since 1991, to expand into Pensacola with what has been called a “ninth hangar.” (Source: GCAC, 10/27/16) Previous; related story about VT MAE's Mobile operation in October issue of the Gulf Coast Aerospace Corridor Newsletter, page 7

Thales joins Mobile Aeroplex

MOBILE, Ala. – Thales has joined the aerospace companies that have set up operations at the Mobile Aeroplex, according to a news release from the Mobile Airport Authority. Thales, of France, is involved in avionics, in-flight entertainment, aircraft connectivity and aircraft electrical systems. “Our relationship with Thales spans more than a decade and when it requested a flexible and scalable location to meet their current business case needs, we were more than happy to get to work,” said Roger Wehner, executive director of the Mobile Airport Authority. (Source: MAA, 10/26/16) The Aeroplex is also the location of the Airbus A320 series manufacturing facility and a dozen other aircraft-related operations.

Contract: PAE, $14.9M

PAE Aviation and Technical Services LLC, Marlton, N.J., was awarded a $14,938,540 modification (P00014) to previously awarded contract FA4890-15-C-0018. Contractor will provide maintenance of aerial targets, and operations and maintenance of range instrumentation systems at Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla.; and maintenance of full-scale aerial targets at Holloman AFB, N.M., for Air Combat Command Acquisition Management and Integration Center contracting and program management oversight. This includes functional and quality assurance support for the Aerial Targets Program, which directly supports live-fire weapons system testing and enables the 53rd Weapons Evaluation Group in the developmental and operational weapons testing for all air-to-air missiles and for the F-22, F-35, F-16, and F-15 aircraft. Work will be performed at Tyndall and Holloman and is expected to be complete by Sept. 30, 2017. Headquarters Air Combat Command, Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Va., is the contracting activity. (Awarded on Oct. 6, 2016). (Source: DoD, 10/25/16)

U.S.-built Delta painted

Delta jetliner leaves paint shop in Alabama.
Airbus photo

MOBILE, Ala. – The first U.S.-built Delta Air Lines Airbus A321 has been painted with the company’s colors and has left the paint shop at the Airbus U.S. Manufacturing Facility in Mobile. It will soon enter the flight test phase. The jetliner is the 15th A321 to be produced by Airbus in Mobile since the start of operations in July 2015. Twelve aircraft have been delivered to customers thus far. MAAS Aviation completed the painting in its facility located on the Mobile Aeroplex at Brookley within the Airbus manufacturing facility campus. (Source: Airbus, 10/25/16)

Meridian picked for T-100 assembly

MERIDIAN, Miss. – Raytheon said Monday that the final assembly facility for the T-100 training system will be in Mississippi if the company wins the Air Force’s T-X competition. The trainer, a modified Aermacchi M-346, is powered by two Honeywell F124 engines. The 130-acre site near the Meridian airport will employ about 450 workers. Raytheon has manufactured products in Mississippi for more than three decades. The company makes Active Electronically Scanned Array radars at its facility in the city of Forest. Leonardo-Finmeccanica, CAE USA and Honeywell Aerospace have partnered with Raytheon to offer the T-100. At least 70 percent of the T-100 training system, including ground-based systems, will be built in the United States while structural assembly will be in Italy. Also competing for the contract are Lockheed Martin, Boeing and Northrop Grumman. (Sources: Multiple, including Raytheon, Defense News, Jackson Clarion-Ledger, Meridian Star, 10/24/16) Meridian is east of Jackson, about 140 miles from Gulfport, Miss.

Contract: Multiple, $50M

G&RK Consulting Associates LLC, Littleton, Colo. (W912EP-17-D-0001); Energy and Environment LLC, Fort Walton Beach, Fla. (W912EP-17-D-0002); FPM Remediations Inc, Oneida, N.Y. (W912EP-17-D-0003); and Trihydro Corp., Laramie, Wy. (W912EP-17-D-0004) were awarded a $ 50,000,000 firm-fixed-price contract for environmental remediation services for the Army Corps of Engineers, South Atlantic Division. Bids were solicited on the internet with 16 received, with an estimated completion date of Oct. 18, 2021. Funding and work locations will be determined with each order. Army Corps of Engineers, Jacksonville, Fla., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 10/21/16)

Contract: DynCorp Int, $63.3M

DynCorp International, Fort Worth, Texas, has been awarded a $63,332,000 firm-fixed-price modification (P00065) to previously awarded contract FA8617-12-C-6208 for continued contractor operated and maintained base supply support. Work will be performed at Columbus Air Force Base, Ga.; Laughlin Air Force Base, Randolph Air Force Base and Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas; Vance Air Force Base, Okla.; Naval Air Stations Pensacola and Whiting Field, Fla.; Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Md.; and Naval Air Station Corpus Christi, Texas. Work is expected to be completed by April 30, 2017. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Wright Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 10/21/16)

Contract: IMIA, $21.5M

International Marine and Industrial Applicators LLC, Spanish Fort, Ala., is being awarded a $21,463,020 firm-fixed-price contract for the accomplishment of preservation and non-submarine safety structural repairs and maintenance on USS Maine (SSBN 741). This contract will provide preservation; hull and structural repair; anode removal, repair and replacement; lead bin repair and fabrication; de-ballasting and re-ballasting; and safety track repair requirements. Work will be performed in Bremerton, Wash., and expected to be completed by December 2017. This contract was competitively procured via the Federal Business Opportunities website, with two offers received. The Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility, Bremerton, is the contracting activity (N4523A-17-C-0001). (Source: DoD, 10/21/16)

Contract: SURVICE, $15.2M

SURVICE Engineering Co., Belcamp, Md., has been awarded an $15,227,012 cost-plus-fixed-fee with a performance incentive modification (P0004) to previously awarded contract FA2486-16-C-0051 for SEEK EAGLE program modeling, analysis, and tools support. SEEK EAGLE program is the Air Force standard process for aircraft stores certification, and designated the AF SEEK EAGLE office as the cognizant engineering agency. Work will be performed at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., and is expected to be complete by Oct. 22, 2017. Fiscal 2017 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $7,235,767 are being obligated at the time of award. Air Force Test Center, Eglin Air Force Base, is the contracting activity (FA2486-16-C-0051). (Source: DoD 10/18/16)

Contract: Lockheed, $20.4M

Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., Fort Worth, Texas, has been awarded a $20,444,111 modification (P00771) to previously awarded contract FA8611-08-C-2897. The contractor will provide touch labor & installs at the Ogden Depot as well as at F-22 operational bases. Work will be performed at Hill Air Force Base, Utah; Langley Air Force Base, Va.; Nellis Air Force Base, Nev.; Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla.; Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska; and Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii and is expected to be complete by Dec. 31, 2016. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Hill Air Force Base, Utah, is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 10/20/16)

36th AES now at Keesler

KEESLER AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. -- The 36th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron moved from Pope Army Airfield, N.C., to Keesler Oct. 15 to become part of the Air Force Reserve's 403rd Wing. The move allows the unit to have access to the 403rd's training missions and 20 C-130Js. The 36th AES currently has 30 personnel, but is scheduled to have 40 officers and 83 enlisted personnel. The day before the redesignation ceremony, the 36th AES it took part in a training mission with the 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron at Keesler. (Sources: 403rd Wing Public Affairs, 10/18/16)

Contract: Lockheed, $743.2M

Lockheed Martin Corp., Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., Fort Worth, Texas, is being awarded a $743,169,377 fixed-price-incentive, firm target and cost-plus-fixed-fee modification to the previously awarded low-rate initial production Lot 9 F-35 Joint Strike Fighter advance acquisition contract (N00019-14-C-0002). This modification provides additional funding and will establish not-to-exceed (NTE) prices for diminishing manufacturing and material shortages redesign and development, estimated post production concurrency changes and country unique requirements. In addition, this modification will establish NTE prices for one F-35A aircraft and one F-35B aircraft for a non-U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) participant in the F-35 program. Work will be performed in Fort Worth (30 percent); El Segundo, Calif. (25 percent); Warton, United Kingdom (20 percent); Orlando, Fla. (10 percent); Nashua, N.H. (5 percent); Nagoya, Japan (5 percent); and Baltimore, Md. (5 percent), and is expected to be completed in December 2019. This modification combines purchases for the Air Force $207,389,821 (27.9 percent), Navy $85,533,666 (11.5 percent), and Marine Corps $91,923,008 (12.4 percent), non-U.S. DoD participants $332,940,791 (44.8 percent); and Foreign Military Sales $25,382,091 (3.4 percent). The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 10/17/16) Gulf Coast note: Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is home of the F-35 integrated training center.

Potential for MQ-8C cracks explored

The Navy awarded Bell Helicopter a $3.3 million contract to look into the potential for future flight strain, fatigue, and tail boom might cracking on the Northrop Grumman MQ-8C Fire Scout unmanned aircraft system. The concern is whether those issues might arise because the Naval Air Systems Command is flying the MQ-8C at higher weights and altitudes than those for the civilian version of the Bell 407, the airframe on which the MQ-8C is based. (Source: IHS Janes 360, 10/07/16) Gulf Coast note: Final assembly of the MQ-8C is done in Moss Point, Miss.

Carlisle buys Star Aviation

MOBILE, Ala. – Star Aviation, a design and engineering company that specializes in in-flight entertainment systems, has been acquired by Carlisle Companies Inc. A Carlisle executive said Star will add "significant engineering resources and technology" to Carlisle's portfolio. Based in Scottsdale, Ariz., Carlisle designs, manufactures and markets a range of products to a range of niche markets, according to the company’s website. That includes commercial roofing, agriculture and mining to aerospace and defense electronics. Star, founded in 1999, anticipates continued growth in Mobile. It also has an operation in Seattle. (Source: al.com, 10/06/16)

Latest newsletter available

The October issue of the Gulf Coast Reporters' League Aerospace Newsletter is now available. There's a story about the upcoming Aerospace Alliance Summit in Gulfport, Miss., and a story about areas that are attractive to aerospace manufacturers. There are also stories about NASA's unique camera that captures detail never before seen, and about new collaborative opportunities at the Mobile Aeroplex. (Source: GCRL, 10/04/16)

Contract: COLSA, $44.9M

The COLSA Corp., Huntsville, Ala., has been awarded a $44,888,533 modification (P00005) to exercise the option on previously awarded contract FA2486-16-F-0031 for technical and management advisory services including command, control, communications, computer, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (C4ISR); and cyber support. Contractor will provide additional research, development, test and evaluation; and acquisition support services being provided under the basic task order. Work will be performed at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla.; Hanscom AFB, Mass.; Gunter Annex, Ala.; Patrick AFB, Fla.; Edwards AFB, Calif.: and San Antonio, Texas, and is expected to be complete by Sept. 30, 2017. Air Force Test Center, Eglin AFB, is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 10/03/16)

Contract: Bevilacqua, $25.9M

Bevilacqua Research Corp., Huntsville, Ala., has been awarded a $25,876,919 modification (P00006) to exercise an option on previously awarded contract FA2486-16-F-0033 for technical and management advisory services. Contractor will provide additional diverse research, development, test and evaluation, and acquisition support services. Work will be performed at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla.; Hurlburt Field, Fla.; Nellis AFB, Nev.; Joint Base Lewis McChord, Washington; and Edwards AFB, Calif., and is expected to be complete by Sept. 30, 2017. Air Force Test Center, Eglin AFB, is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 10/03/16)

Contract: QuantiTech, $25.7M

QuantiTech Inc., Huntsville, Ala., has been awarded a $25,716,024 modification (P00008) to exercise an option on previously awarded contract FA2486-16-F-0034 for technical and management advisory services for range support. Contractor will provide additional research, development, test and evaluation, and acquisition support services being provided under the basic task order. Work will be performed at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla.; Arnold AFB, Tenn., Hickam AFB, Hawaii, Holloman AFB, N.M.; and Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, and is expected to be complete by Sept. 30, 2017. Air Force Test Center, Eglin AFB, is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 10/03/16)

Contract: Torch, $24.3M

The Torch Technologies Inc., Huntsville, Ala., has been awarded a $24,323,545 modification (P00006) to exercise an option on previously awarded contract FA2486-16-F-0030 for technical and management advisory services for armament support. Contractor will provide diverse research, development, technical, test and evaluation, and acquisition support services being provided under the basic contract. Work will be performed at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla.; and Kirkland AFB, N.M., and is expected to be complete by Sept. 30, 2017. Air Force Test Center, Eglin AFB, is the contracting activity (FA2486-16-F-0030). (Source: DoD, 10/03/16)

Contract: M1, $10.5M

M1 Support Services, Denton, Texas, has been awarded a $10,498,529 modification (A00015) to exercise an option on previously awarded contract FA3002-15-C-0006 for ground instructional training aircraft, historical static display aircraft, trainers, support equipment, aerospace ground equipment, and munitions trainer maintenance services. Work will be performed at Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas; and Naval Air Station Pensacola, Fla., and is expected to be complete by Sept. 30, 2017. The 82d Contracting Squadron, Sheppard AFB, Texas, is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 10/03/16)

Contract: Flight Safety, $8.7M

Flight Safety International, Daleville, Ala., was awarded an $8,668,493 modification (P00169) to contract W9124G-04-C-0037 for fixed wing flight training services. Work will be performed in Daleville, with an estimated completion date of March 9, 2017. Army Contracting Command, Ft. Eustis, Va., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 09/29/16)

Contract: Fluor Fed, $28.8M

Fluor Federal Solutions LLC, Greenville, S.C., is being awarded a $28,847,912 modification under a previously awarded indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract (N69450-07-D-0770) to exercise option nine for base operations support services at Naval Air Station Pensacola, Fla., Saufley Field, Fla., Corry Station, Fla., and Bronson Field, Fla. The work to be performed provides for all management, supervision, labor, equipment, materials, supplies, and tools necessary to perform facilities management, facilities investment, facility maintenance services (non-family housing), pest control, utility plant and distribution system operation and maintenance (chiller, electrical, gas, wastewater, steam and water), environmental services, and base support vehicles and equipment. After award of this option, the total cumulative contract value will be $257,573,144. Work will be performed in Pensacola and work is expected to be competed September 2017. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Southeast, Jacksonville, Fla., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 09/29/16)

Contract: Alliant Tech, $9.3M

Alliant Techsystems Operations LLC, Rocket Center, W.V., has been awarded a $9,270,100 modification (P00055) to exercise an option to the previously awarded contract FA8681-11-C-0039 for low-rate initial production Lot 2 of the Hard Target Void Sensing Fuze system. Contractor will provide 475 Hard Target Void Sensing Fuze systems. Work will be performed at Rocket Center and is expected to be complete by March 29, 2018. The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 09/29/16)

Contract: Northrop, $9.8M

Northrop Grumman Systems Corp. - Amherst Systems Inc., Buffalo, N.Y., has been awarded a $9,800,000 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for sustaining engineering services support for test facilities threat simulators. Contractor will provide all sustaining engineering services needed for continued support of B-1, B-2, B-52, and fighter test facilities, combat electromagnetic environment simulators and advanced multiple environment threat simulators sustainment. Work will be performed at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla.; Edwards Air Force Base, Calif.; and Robins Air Force Base, Ga., and is expected to be complete by Sept. 28, 2017. This award is the result of a sole-source acquisition. Air Force Test Center, Eglin Air Force Base, is the contracting activity (FA2486-16-D-0076). (Source: DoD, 09/29/16)

Contract: L-3, $13.7M

L-3 Vertex Aerospace LLC, Madison, Miss., is being awarded a $13,674,743 firm-fixed-price modification to a previously awarded indefinite-delivery requirements contract (N00019-11-D-0010) for aircraft maintenance and logistical life cycle support for 49 C-12 aircraft. Work will be performed in Corpus Christi, Texas (42 percent); Patuxent River, Md. (6 percent); Guantanamo Bay, Cuba (6 percent); Manama, Bahrain (6 percent); Atsugi, Japan (6 percent); Beaufort, S.C. (4 percent); San Angelo, Texas (4 percent); Yuma, Ariz. (4 percent); New Orleans, La. (4 percent); Iwakuni, Japan (4 percent); New River, N.C. (3 percent); Kadena, Japan (3 percent); Manassas, Va. (2 percent); Miramar, Calif. (2 percent); Futenma, Japan (2 percent); and Misawa, Japan, and is expected to be completed in December 2016. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 09/29/16)

Contract: Lockheed, $16.5M

Lockheed Martin Corp., Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., Fort Worth, Texas, is being awarded a not-to-exceed $16,497,297 modification to delivery order 0031 previously placed against basic ordering agreement N00019-14-G-0020. This modification provides for deployable spares packages in support of the low-rate initial production Lot 9 F-35B aircraft for the Marine Corps. Work will be performed in Fort Worth (24.4 percent); El Segundo, Calif. (9 percent); Owego, N.Y. (8.6 percent); Samlesbury, United Kingdom (7.2 percent); Cheltenham, United Kingdom (6.2 percent); Nashua, N.H. (5.8 percent); Torrance, Calif. (5.5 percent); Orlando, Fla. (4.9 percent); Cedar Rapids, Iowa (3.7 percent); San Diego, Calif. (3.6 percent); Phoenix, Ariz. (3.1 percent); Melbourne, Fla. (3 percent); Irvine, Calif. (2.5 percent); North Amityville, N.Y. (2.4 percent); Windsor Locks, Conn. (2.2 percent); Baltimore, Md. (2.2 percent); Papendrect, Netherlands (1.9 percent); Rolling Meadows, Ill. (1.8 percent); and Alpharetta, Ga. (1.8 percent), and is expected to be completed in July 2020. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 09/29/16) Gulf Coast note: Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is home of the F-35 integrated training center.

Contract: UTC, $21M

United Technologies Corp., Pratt and Whitney Military Engines, East Hartford, Conn., is being awarded a not-to-exceed $21,000,000 for modification P00009 to a previously awarded cost-plus-incentive-fee, fixed-price-incentive-fee contract (N00019-15-C-0004). This modification provides for the procurement of one low-rate initial production Lot 10 F-135-PW-600 engine in support of the Marine Corps F-35B Lightening II Short Take-off and Vertical Landing aircraft to facilitate engine testing under the Component Improvement Program. Work will be performed in East Hartford (76 percent); and Indianapolis, Ind. (24 percent), and is expected to be complete in February 2018. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 09/29/16) Gulf Coast note: Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is home of the F-35 integrated training center.

Contract: Lockheed, $24.4M

Lockheed Martin Corp., Fort Worth, Texas, is being awarded $24,378,036 for modification P00003 under a previously awarded fixed-price-incentive-firm contract (N00019-16-C-0004) for procurement of three full mission simulators for the Air Force in support of F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter aircraft. Work will be performed in Orlando, Fla. (98 percent); and Fort Worth, Texas (2 percent), and is expected to be completed March 2020. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 09/29/16) Gulf Coast note: Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is home of the F-35 integrated training center.

Contract: City of Pensacola, $31.6M

City of Pensacola, Pensacola, Fla., is being awarded $31,575,637 for firm-fixed-price task order 0001 under a previously issued basic ordering agreement (N69450-15-G-0102). This task order will initiate the findings of the preliminary assessment and investment grade audit to determine energy improvements at Naval Air Station Pensacola. The work to be performed provides for the design and installation of the following: chiller plant upgrades in five facilities; installation of chilled water primary pump with variable flow in one facility; occupancy based heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) scheduling upgrades in 10 facilities; continuous commissioning of control upgrades in 29 facilities; demand control ventilation upgrades in one facility; control schedules to domestic hot water recirculation pumps in 11 facilities; upgrade to existing HVAC controls in two facilities; HVAC multi-zone unit conversion to variable air volume units in one facility; installation of high efficiency interior lighting in 35 facilities; building envelope upgrades in 38 facilities; installation of window film in nine facilities; high efficiency transformer upgrades in 17 facilities; installation of low flow plumbing fixtures in 37 facilities; and replacement of portable air conditioning units in three facilities. The contractor will also provide three years of performance verification reporting. Work will be performed in Pensacola and is expected to be completed by November 2018. Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 authorizes agencies to use appropriations, private financing, or a combination to comply with its requirements for utility energy service contracts for evaluations/project implementation. For this project, Naval Air Station Pensacola has agreed to pay for the cost of services/construction from project financing which will be obtained by the City of Pensacola. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Southeast, Jacksonville, Fla., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 09/29/16)

Navy gets more MQ-8Cs

Fire Scouts at plant in Moss Point, Miss.
Northrop Grumman photo

Northrop Grumman is set to build 10 additional MQ-8C Fire Scout unmanned helicopters for the U. S. Navy, giving maritime commanders persistent, real-time intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR). It brings to 29 the total number of MQ-8C Fire Scouts procured so far. The MQ-8C airframe is based on the commercial Bell 407, a helicopter with more than 1,600 airframes produced and over 4.4 million flight hours. Modifications to the MQ-8C's airframes are carried out at the Bell Helicopter facility in Ozark, Ala., and final assembly is performed in Moss Point, Miss. (Source: Northrop Grumman, 09/29/16)

QF-16 reaches milestone

QF-16 takes off at Tyndall. Air Force photo

EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. – Air Combat Command has declared initial operational capability for the QF-16 full-scale aerial target. The decision Sept. 23 was approved by Gen. Hawk Carlisle, the ACC commander, for 15 QF-16s now available for target operations. The jets are assigned to Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla., and flown by the 82nd Aerial Target Squadron under the 53rd Wing. The 82nd ATRS operates the only FSAT capability in the Defense Department. By law a missile system must undergo lethality testing before it can enter full-scale production. The QF-16 is the introduction of fourth-generation fighter capabilities in the aerial target mission. It maintains all inherent capabilities of the baseline F-16 Fighting Falcon including supersonic flight and 9 G maneuverability. The newest aerial target will replace the QF-4 Aerial Target, which flew its last unmanned mission Aug. 17 at Holloman AFB, N.M. The QF-4 will officially be retired in December. The 82nd ATRS is a geographically separated unit of the 53rd WG headquartered at Eglin. (Source: AFNS, 09/26/16)

Contract: Boeing, $11.2M

The Boeing Co., Fort Walton Beach, Fla., has been awarded an $11,230,459 indefinite-delivery, requirements and firm-fixed-price requirements contract for the F-15 E Flat Panel Up Front Control (UFC) program. The UFC is a multifunction control used in the F-15E to control and display status of communication navigation and identification systems. The FPUFC utilizes a single, new technology liquid crystal display (LCD) flat panel display to replace the current segmented LCDs of the F-15 UFC. Work will be performed at Alpharetta, Ga., and is expected to be complete by March 29, 2021. Air Force Sustainment Center, Robin Air Force Base, Ga., is the contracting activity (FA8538-16-D-0010). (Source: DoD, 09/27/16)

Contract: Whitesell-Green, $8.5M

Whitesell-Green Inc., Pensacola, Fla., is being awarded an $8,501,000 firm-fixed-price contract for construction of Triton Mission Control Facility at Naval Air Station Jacksonville, Fla. The work to be performed provides for construction of a low-rise shielded steel frame, reinforced concrete masonry unit mission control facility with standing seam metal roof and concrete foundation, strip footing and deep wall masonry foundation slab on grade. The facility will be located adjacent to an existing Triton facility and include primary and redundant Mission Control System (MCS) modules, a server room, mission planning and brief/debrief rooms and a secure equipment vault. The new building will be connected to the existing building via a new enclosure around the existing exterior stair of that facility and a new corridor. The MCS components in the new facilities will be independently shielded and constructed as a Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility including electromagnetic interference shielded space. This facility will provide Anti-Terrorism/Force Protection features. The contract also contains two unexercised options, which if exercised, would increase cumulative contract value to $8,618,000. Work will be performed in Jacksonville and is expected to be completed by July 2017. This contract was competitively procured via the Navy Electronic Commerce Online website with four proposals received. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Southeast, Jacksonville, is the contracting activity (N69450-16-C-1103). (Source: DoD, 09/27/16)

Contract: Rolls-Royce, $62.1M

Rolls-Royce Corp., Indianapolis, Ind., is being awarded $62,120,761 for modification P00004 to a previously awarded firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery requirements contract (N00019-14-D-0016) to provide intermediate, depot level maintenance and related logistics support for approximately 223 in-service T-45 F405-RR-401 Adour engines. Work will be performed at the 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 2017. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 09/27/16)

Contract: Northrop, $255.3M

Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., San Diego, Calif., is being awarded $255,256,728 for fixed-price incentive (firm target) modification P00009 to a previously awarded advance acquisition contract (N00019-15-C-0002) for the procurement three low-rate initial production Lot 1 MQ-4C Triton unmanned aircraft, one main operation control station and one forward operation control station, training courseware, and tooling. Work will be performed in San Diego (30 percent); Baltimore, Md. (12.6 percent); Palmdale, Calif. (10.6 percent); Salt Lake City, Utah (10 percent); Red Oak, Texas (8 percent); Moss Point, Miss. (3.9 percent); Indianapolis, Ind. (3.8 percent); Bridgeport, W.V. (3 percent); Santa Clarita, Calif. (1.6 percent); Montreal, Quebec, Canada (0.6 percent); Vandalia, Ohio (0.6 percent); Medford, N.Y. (0.5 percent); and various locations within the U.S. (11.2 percent), and is expected to be completed in August 2020. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 09/27/16)

Contract: $34.5M

Bell Helicopter, Ft. Worth, Texas, was awarded a $34,541,911 firm-fixed-price, foreign military sales contract (Uganda) to produce and deliver five Huey II helicopters, spare parts, program management, special tools, and other program necessities. Bids were solicited via the Internet with one received. Work will be performed in Ozark, Ala., with an estimated completion date of Dec. 29, 2017. Fiscal 2016 other procurement funds in the amount of $34,541,911 were obligated at the time of the award. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Ala., is the contracting activity (W58RGZ-16-C-0065). (Source: DoD, 09/26/16)

1st F-35 for Japan rolls out

Lockheed Martin rolled out the first 42 F-35As ordered by the Japan Air Self Defense Forces to replace a nearly 80-strong fleet of McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantoms. The event was attended by about 400 representatives from both countries and corporate officials. Lockheed will build the first four Japanese jets in Fort Worth, AX-1 through AX-4, while Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) will produce the remaining 38 under license at its Nagoya facility. MHI, which built Tokyo’s fleet of Boeing F-15Js under license, won the 2011 competition to build the F-35A. Maintenance training is already underway for the first Japanese Air Defense technicians at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., and the first Japanese pilots will begin training at Luke Air Force Base, Ariz., in November. (Source: Flightglobal, Lockheed Martin, 09/23/16)

Contract: UTC, $10.6M

United Technologies Corp. - Pratt and Whitney, East Hartford, Conn., has been awarded a $10,555,557 modification (P00172) to previously awarded contract FA8611-08-C-2896 for F119 engine sustainment. Work will be performed at East Hartford; Edwards Air Force Base, Calif.; Elmendorf AFB, Alaska; Hickam AFB, Hawaii; Hill AFB, Utah; Holloman AFB, N.M.; Langley AFB, Va.; Nellis AFB, Nev.; Sheppard AFB, Texas; Tinker AFB, Okla.; and Tyndall AFB, Fla., and is expected to be complete by Dec. 31, 2016. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity (FA8611-08-C-2896). (Source: DoD, 09/23/16)

Contract: Sikorsky, $232M

Sikorsky Aircraft Corp., Stratford, Conn., is being awarded $232,075,337 for modification P00214 to a previously awarded cost-plus-incentive-fee contract (N00019-06-C-0081) for the procurement of two CH-53K system demonstration test article aircraft. Work will be performed in Stratford (24 percent); Wichita, Kan. (20 percent); West Palm Beach, Fla. (12 percent); Salt Lake City, Utah (9 percent); St. Louis, Mo. (7 percent); Rochester, United Kingdom (3 percent); Bridgeport, W.V. (2 percent); Casa Grande, Ariz. (2 percent); Windsor Locks, Conn. (2 percent); Rome, N.Y. (2 percent); Fort Walton Beach, Fla. (1 percent); San Diego, Calif. (1 percent); San Jose, Calif. (1 percent); Chesterfield, Mo. (1 percent); Twinsburg, Ohio (1 percent); Springfield, N.J. (1 percent); Redmond, Wash. (1 percent); Jackson, Miss. (1 percent); Los Angeles, Calif. (0.5 percent); St. Clair, Pa. (0.5 percent); Forest, Ohio (0.5 percent); Phoenix, Ariz. (0.5 percent); Tucson, Ariz. (0.5 percent); Miami, Fla. (0.5 percent); Stratford, Ontario, Canada (0.5 percent); Boylston, Mass. (0.5 percent); Enfield, Conn. (0.5 percent); Minden, Neb. (0.5 percent); Irvine, Calif. (0.5 percent); Westbury, N.Y. (0.5 percent); and various locations with the U.S. (3 percent). The work is expected to be completed in February 2020. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 09/23/16)

WTO: EU failed to end subsidies

The World Trade Organization ruled in favor of Boeing and the U.S. when it ruled Thursday that European governments failed to end billions in unfair state subsidies to Airbus. The ruling moves the U.S. a step closer to being able to impose $5 billion in annual tariffs against goods and services from the European Union. The ruling said the EU and some of its members failed to comply with an earlier ruling to remove the subsidies. But the battle is far from over. The trade body in the near future is expected to find in a parallel case that the U.S. didn't sufficiently address concerns about subsides, including tax breaks, that helped Boeing. That could lead to the EU being able to impose similar tariffs on U.S. exporters. Boeing and Airbus are battling over market share. They have a combined backlog of commercial airplane orders that has risen to almost $1.4 trillion. (Sources: Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, CNBC, Seattle Times, 09/22/16 and 09/23/16) Gulf Coast note: Airbus builds A320 series jetliners in Mobile, Ala., as well as Toulouse, France; Hamburg, Germany; and Tianjin, China.

VT MAE deal moves forward

PENSACOLA, Fla. – The Pensacola City Council will be asked to approve a final amendment to a lease agreement with VT MAE and approve a $6.3 million loan to enable construction of a maintenance and repair facility to begin. The project at Pensacola International Airport was delayed after VT MAE requested the planned hangar be enlarged to accommodate larger 757 aircraft. The pricetag went from $37.3 million to $46 million to handle larger aircraft. The city secured additional money from the state to cover the increase, but won’t get it until fiscal year 2018. VT MAE, owned by Singapore Technologies Engineering, has a major facility in Mobile, Ala., and is expanding into Pensacola. (Source: Pensacola News Journal, 09/22/16)

Contract: Raytheon, $254.6M

Raytheon Co., Fullerton, Calif., is being awarded a $254,550,316 cost-plus-incentive-fee contract for the design, development, manufacture, integration, demonstration, and test of the Joint Precision Approach and Landing System. This contract will utilize and continue development of eight existing engineering development models (EDMs); and deliver two additional EDMs to support fleet early operational capability requirements for F-35B/C and MQ-25 test and initial operational requirements aboard nuclear aircraft carriers and amphibious assault ships. In addition, this contract will deliver weapons replaceable assemblies, a technical data package, and provide developmental test and operational test support. Work will be performed in Fullerton (71 percent); Cedar Rapids, Iowa (26 percent); Marlborough, Mass. (2 percent); and Indianapolis, Ind. (1 percent), and is expected to be completed in September 2022. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity (N00019-16-C-0052). (Source: DoD, 09/21/16)

Contract: L-3, $43.5M

L-3 Communications - Vertex Aerospace LLC, Madison, Miss., has been awarded an estimated $43,530,000 modification (P00024) to exercise the option on previously awarded contract FA3002-14-C-0013 for support of T-1, T-6, and T-38 undergraduate pilot training. Work will be performed at Vance Air Force Base, Okla., and is expected to be complete by Sept. 30, 2017. Air Force Installation Contracting Agency, Joint Base San Antonio- Randolph, Texas, is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 09/21/16)

Region's bases in the running

Eglin Air Force Base and Hurlburt Field in Florida and Keesler Air Force Base, Miss., are among the bases in the running to train battlefield airmen. The Air Force wants to consolidate eight locations into "three or four," according to Military.com. Lt. Gen. Darryl Roberson, head of Air Education Training Command, made the statement to reporters during a briefing at the Air Force Association’s annual Air, Space and Cyber Conference outside Washington, D.C. The current centers are scattered across seven states. The consolidation is designed to provide improved infrastructure with enhanced aquatic training for combat rescue and other missions. The service is conducting environmental assessment surveys at all eight locations being considered. (Source: Military.com, 09/20/16) Previous

Contract: Jacobs, $22.6M

Jacobs Technology Inc., Fort Walton Beach, Fla., has been awarded a $22,612,695 modification (P00007) to the previously awarded contract FA8730-15-C-0052 for Air Operations Center (AOC) interim sustainment services. Contractor will provide sustaining engineering and technical services for the AOC weapons system. Work will be performed at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Va., and is expected to be complete by Sept. 19, 2017. This award is the result of a sole-source acquisition. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Battle Management, Hanscom Air Force Base, Mass., is the contracting activity (FA8730-15-C-0052). (Source: DoD, 09/20/16)

Contract: Multiple, $10M

Crawford Consulting Services Inc., Pittsburgh, Pa. (W91278-16-D-0121); Moca Systems Inc., Niceville, Fla. (W91278-16-D-0122); and Project Time & Cost LLC, Atlanta, Ga. (W91278-16-D-0123), will share in the award of a $10,000,000 firm-fixed-price contract for architect and engineering, and cost engineering services to support the Mobile District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Bids were solicited via the Internet with nine received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of Sept. 19, 2021. Army Corps of Engineers, Mobile, Ala., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 09/20/16)

Contract: L-3, $166.3M

L-3 Communications Vertex Aerospace LLC, Madison, Miss., is being awarded $166,263,229 for modification P00010 to a previously awarded indefinite-delivery requirements contract (N00019-14-D-0011) to exercise an option for organizational, intermediate, and depot level maintenance and logistics services in support of approximately 200 T-45 aircraft based at Naval Air Station (NAS) Meridian, Miss.; NAS Kingsville, Texas; NAS Pensacola, Fla.; and NAS Patuxent River, Md. Services to be provided include sustaining engineering, supply and government property management, and procurement of associated parts and materials required to prepare the aircraft for approximately 320 launchers per day across four sites, which fly an estimated total of 75,000 hours each year. Work will be performed in Kingsville (48 percent); Meridian (44 percent); Pensacola (7 percent); and Patuxent River (1 percent), and is expected to be completed in September 2017. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 09/19/16)

Spirit gets Mobile-built A321

MOBILE, Ala. – Spirit Airlines took delivery Monday of its first A321 made at the Airbus U.S. Manufacturing Facility. On hand for the occasion were executives from Airbus and Spirit Airlines, 140 Spirit Airlines employees, and the 350 Airbus employees at the Airbus U.S. Manufacturing Facility. The $600 million plant, at the Mobile Aeroplex, had its ceremonial opening in September 2015. The first plane was delivered to JetBlue in April 2016. The Spirit aircraft is the 10th delivered in Mobile so far. Airbus anticipates delivering four planes a month out of Mobile by the end of 2017. (Source: Airbus, 09/19/16)

Pilot error in Blue Angel crash

Marine Corps pilot Captain Jeff Kuss was flying too fast and low and lost control of his Blue Angels F-A/18 jet in early June during a practice session for an air show in Smyrna, Tenn. The Navy crash report released Sept. 15 cited pilot error as the cause of the June 2 crash, and said that weather and fatigue were contributing factors. The accident occurred when Kuss, flying Blue Angel No. 6, was doing a Split S maneuver when he crashed. Chief of Naval Aviation Training report recommended numerous short-term and longer-term changes to the flight demonstration program. (Sources: multiple, including CNN, 09/16/16, Navy Times, 09/15/16) Gulf Coast note: The Blue Angels are based at Naval Air Station Pensacola, Fla.

Contract: MDA, $7.1M

Mississippi Department of Rehabilitation Services, Madison, Miss., has been awarded a $7,140,090 modification (P00050) to exercise an option on previously awarded contract FA3010-13-C-0005 for full food services. The location of performance is Keesler Air Force Base, Miss., and the work is expected to complete by Sept. 30, 2017. The 81st Contracting Squadron, Keesler Air Force Base, is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 09/15/16)

Contract: Electric Coop, $360.4M

Choctawhatchee Electric Cooperative Inc., De Funiak Springs, Fla., has been awarded a maximum $360,448,495 fixed-price with economic-price-adjustment contract for the ownership, operation, and maintenance of the electric distribution system at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. This was a competitive acquisition with two responses received. This is a 50-year contract with no option periods. Location of performance is Florida, with a July 31, 2067, performance completion date. Using military service is Air Force. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Energy, Fort Belvoir, Va. (SP0600-16-C-8314). (Source: DoD, 09/14/16)

F-35, Aegis integration

An F-35 in a test this week was able to defeat an airborne threat without firing a shot. In a test at White Sands Missile Range, N.M., an F-35’s sensors and networking capabilities combined to detect an over-the-horizon threat and send data to a ground unit representing an Aegis-equipped ship. The destroyer was then able to fire a missile and defeat the threat that it had not itself seen. The Navy test was the first live fire demonstration to successfully test the integration of F-35 with existing Naval Integrated Fire Control-Counter Air architecture. The F-35B from the Marine Operational Test and Evaluation Squadron (VMX) 1, based in Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., acted as an elevated sensor to detect an over-the-horizon threat. The test showed the F-35 can be used as a broad area sensor and significantly increase the Aegis capability to detect, track and engage a threat. (Source: NNS, 09/13/16) Gulf Coast note: Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is home of the F-35 integrated training center and reprogramming lab.

Contract: Boeing, $700M

The Boeing Co. - Defense, Space and Security, St. Louis, Mo.., has been awarded a $700,000,000 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for Small Diameter Bomb Increment 1 (SDB 1) Lot 12-14 production. The contractor will provide SDB 1 weapons and carriage systems. Work will be performed in St. Louis and is expected to be completed by Dec. 12, 2021. This contract involves foreign military sales (FMS). This award is a result of a sole-source acquisition. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is the contracting activity (FA8672-16-D-0010). (Source: DoD, 09/13/16)

Contract: L-3, $49.2M

L-3 Communications - Vertex Aerospace LLC, Madison, Miss., has been awarded a $49,168,992 modification (P00130) to exercise the option on previously awarded contract FA8106-09-C-0001 for T-1A contract logistics support. Contractor will provide contractor operated maintained supply, over and above, on-equipment maintenance, data and field service representatives. Work will be performed at Vance Air Force Base, Calif.; Columbus Air Force Base, Miss.; Randolph Air Force Base, Texas; Laughlin Air Force Base, Texas; and Pensacola Naval Air Station, Fla., and is expected to be complete by Sept. 30, 2017. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Tinker Air Force Base, Okla., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 09/09/16)

Contract: Raytheon, $9.8M

Raytheon Co., Tucson, Ariz., has been awarded a $9,800,314 modification (P00042) on previously awarded contract FA8675-15-C-0022. Contractor will provide Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missiles life of type buy components since specific devices will no longer be available or manufactured. Life of type buy defined as phase-out items. Work will be performed at Tucson and is expected to be complete by Dec. 31, 2017. This contract involves foreign military sales to Australia, South Korea, Romania, and Saudi Arabia. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 09/09/16)

Contract: Harris, $9.8M

Harris Corp., Herndon, Va., has been awarded a $9,800,000 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for the B-1 Defensive Avionics System Mission Data Optimization and Reprogrammable Electronic Warfare Systems Test (REWST) support sustaining engineering services. Contractor will provide all sustaining engineering services needed to provide the necessary modifications and support to the government-owned B-1 REWST lab, the B-52 electronic warfare mission data test lab, and the 53rd Electronic Warfare Group special test equipment. Work will be performed at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla.; Edwards Air Force Base, Calif.; and Robins Air Force Base, Ga., and is expected to be complete by Sept. 30, 2021. This award is the result of a sole-source acquisition. Air Force Test Center, Eglin Air Force Base, is the contracting activity (FA2486-16-D-0077). (Source: DoD, 09/09/16)