Friday, March 31, 2017

Dauphin Island to host drone demo

MOBILE, Ala. -- Dauphin Island’s airport will be used by the Navy for a project to demonstrate the use of drones to survey littoral areas. The Mobile County Commission in mid-March approved a memorandum of understanding with the Raspet Flight Research Laboratory of Mississippi State University, which is working with the Naval Meteorological and Oceanographic Command at Stennis Space Center, Miss., on the project. The demonstration will use an Outlaw SeaHunter equipped with LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) system to measure water depth in coastal areas that are too shallow for survey vessels. The demonstration will be held from mid-May to early June. (Source: al.com, 03/30/17) Manned aircraft equipped with LIDAR are currently used to survey coastal areas.

Contract: QuantaDyn, $27M

QuantaDyn Corp., Ashburn, Va., has been awarded a $27,000,000 modification (P00016) to previously awarded contract FA8621-16-C-6396 for the Joint Terminal Control Training and Rehearsal System (JTC TRS). Contractor will provide an additional quantity of 23 JTC TRS production devices. Work will be performed at Ft. Riley, Kan.; Ft. Campbell, Ky.; Ft. Wainwright, Alaska; Wheeler Army Air Field, Hawaii; Ft Stewart, Ga.; Einsiedlerhof, Germany; Vilseck, Germany; Ft Irwin, Calif.; Ft. Polk, La.; Hurlburt Field, Fla.; Nellis Air Force Base, Nev.; Ft. Carson, Colo.; Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash.; Ft Hood, Texas; Pope Army Air Field, N.C.; Ft. Bragg, N.C.; Mildenhall, United Kingdom; Cannon AFB, N.M.; and Kadena Air Base, Japan. Work is expected to be complete by May 31, 2018. Fiscal 2016 other procurement; and fiscal 2017 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $26,397,417 are being obligated at the time of award. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 03/31/17)

Contract: ULS, $270.4M

United Launch Services LLC, Centennial, Colo., has been awarded a $270,414,224 modification (P00161) to previously awarded contract FA8811-13-C-0003 for launch vehicle production services (LVPS). Contractor will provide LVPS in support of the launch vehicle configuration of a Delta IV Heavy and transportation. This modification adds a pre‐priced contract line item for the Delta IV Heavy LV configuration. Work will be performed at Centennial; Decatur, Ala.; and Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., and is expected to be complete by Dec. 29, 2020. Space and Missile Systems Center, Los Angeles Air Force Base, Calif., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 03/31/17) Gulf Coast note: The Delta IV uses RS-68 engines assembled and tested at Stennis Space Center, Miss.

Contract: Electron Metrology, $10.5M

Electronic Metrology Laboratory LLC, Franklin, Tenn., is being awarded a $10,518,527 modification under a previously awarded indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract (N69450-14-D-8000) to exercise Option 3 for base operations support services at Naval Air Station Whiting Field, Fla., and outlying fields. 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 operations and maintenance (chiller, electrical, gas, wastewater, steam and water), managed safety services, and base support vehicles and equipment. After award of this option, the total cumulative contract value will be $29,317,959. Work will be performed in Milton, Fla. (80 percent); and outlying fields (20 percent), and work is expected to be completed March 2018. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Southeast, Jacksonville, Fla., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 03/31/17)

Contract: SOLPAC, $15.6M

SOLPAC Construction, doing business as Soltek Pacific Construction Inc., San Diego, Calif., is being awarded $15,588,300 for firm-fixed-price task order 0005 under a previously awarded, multiple award construction contract (N62473-15-D-2426) for construction of an F-35C engine repair facility at Naval Air Station Lemoore. The project includes reinforced concrete masonry unit walls, built-up roof, and pile foundation. Built-in equipment includes bridge cranes and support rails, stacker storage system, and elevator. The project also includes facility paving and site improvements, utilities, and environmental mitigation features. The task order also contains one planned modification, which if exercised would increase cumulative task order value to $16,806,300. Work will be performed in Lemoore, Calif., and is expected to be completed by June 2018. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Southwest, San Diego, is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 03/31/17) Gulf Coast note: Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is home of the F-35 integrated training center.

Contract: Lockheed, $581.8M

Lockheed Martin Corp., Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., Fort Worth, Texas, is being awarded a not-to-exceed $581,798,359 firm-fixed-price delivery order (0132) against a previously issued basic ordering agreement (N00019-14-G-0020). This modification provides for air vehicle initial spares to include F-35 common spares; F-35A, F-35B and F-35C unique spares, and aloft spares packages/deployment spares packages and reprogramming lab spares required to support the air vehicle delivery schedule for the Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps, non-Department of Defense (DoD) participants, and foreign military sales customers. Work will be performed in Fort Worth, Texas (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 April 2021. This delivery order combines purchases for the Air Force (32.7 percent); Navy (4.9 percent); Marine Corps (20.3 percent); non-DoD participants (35.9 percent); and foreign military sales (14.3 percent). The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 03/31/17) Gulf Coast note: Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is home of the F-35 integrated training center.

Goal: Fly different plane each week

PENSACOLA, Fla. -- Navy Lt. Ryan Rankin, a Naval Air Station Pensacola instructor pilot, has set out to fly a different plane for every week of 2017. "I feel drawn to it. It is a feeling that I cannot describe. When I don't fly for a while, I miss it," said Rankin, 33, who is taking advantage of shore duty and using his military leave time to reach his goal of flying 52 different planes before the end of the year. A network of vintage aircraft enthusiasts is helping him find the various aircraft. (Source: Pensacola News Journal, 03/30/17)

Threats to SLS schedule

Delays in the development of Orion's European-built service module, and damage to NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans from a tornado in February are the key schedule risks for the first Space Launch System mission. The schedule for the launch of Exploration Mission 1 (EM-1), currently planned for late 2018, remains uncertain regardless of the technical issues as NASA studies the possibility of putting a crew on the flight, which would likely delay it by up to a year. Bill Hill, deputy associate administrator for exploration systems development, told the NASA Advisory Council's Human Exploration and Operations Committee the module and tornado damage issues are running "kind of neck and neck." (Source: SpaceNews, 03/30/17)

SpaceX marks a key first

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In a significant first, SpaceX successfully launched and then retrieved its first recycled rocket Thursday. It was the first time SpaceX tried to fly a booster that had been used in a previous mission. The Falcon 9 core landed on the bull's-eye of the ocean platform following liftoff with a broadcasting satellite for the SES company of Luxembourg. Founder Elon Musk foresees dozens if not hundreds of repeat flights for a booster and rocket turnarounds of as little as 24 hours, perhaps by next year. This first stage landed on an ocean platform almost exactly a year ago after a space station launch for NASA. SpaceX refurbished and tested the 15-story booster, still sporting its nine original engines. It nailed another vertical landing at sea Thursday once it was finished boosting the satellite. (Sources: multiple, including AP via ABCNews, 03/31/17, NPR, 03/30/17) Gulf Coast note: SpaceX is using Stennis Space Center, Miss., to develop Raptor, its next-generation engine.

Thursday, March 30, 2017

Leonardo picks Alabama

If Leonardo wins the T-X competition with its T-100 trainer, the company will build the aircraft in Alabama, officials said Thursday. The Italian aerospace company plans to build an assembly center at Moton Field in Tuskegee if awarded the T-X contract. Upward of $200 million will be spent on construction including buildings, infrastructure and equipment, according to a joint news release from the governor's office and Leonardo. Leonardo had initially planned to assemble the trainers, based on the Alenia Aermacchi M-346, in Meridian, Miss., when it was partnered with Raytheon. That ended when the partnership came apart. The Alabama plant will perform structural sub-assembly, integration, finala assembly and conduct research and testing at the site, according to the release. Leonardo would lease a new facility built by a public-private partnership; the total investment in buildings, infrastructure and equipment would exceed $200 million. Plans call for creating 750 jobs over 10 years. (Source: multiple, including Defense News, Aviation International News, 03/30/17) Previous

Contract: Lockheed, $95.8M

Lockheed Martin Corp., Fort Worth, Texas, is being awarded $95,773,177 for modification P00012 to a previously awarded fixed-price-incentive-firm contract (N00019-16-C-0004) to provide technical and logistics services, training, maintenance and repair services, and supply chain management in support of F-35 joint strike fighter for a non-Department of Defense participant. Work will be performed outside the U.S. (80 percent); Orlando, Fla. (10 percent); and Fort Worth, Texas (10 percent), and is expected to be completed in November 2020. Non-Department of Defense funding in the amount of $95,773,177 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, 03/30/17) Gulf Coast note: Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is home of the F-35 integrated training center.

Contract: Boeing, $15M

The Boeing Co., St. Louis, Mo., has been awarded a $15,000,000 modification (P00005) to previously awarded contract FA8681‐14‐D‐0028 for Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) technical support and aircraft integration. Contractor will provide JDAM support for studies and analysis; product improvement; upgrades; integration including, but not limited to, software integration, aircraft integration; associated hardware and testing. Work will be performed at St. Louis and is expected to be complete by March 31, 2019. No funds are being obligated at the time of award. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 03/30/17)

Wednesday, March 29, 2017

Contract: L-3 Vertex, $16.1M

L-3 Communications Vertex Aerospace LLC, Madison, Miss., is being awarded a $16,109,145 firm-fixed-price, cost-reimbursable, indefinite-delivery requirements contract for maintenance, repair, and logistics support for the Chief of Naval Air Training aircraft’s intermediate maintenance. Support to be provided includes labor, equipment, tools, services, and direct and indirect material. Work will be performed at Naval Air Station Pensacola, Fla. (60 percent); and Corpus Christi, Texas (40 percent), and is expected to be completed in September 2022. No funds are being obligated at time of award; funds will be obligated against individual task orders as they are issued. This contract was competitively procured via an electronic proposal; one offer was received. The Naval Air Warfare Center Training Systems Division, Orlando, Fla., is the contracting activity (N61340-17-D-0005). (Source: DoD, 03/29/17)

Tuesday, March 28, 2017

Contract: RT&T, $11.7M

Reliance Test & Technology, Fort Walton Beach, Fla., has been awarded an $11,725,589 modification (P00011) to previously awarded contract FA2486-16-C-0002 for Eglin operation and maintenance support service. This modification increases government provided values of cost reimbursable items supporting the National Radar Test Facility. Work will be performed at Holloman Air Force Base, N.M., and is expected to be complete by Sept. 30, 2026. Fiscal 2017 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $7,257,273 are being obligated at the time of award. Air Force Test Center, Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 03/28/17)

Contract: Rolls-Royce, $106.9M

Rolls-Royce Corp., Indianapolis, Ind., is being awarded $106,898,882 for modification P00007 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 209 in-service T-45 F405-RR-401 Adour engines. Work will be performed at Naval Air Station (NAS) Kingsville, Texas (46 percent); NAS Meridian, Miss. (42 percent); NAS Pensacola, Fla. (11 percent); and NAS Patuxent River, Md. (1 percent), and is expected to be completed in March 2018. No funds will be obligated at time of award; funds will be obligated on individual delivery orders as they are issued. The Naval Air Warfare Center Training Systems Division, Orlando, Fla., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 03/28/17)

Contract: Rockwell, $142.4M

Rockwell Collins, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, is being awarded a $142,356,338 cost-plus-incentive-fee, fixed-price-incentive, firm-fixed-price contract for procurement of the Tactical Combat Training System Increment II (TCTS Inc II) environment improvement of the air combat training with rangeless air combat and secure air-to-air and air-to-ground data link. This contract will include participant subsystems; ground subsystems; remote range units; peculiar support equipment; enhanced threats; platform interfaces; an internal rack-mounted subsystem capability for fixed wing and rotary aircraft; and an internal subsystem for the Joint Strike Fighter. Work will be done in Cedar Rapids (65 percent); Fort Walton Beach, Fla. (20 percent); Richardson, Texas (10 percent); and various locations within the continental U.S. (5 percent), and is expected to be completed in November 2022. Fiscal 2017 research, development, testing and evaluation (Navy) funds in the amount of $8,318,444 will be obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current year. This contract was competitively procured via an electronic request for proposals, with two offers received. The Naval Air Warfare Center Training Systems Division, Orlando, Fla., is the contracting activity (N61340-17-C-0007). (Source: DoD, 03/28/17)

Monday, March 27, 2017

Continental plans $60M upgrade

MOBILE, Ala. -- Continental Motors will spend more than $60 million on a new facility at the Mobile Aeroplex, the company announced Monday. The plan is not expected to have an impact on the size of the Mobile-area workforce, currently just over 400 employees in Mobile and around 30 in Fairhope. President and CEO Rhett Ross said groundbreaking on the 225,000-square foot facility will be this summer at the intersection of Broad Street and Michigan Avenue. It will be fully operational by the end of 2019. Continental and parent company AVIC International Holding Corp., of China, will spend up to $30 million developing the new site, and about $40 milllion on new manufacturing equipment for the building, which also will house the global business headquarters. Continental, which makes piston and turbine engines for light, general aviation aircraft, looked at other sites before deciding to stay in Mobile. It currently has operations at 11 buildings at its 44-acre campus. It will retain one of those buildings. (Source: al.com, 03/27/17)

SBIRS transmitting images

From its final orbit location 22,000 miles above the equator, the third Lockheed Martin-built Space Based Infrared System (SBIRS) satellite recently sent its first images back to Earth. The satellite was launched on Jan. 20 aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket and is the third in a series of Geosynchronous Earth Orbit (GEO) satellites that the U.S. Air Force uses to provide faster and more accurate missile warning data to the nation and its allies. The satellite reached orbit, where it successfully completed deployments of its sun-tracking solar arrays, antenna wing assemblies and light shade. The next satellite in the series will undergo final assembly, integration and test at Lockheed Martin's satellite production facility in Sunnyvale, Calif., prior to its launch planned for later this year. (Source: Spacewar.com, 03/27/17) Gulf Coast note: The satellite's core propulsion system and thermal blankets are integrated by Lockheed Martin at Stennis Space Center, Miss.

B-25 will honor Raiders

NAVAL AIR STATION PENSACOLA, Fla. – The National Naval Aviation Museum is paying tribute to the Doolittle Raiders by refurbishing a B-25 B Mitchell bomber as a replica of the one flown by Lt. Col. Jimmy Doolittle. Sixteen Army bombers with 80 airmen flew off the carrier to hit Japan four months after the attack on Pearl Harbor, providing a needed boost to U.S. morale. They trained at nearby Eglin Air Force Base. The bomber will go on display outside the museum's Blue Angels Atrium on April 18 to mark the 75th anniversary of the raid. (Source: Pensacola News Journal, 03/27/17)

Saturday, March 25, 2017

Science on a sphere

The sphere shows weather patterns.
U.S. Air Force photo
KEESLER AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. -- In a completely black room at the 335th Training Squadron's Weather Training Complex, a 48-inch carbon fiber globe hangs, suspended from the ceiling with projectors pointing at it from each corner. Welcome to Science on a Sphere, the Department of Defense's newest weather training aid. It uses computers with high-end graphic cards and video projectors to display data onto the globe. Developed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration as an education tool, it helps illustrate earth weather science through animations of atmospheric storms, climate change and ocean temperatures. The globe doesn't move, but gives that illusion. Instructors for Weather Initial Skills and Weather Officer Courses will use the system as a tool to help students gain an enhanced understanding of fundamental atmospheric and oceanographic processes. (Source: 81st Training Wing, 03/23/17)

Contract: Lockheed, $10.5M

Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., Fort Worth, Texas, is being awarded $10,470,663 for delivery order 0011 against a previously awarded basic ordering agreement (N00019-14-G-0020) to complete a Selective Precision Effects At Range Capability 3 risk reduction and integration study of the F-35 air system for the government of the United Kingdom. Work will be performed in Fort Worth, Texas (75 percent); Orlando, Fla. (10 percent); Lancashire, United Kingdom (10 percent); and Redondo Beach, Calif. (5 percent), and is expected to be completed in March 2020. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 03/24/17) Gulf Coast note: Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is home of the F-35 integrated training center.

Producing planes, opportunities

MOBILE, Ala. -- The first Alabama-made A321 jetliner took to the skies on its maiden flight a year ago, and now the company is ramping up to eventually produce 40 to 50 jetliners each year. But Gov. Robert Bentley says the plant is not only producing planes, but opportunities that enrich the lives of the workforce. This feature story focuses on a few of the employees. (Source: Made in Alabama, 03/24/17).

Thursday, March 23, 2017

Controller tested for SLS flight

Aerojet Rocketdyne engineers check controller.
NASA photo
STENNIS SPACE CENTER, Miss. – The first RS-25 engine controller that will be used on the first flight of the new Space Launch System (SLS) was tested Thursday. The new controller or “brain” has the electronics that operate the engine and communicate with the SLS vehicle. Engine Controller Unit-2 (ECU-2) was installed on RS-25 development engine No. 0528 and test fired for 500 seconds on the A-1 Test Stand. Once test data is certified, the engine controller will be removed and installed on one of four flight engines that will help power the first integrated flight of SLS and the Orion spacecraft. This year, two more engine controllers for the first SLS mission will be tested on this development engine at Stennis, and then installed on flight engines. The fourth controller will be tested when NASA tests the entire core stage during a “green run” on the B-2 Test Stand at Stennis. That testing will involve installing the core stage on the stand and firing its four RS-25 flight engines simultaneously, as during a mission launch. (Source: NASA/SSC, 03/23/17)

Wednesday, March 22, 2017

FAA sees aerospace growth

The United States will see a "competitive and profitable aviation industry characterized by increasing demand for air travel [with] airfares growing more slowly than inflation" over the next two decades. That's according to the FAA's annual Aerospace Forecast for fiscal years 2017-2037. "Looking ahead, there is confidence that the industry has been transformed from that of a boom-to-bust cycle to one of sustainable profits," FAA said in the report. The FAA projected that "traffic growth by U.S. mainline and regional carriers will increase at an average rate of 2.4 percent per year," while "passenger growth on US carriers will increase at an average 1.9 percent per year." (Source: Air Transport World, 03/21/17)

Contract: ERC, $99M

Engineering Research and Consulting Inc., Huntsville, Ala., has been awarded a $99,000,000 firm-fixed-price level of effort, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for Seek Eagle modeling, analysis, and tools support. Contractor will provide skills and expertise to provide modeling and simulation, engineering and analysis, product development support, project management, and administrative functions. Work will be performed at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., and is expected to be complete by Sept. 22, 2022. This award is the result of a competitive acquisition with three offers received. Fiscal 2017 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $12,000,000 are being obligated at the time of award. Air Force Test Center, Eglin Air Force Base, is the contracting activity (FA2486-16-R-0065). (Source: DoD, 03/22/17)

Contract: Boeing, $24.7M

The Boeing Co., St. Louis, Mo., was awarded a $24,685,675 modification (P00147) to previously awarded contract FA8678-10-C-0100 for QF-16 full-scale aerial target (FSAT) Lot 5A production. Contractor will provide 18 QF-16 FSATs and 18 associated four-year warranties for the QF-16 drone-peculiar equipment program. Work will be performed at St. Louis and is expected to be complete by April 27, 2021. Fiscal 2017 procurement funds in the amount of $24,685,675 were obligated at the time of award. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is the contracting activity. (Awarded on March 14, 2017). (Source: DoD, 03/22/17)

Tuesday, March 21, 2017

Army casualty identified

The Department of Defense announced Monday the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Freedom's Sentinel. Sgt. 1st Class Robert R. Boniface, 34, of San Luis Obispo, Calif., died March 19 in Logar Province, Afghanistan, from a non-combat related incident. The incident is under investigation. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 7th Special Forces Group, Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. (Source: DoD, 03/20/17)

Monday, March 20, 2017

Friendly eyes in the sky

PANAMA CITY BEACH, Fla. -- When dozens or hundreds of people smile and wave as you work, creativity tends to come into play. "We have a Mickey Mouse glove we use sometimes," said Sgt. Ken Smiley, a pilot with the Bay County Sheriff’s Office Aviation Unit as he flew along the shoreline waving at visitors. He thinks public relations is a big part of the job. (Source: News Herald, 03/19/17)

Not your average airman

HURLBURT FIELD, Fla. -- When most people think of an Air Force recruit, they picture a young man or woman not far removed from high school. But Airman 1st Class Maria Perez is 39. She wanted to join in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attack. But the single mother of a 3-year-old decided she couldn’t. When the Air Force increased its maximum age for enlistment to 39, she jumped at the chance. (Source: Northwest Florida Daily News, 03/18/17)

Thursday, March 16, 2017

NASA selects proposals

NASA selected 133 proposals from U.S. companies to conduct research and develop technologies to help NASA's future deep-space missions. They include four projects with a combined value of $3 million tied to Stennis Space Center, Miss. The proposals, valued at about $100 million total for contract negotiations, were selected under Phase II of NASA’s Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program. SBIR Phase II projects will expand on the results of recently-completed Phase I projects. Phase I projects received six-month contracts of as much as $125,000. Phase II contracts are awarded up to $750,000 and the period of performance is no more than two years. Successful Phase II projects may go on to Phase III of the program – commercialization. The proposals were selected according to technical merit and feasibility, in addition to the experience, qualifications and facilities of the companies, and their work plans and commercial potential. (Source: NASA, 03/08/17)

Contract: Lockheed, $15M

Lockheed Martin Space Systems Co., Sunnyvale, Calif., has been awarded a $15,000,000 modification (P00874) to previously awarded contract F04701-95-C-0017 for Space-Based Infrared System (SBIRS) engineering, manufacture and development. Contractor will enhance cyber capabilities on the operational SBIRS ground system. Work will be performed at Sunnyvale and is expected to be complete by June 30, 2019. Fiscal 2017 research, development, test, and evaluation funds in the amount of $13,394,965 are being obligated at the time of award. Space and Missile Systems Center, Los Angeles Air Force Base, California, is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 03/14/17) Gulf Coast note: Work on the propulsion module for the SBIRS is done at Stennis Space Center, Miss.

Wednesday, March 15, 2017

Contract: HX5, $95M

HX5, LLC, Fort Walton Beach, Fla., was awarded a $95,000,000 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for personnel, supervision, and services necessary to provide services for research and development and related activities for the Engineer Research and Development Center Information Technology Laboratory. Bids were solicited via the internet with eight received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of March 14, 2022. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Vicksburg, Miss., is the contracting activity (W912HZ-17-D-0005). (Source: DoD, 03/15/17)

Flag officer assignment

Acting Secretary of the Navy Sean Stackley and Chief of Naval Operations Adm. John M. Richardson announced today that Rear Adm. (lower half) Kyle J. Cozad, selected for promotion to rear admiral, will be assigned as commander, Naval Education and Training Command, Pensacola, Fla. Cozad is currently serving as commander, Patrol and Reconnaissance Group, Norfolk, Va. (Source: DoD, 03/15/17)

Tuesday, March 14, 2017

Morris, Pilch tapped for promotions

EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. – Two Eglin officers have been nominated for general rank appointments. In one appointment, Brig. Gen. Shaun Morris, the Air Force Program Executive Officer for Weapons and Armament Directorate director, was nominated to the grade of major general. In the other, Col. Lansing R. Pilch, commander 33rd Fighter Wing, Air Education and Training Command, has been nominated for appointment to the rank of brigadier general. (Source: Eglin Air Force Base, 03/14/17)

Contract: Jacobs, $204.9M

Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. has received a task order to support the U.S. Air Force 53rd Wing operations. The task order was awarded with a value of $204.9 million over four years and nine months if all options are exercised, and focuses on the provision of information technology support for weapons and computer systems related to systems development and operational activities. Work sites are primarily located at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., but some work will also be done at Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla., and other locations. Services detailed in the task order include a wide variety of support to weapon systems engineering and integration solutions, network solutions, test and evaluation network support, cyber security, software, computer systems development, network systems operation, and operational test and evaluation support. (Source: Business Wire, 03/14/17)

Contract: URS Federal, $35.1M

URS Federal Services Inc., Germantown, Md., is being awarded a $35,134,428 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract to provide maintenance services, including integrated support equipment (SE) maintenance repair and overhaul services to reduce repair cycle time and the availability of ready for use SE in the fleet and the Fleet Readiness Center Aviation Support Equipment sites. New Orleans will be the location for 5 percent of the work. Other sites are in Maryland, Florida, California, Virginia, Washington, North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas, El Salvador, and Japan and is expected to be completed in April 2022. The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, Lakehurst, N.J., is the contracting activity (N68335-17-C-0272). (Source: DoD, 03/13/17)

Contract: Kratos, $22.3M

Kratos Defense and Security Solutions’ subsidiary Composite Engineering Inc. (CEi) received the Lot 13 production of a previous awarded contract for Lots 11-13 of the Air Force Subscale Aerial Target. The $22.3 million contract will be performed by the Kratos Unmanned Systems Division, comprised of CEi and Micro Systems Inc. (MSI). CEi’s Sacramento, Calif., facility will lead the effort and provide 25 high performance BQM-167A aerial targets and associated technical support. The Fort Walton Beach, Fla.-based MSI will supply the majority of the high performance avionics utilized on the aircraft, including critical command, control and flight computer systems. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is the contracting activity. (Source: Globe Newswire, 03/13/17)

Sunday, March 12, 2017

MAAS' new Mobile COO

MOBILE, Ala. -- MAAS Aviation (MAAS) has named Geoffrey Myrick as the chief operating officer in Mobile. Myrick will serve as operations officer for both the existing OEM (original equipment manufacturing) hangar that supports Airbus Americas and the new twin bay MRO hangar that provides services to commercial aircraft carriers, lease companies, military and corporate jet markets. Prior to joining MAAS, Myrick was vice president of sales for Certified Aviation Services, LLC, where his focus was the creation and execution of sales strategies in the MRO market. In previous roles, Myrick spent approximately five years at VT Mobile Aerospace Engineering in various capacities centered around marketing, sales, and management. The new hangar is a twin-bay paint shop configured to support dual lines of narrow-body aircraft, up to a Boeing 757 and Airbus A321 concurrently. (Source: AviationPros, 03/10/17)

Friday, March 10, 2017

Contract: Lockheed, $64.7M

Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., Fort Worth, Texas, is being awarded $64,686,522 for firm-fixed-priced delivery order N0001917F0108 against a previously issued basic ordering agreement (N00019-14-G-0020). This order procures work on the integrated core processor in order to alleviate diminishing manufacturing sources constraints projected under F-35 production Lot 15 for the Air Force (40 percent); the Navy (20 percent); the Marine Corps (20 percent); and international partners (20 percent). Work will be performed in Fort Worth, Texas, and is expected to be completed in March 2019. Fiscal 2017 research, development, test and evaluation (Air Force); fiscal 2016 research, development, test and evaluation (Navy, Marine Corps); and international partners funds in the amount of $29,000,000 are being obligated on this 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, 03/10/17) Gulf Coast note: Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is home of the F-35 integrated training center.

Contract: Applied Systems, $11.7M

Applied Systems Engineering Corp., Niceville, Fla., is being awarded an $11,679,073 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract to provide essential hardware, upgrades, and repairs for the Battle Management Systems program, specifically Advanced Tactical Navigator units. The work will be performed in Niceville and is expected to be completed by March 2022. Fiscal 2017 aircraft procurement (Navy); and fiscal 2017 research, development, test and evaluation (Navy) funds in the amount of $641,735 are being obligated for the first delivery order and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured in accordance with 10 U.S. Code 2304(c)(1) - only one responsible source and no other supplies or services will satisfy agency requirements. The Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division, Dahlgren, Va., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 031017)

Leonardo to make T-100 in US

After parting ways with Raytheon, Italy’s Leonardo is flying solo in the U.S. Air Force’s T-X trainer competition and plans to establish final assembly for the M-346 trainer derivative in the United States. It plans to announce a location soon, according to FlightGlobal. The T-100 will use two Honeywell F124 engines made in Arizona, and its CAE simulators will be built in Florida. DRS will represent the American face of Leonardo, which did not select a separate US partner when it re-entered the competition. Before dropping Leonardo as a partner, Raytheon had selected Meridian, Miss., as a final assembly location. (Source: FlightGlobal, 03/09/17) Previous

Contract: ViON, $34.8M

ViON Corp., Herndon, Calif., is being awarded a $34,790,000 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract to provide Capacity as a Service support to Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command (SPAWAR) Headquarters, SPAWAR System Center Pacific and SPAWAR System Center Atlantic. The Capacity as a Service acquisition model allows SPAWAR to more accurately scale, up and down, its information technology (IT) infrastructure to meet evolving mission requirements. Savings are realized through no up-front costs and a "pay as you go" acquisition model, reducing waste usually associated with overbuying of IT equipment to eventually meet an expectation of mission requirement. Under this contract, ViON is responsible for providing on-demand, on-premise computing, networking and storage solutions for a variety of systems and applications for the command's research, development, testing and evaluation core infrastructures, laboratory and data center environments. This contract includes options, which if exercised, would bring the maximum contract value to $49,990,000. Work will be performed in Charleston, S.C. (63 percent); San Diego, Calif. (30 percent); New Orleans, La. (5 percent); and Norfolk, Va. (2 percent). Work is expected to be completed March 2022. If all options are exercised, work will continue through March 2024. The Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command, San Diego, is the contracting activity (N00039-17-D-0003). (Source: DoD, 03/09/17)

Thursday, March 9, 2017

New N.O.-S.F. service

NEW ORLEANS -- Alaska Airlines, the parent company of Virgin America, will launch daily nonstop flights from Louis Armstrong International Airport to San Francisco starting Sept. 21, the company said Thursday. The daily Virgin America flight will depart New Orleans at 4 p.m. and arrive at San Francisco International Airport at 6:30 p.m. local time. The return connection will depart San Francisco at 8:48 a.m. and arrive in New Orleans at 3:03 p.m. Alaska first moved into Armstrong Airport in 2014 bringing direct connection to Seattle. Last week, United Airlines announced plans to make its nonstop New Orleans-San Francisco flight available year-round. (Source: Times-Picayune, 03/09/17)

Wednesday, March 8, 2017

F-35, Lakota in spending bill

The U.S. House of Representatives passed a $578 billion fiscal 2017 defense spending bill Thursday. Among other measures, it allocates $8.2 billion to buy 74 additional F-35 fighters and funding for 28 Lakota helicopters. The bill passed by a large bipartisan vote of 371-48. Not in the bill is the expected supplemental budget request from the administration. The bill also includes $187 million for 28 Mississippi-built Lakota helicopters that are used at the Army Aviation Center at Fort Rucker, Ala. Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is home of the F-35 integrated training center, which trains pilots and maintainers. And companies in the region, like Fort Walton Machining, make parts for the plane. The bill will be making its way to the Senate. (Sources: The Hill, WEAR-TV, Alabama Today, Defense News, 03/08/17)

Germany opts for Triton

Germany's defense ministry has decided to buy the Northrop Grumman MQ-4C Triton unmanned surveillance planes for deliveries after 2025, ministry sources said on Tuesday. The new drones will replace the Euro Hawk program, which Berlin canceled in May 2013 after it became clear that it could cost up to 600 million euros to get the system approved for use in civil airspace. The sources confirmed a story originally reported by the Sueddeutsche Zeitung. The plan, which must still be approved by parliament, calls for Germany to buy the Tritons from the U.S. Navy. Sensors for the Triton are to be built by Airbus. (Source: Reuters, 03/07/17) Gulf Coast note: Fuselage work on the Triton variants of the Global Hawk are built in Moss Point, Miss.

Tuesday, March 7, 2017

Dothan training center opens

DOTHAN, Ala. -- The 79,000-square-foot CAE Dothan Training Center officially opened Monday at Dothan Regional Airport. It's designed to provide fixed-wing flight training to the Army, Air Force and other customers. The center will provide classroom, simulator and flight training. CAE's primary customer is the Army. CAE is responsible for providing all the training required for experienced rotary-wing aviators transitioning to fly the services fleet of more than 350 fixed-wing aircraft. More than 600 Army and Air Force pilots will be trained annually. The center is 10 miles from Fort Rucker. (Sources: multiple, including Dothan Eagle, WSFA, 03/06/17, Executive Biz, 03/07/17) Previous

The F-35 in photos

F-35A takes off. AF photo
EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. – A 33rd Fighter Wing F-35A takes off Feb. 27 to conduct sorties at Eglin Air Force Base. It's one of six photos released by Eglin today showing the fifth-generation stealth fighter. The base is 724 square miles and includes 120,000 miles of over water airspace. The F-35 is a multi-role fighter with variants for the Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps. The F-35's engine produces 43,000 lbs of thrust. The 33rd Fighter Wing is a graduate flying and maintenance training wing for the Lockheed Martin-built F-35 Lightning II. (Source: Eglin Air Force Base, 03/07/17)

Most popular airline in N.O?

NEW ORLEANS -- A record 11.1 million passengers traveled through Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport in 2016, with more than a third using Southwest Airlines. The Dallas-based airline continued to dominate domestic flights in and out of New Orleans, shuttling more than 4.1 million travelers in 2016. That was double the number who flew Delta Airlines, the airport's second-largest operator. Total traffic at Armstrong Airport was up 4.4 percent from 2015, when the passenger count topped 10 million. (Source: Times-Picayune, 03/06/17)

Friday, March 3, 2017

Contract: Lockheed, $20.6M

Lockheed Martin Corp., Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., Fort Worth, Texas, is being awarded $20,639,536 for modification P00016 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 airworthiness requirements, technical reviews, deficiency corrections, and chase maintenance for the Air Force, Marine Corps, Navy, non-U.S. Department of Defense (Non-U.S. DoD) participants, and foreign military sales (FMS) customers. Work will be performed in Fort Worth, Texas (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. Fiscal 2016 aircraft procurement (Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force); non-DoD participants; and FMS funding in the amount of $20,639,536 are being obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract combines purchases for the Air Force (41 percent); Navy/Marine Corps (10.25 percent); non-U.S. DoD participants (25.22 percent); and FMS customers (23.53 percent). The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 03/03/17) Gulf Coast note: Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is home of the F-35 integrated training center.

Contract: ECSC, $40M

ECSC LLC, Panama City, Fla., has been awarded a not-to-exceed $40,000,000 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for paving requirements at Nellis and Creech Air Force Bases. Contractor will provide broad range of maintenance, repair, and minor construction work on real property. Projects will consist of general paving tasks such as asphalt and Portland Concrete Cement paving, grading, drainage, curbing, sidewalks and associated tasks as ordered from a schedule of pre-priced line items on individual task orders. Work will be performed at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev.; and Creech Air Force Base, Nev., and is expected to be complete by March 2, 2022. This award is the result of a competitive acquisition with nine offers received. Fiscal 2017 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $55,000 are being obligated at the time of award. The 99th Contracting Squadron, Nellis Air Force Base, is the contracting activity (FA4861‐17‐D‐A300). (Source: DoD, 03/03/17)

Contract: Lockheed, $11.6M

Lockheed Martin Corp., Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., Fort Worth, Texas, is being awarded an $11,650,000 not-to-exceed, undefinitized contract action against a previously issued basic ordering agreement (N00019-14-G-0020). This order provides for initial operational test and evaluation configuration support efforts in support of the F-35 aircraft for the Air Force and Navy, and international partner countries. Work will be performed in Fort Worth, Texas (87 percent); Farnborough, Hampshire, England (6 percent); Orlando, Fla. (5 percent); Redondo Beach, Calif. (1 percent); and Greenville, S.C. (1 percent). Work is expected to be completed in October 2018. Fiscal 2017 research, development, test and evaluation (Navy and Air Force); and international partners funds in the amount of $5,825,000 are being obligated on this award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This order combines purchases for the Navy (44.4 percent); Air Force (31.7 percent); and international partners (23.9 percent). The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 03/02/17) Gulf Coast note: Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is home of the F-35 integrated training center.

Contract: L-3, $15M

L-3 Communications Vertex Aerospace, Madison, Miss., is being awarded $15,049,163 for firm-fixed-price modification P00063 to a previously awarded indefinite-delivery requirements contract (N00019-11-D-0010) for aircraft maintenance and logistical life cycle support for the C-12 utility lift aircraft. Work will be performed in Corpus Christi, Texas (42 percent); Patuxent River, Md. (6 percent); Guantanamo Bay, Cuba (6 percent); Bahrain (6 percent); Atsugi, Japan (6 percent); Beaufort, S.C. (4 percent); San Angelo, Texas (4 percent); Yuma, Ariz. (4 percent); New Orleans (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 June 2017. Funds will not be obligated at time of award; funds will be obligated on individual delivery orders as they are issued. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 03/02/17)

Airbus up for paper plane event

MOBILE, Ala. -- The Airbus U.S. Manufacturing Facility will be making more than A320 series jetliners next week. The production team will be making pink paper planes March 8 as part of the Women of Aviation Worldwide Week’s Guinness World Record Attempt. It’s designed to show Airbus’ support of women in the aviation industry. The plane throw will be at 11 a.m. CST. A minimum of 40 and up to 200 paper planes are expected to be thrown. (Source: Airbus, 03/02/17)

AC-130 laser test this year?

More than a year since news broke that Air Force Special Operations Command planned to install and test lasers on its AC-130 gunships, the plan now is to get its top unfunded requirement tested within a year. That’s what Lt. Gen. Brad Webb, head of AFSOC, told Breaking Defense. General Atomics and other companies have been spending their own research and development money on the capability. Webb said AFSOC, based at Hurlburt Field, Fla., hasn’t decided where the laser would go. The tests will help determine that, as well as which mix of weapons is most effective. His predecessor, Lt. Gen. Bradley Heithold, said the laser would probably go on the left side of the plane. (Source: Breaking Defense, 03/02/17)

Thursday, March 2, 2017

MAA chief resigns

MOBILE, Ala. – Roger Wehner has resigned as executive director of the Mobile Airport Authority, effective Feb. 22. The Mobile Airport Authority announced the resignation today and said that Mark McVay, director of finance, will serve as interim executive director while the board of directors conducts a search for a permanent replacement. (Source: MAA, 03/02/17) The MAA oversees operations of the Mobile Aeroplex and Mobile Regional Airport. Wehner, who was named director in 2013, previously worked for Alabama Power and is a former vice president for business development with Safran USA.

Wednesday, March 1, 2017

Emerald Warrior underway

HURLBURT FIELD, Fla. -- For the 10th year in a row the U.S. Air Force Special Operations Command is hosting Emerald Warrior, a joint military exercise involving 1,500 military personnel. It began Feb. 27 and ends March 11 and will include participants from three partner nations along with the Air Force, Army and regular Marines. Scenarios will include operations involving inserting and removing troops from combat situations, direct assaults, military freefall, live-fire events. In addition to the activities in Northwest Florida, training will be conducted at Camp Shelby in Mississippi, Melrose Range, N.M., and Fort Knox, Ky. (Source: Destin Log, 02/14/17)

Contract: Pride, $18.4M

Pride Industries, Roseville, Calif., was awarded an $18,365,033 firm-fixed-price modification (P00064) to contract W9124G-13-C-0002 for base operations (operations, maintenance, repair, and construction of real property facilities). Work will be performed in Fort Rucker, Ala., with an estimated completion date of Feb. 28, 2018. Fiscal 2017 operations and maintenance (Army) funds in the amount of $2,877,889 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Fort Rucker, is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 03/01/17)

Terminal improvements set

PANAMA CITY, Fla. — The Northwest Florida International Beaches Airport Authority is set to begin exit terminal security improvements. Last week the board approved GAC Contractors to install glass-walled security corridors and a video-enabled exit lane breach control system from Tyco Integrated Security. Tyco's system uses video analytics technology to immediately identify if an individual attempts to enter an airport exit lane from the wrong direction. It alerts security personnel and records the incident for instant playback. (Source: Panama City News Herald, 02/28/17) The airport is in West Bay, northwest of Panama City.