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)