Contract: Bell Boeing, $4.1B

Bell Boeing JPO, Amarillo, Texas, is awarded $4,191,533,822 for modification P00008 to convert the previously awarded V-22 tiltrotor aircraft advance acquisition contract (N00019-17-C-0015) to a fixed-price-incentive-fee multiyear contract. This contract provides for the manufacture and delivery of 39 CMV-22B aircraft for the Navy; 14 MV-22B aircraft for the Marine Corps; 1 CV-22B for the Air Force; and 4 MV-22B aircraft for the government of Japan. Work will be performed in: Fort Worth, Texas (30.08 percent); Ridley Park, Pa. (15.22 percent); Amarillo, Texas (12.73 percent); Red Oak, Texas (3.33 percent); East Aurora, N.Y. (2.55 percent); Park City, Utah (2.20 percent); McKinney, Texas (1.33 percent); Endicott, N.Y. (1.15 percent); Denton, Texas (0.91 percent); Rockmart, Ga. (0.80 percent); Irvine, Calif. (0.78 percent); Rome, N.Y. (0.76 percent); Crestview, Fla. (0.72 percent); Erie, Pa. (0.66 percent); Dublin, California (0.62 percent); Rockford, Illinois (0.62 percent); Tempe, Arizona (0.57 percent); Los Angeles, Calif. (0.57 percent); East Hartford, Conn. (0.55 percent); Minden, Neb. (0.50 percent); Hazelwood, Mo. (0.50 percent); and various other locations within the continental U.S. (18.93 percent); and outside the continental U.S. (3.92 percent), and is expected to be completed in November 2024. Fiscal 2017 aircraft procurement (Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps); and fiscal 2018 aircraft procurement (Navy) funding in the amount of $1,113,956,972 will be obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This modification combines purchases for the Navy ($2,847,293,666; 67.9 percent); Marine Corps ($1,038,248,567; 24.8 percent); Air Force ($75,705,989; 1.8 percent); and the government of Japan ($230,285,600; 5.5 percent), under the Foreign Military Sales program. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 06/29/18)

Contract: Lockheed, $19.9M

Lockheed Martin Corp., Fort Worth, Texas, is awarded $19,886,882 for modification P00038 to a previously awarded cost-plus-fixed-fee contract (N00019-16-C-0004) for the low rate initial production Lot 10 Non-Annualized Sustainment Contract Autonomic Logistics Information System (ALIS) 3.0 rollout. This modification provides for the ALIS 3.0 software fleet release and installation into operational and production ALIS assets as well as required training to U.S. Government and international partner personnel in support of the F-35 aircraft. Work will be performed in Orlando, Fla. (98 percent); and Fort Worth, Texas (2 percent), and is expected to be completed in December 2018. Fiscal 2018 aircraft procurement (Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps); non-U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) participant and foreign military sales (FMS) funds in the amount of $19,886,882 will be obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This modification combines purchases for the Air Force ($6,181,442; 31 percent); Navy ($2,581,008; 13 percent); Marine Corps ($2,501,953; 12.6 percent); non-U.S. DoD participants ($6,959,754; 35 percent); and FMS ($1,662,725; 8.4 percent). The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 06/29/18) Gulf Coast note: Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is home of the F-35 integrated training center.

Contract: Northrop, $14.3M

Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., Annapolis, Md., is awarded a $14,304,010 firm-fixed-price, cost-plus-fixed-fee modification to a previously awarded contract (N00024-15-C-6320) to exercise options for the fabrication, testing, production and delivery of AN/AQS-24C mine hunting sonar systems. The AN/AQS-24C system provides high-speed capability to detect and classify volume (moored) mines while simultaneously hunting bottom mines. The 24C system modification integrates ahead-looking topographic large area survey (ATLAS) volume search sonar capability and associated minehunting software into the AN/AQS-24B configuration. The system is deployed from the MH-53E Sea Dragon helicopter. Work will be performed in Annapolis (83 percent); and Panama City, Fla. (17 percent), and is expected to be completed by June 2021. Fiscal 2017 and 2018 other procurement (Navy) funding in the amount of $14,304,010 will be obligated at time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 06/29/18)

Contract: Raytheon, $96.1M

Raytheon Missile Systems, Tucson, Ariz., has been awarded a $96,125,000 firm-fixed-price contract modification (P00008) to contract FA8682-16-C-0004, for Lot 11 Miniature Air Launched Decoy Jammer vehicles and support equipment. Work will be performed in Tucson and is expected to be completed by June 30, 2020. This award is the result of a sole-source acquisition. Fiscal 2016 procurement funds in the amount of $96,125,000 are being obligated at the time of award. Total cumulative face value of the contract is $290,996,754. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 06/29/18)

Contract: Raytheon, $93M

Raytheon Co. Missile Systems, Tucson, Ariz., has been awarded a $93,000,000 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract, for Small Diameter Bomb II (SDB II) F/A-18E/F integration. This contract provides for the testing, analysis, support and sustainment of SDB II weapon onto the F/A-18E/F platform with developmental and operational testing. Work will be performed in Tucson and is expected to be completed by July 1, 2023. No funds are being obligated at the time of award. 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 (FA8672-18-D-0011). (Source: DoD, 06/28/18)

Northrop plant expansion opens

MOSS POINT, Miss. – Northrop Grumman has officially opened a new operational area at its Moss Point manufacturing center that will add a new line of work. The 101,000-square-foot Moss Point facility has been doing work on unmanned fixed-wing and rotary-wing systems since 2006. The company said Monday that the expanded production facility can now accommodate projects on manned aircraft systems and will bring new jobs to the region. Kevin Mitchell, vice president of global operations at Northrop Grumman's aerospace systems sector, said the company saw the number of employees at the site grow by more than 40 percent since 2017. Gov. Phil Bryant was among those attending a ribbon-cutting that marked the official launch of the new machine shop section at the Moss Point facility. (Source: Northrop Grumman, 06/25/18) Previous

CSeries to break ground this year

MOBILE, Ala. – Ground will be broken this year for the new Bombardier CSeries assembly line that will be built in Mobile, a move that by 2021 will make Mobile the world's fourth largest jetliner assembly center. The CSeries plant will be next to the Airbus A320 final assembly line at the Mobile Aeroplex as a result of a partnership between the two manufacturers that will be finalized July 1. Rob Dewar, vice president and general manager of Bombardier Aerospace, who becomes head of customer services and engineering July 1, said he expects the first CSeries jetliner built in Mobile to be delivered in mid-2020. Dewar was one of the speakers at the inaugural Southeast Aerospace and Defense Conference, which ended Wednesday. The assembly line in Mobile will build the CS100 and CS300, which have the same assembly process. Dewar said it would take about a year to build the assembly line, which eventually will produce four jetliners per month and employ 400 workers. The Mobile final assembly line will replicate the one in Mirabel, Canada, but Bombardier will use some of the facilities currently used by Airbus, including the paint shop. Thirty-six CSeries are currently in service with three airline customers, and there are currently more than 400 orders for the jetliner. Dewar would not say what the new name for the CSeries will be as a result of the Airbus agreement, but an announcement will be made soon. Speaking before Dewar was Daryl Taylor, vice president and general manager of the Airbus U.S. Manufacturing Facility. He said the Airbus plant in Mobile has delivered 75 jetliners to seven customers. The most recent was delivered Tuesday to Frontier Airlines. He said the Mobile facility is beginning a new chapter with the CSeries assembly line. He said that by 2021, Mobile will be the fourth largest jetliner manufacturing center in the world, and second largest in North America. About 115 participants from 10 countries attended the Leeham Co./Airfinance Journal conference at the Battle House Renaissance Mobile Hotel and Spa. (Source: GCAC, 06/27/18) Previous

Contract: A. Finkl, $419.6M

A. Finkl & Sons Co., Chicago, has been awarded a $419,633,500 ceiling indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for BLU-137/B penetrator warhead production. This contract provides for the production of the BLU-137/B penetrator warhead bodies with a guaranteed production of 300 bodies during the first year with a possibility of up to 3,500 bodies in the subsequent four years. Work will be performed in Chicago; Falconer, N.Y.; Corry, Pa.; and Burr Ridge, Ill., and is expected to be completed by May 3, 2020. This award is the result of a competitive acquisition. Fiscal 2018 production funds in the amount of $15,015,500 are being obligated at the time of award. Air force Life Cycle Management Center, Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is the contracting activity (FA8681-18-D-0017). (Source: DoD, 06/27/18)

Contract: Superior Forge, $476.9M

Superior Forge and Steel Corp., Lima, Ohio, has been awarded a $476,935,075 ceiling indefinite/delivery indefinite-quantity contract for BLU-137/B penetrator warhead production. This contract provides for the production of the BLU-137/B penetrator warhead bodies with a guaranteed production of 300 bodies during the first year with a possibility of up to 3,500 bodies in the subsequent four years. Work will be performed in Lima, Ohio; Cincinnati, Ohio; and Falconer, N.Y., and is expected to be completed by May 3, 2020. This award is the result of a competitive acquisition. Fiscal 2018 production funds in the amount of $16,720,435 are being obligated at the time of award. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is the contracting activity (FA8681-18-D-0018). (Source: DoD, 06/27/18)

Contract: Enterprise Electr: $11.6M

Enterprise Electronics Corp., Enterprise, Ala., is being awarded an $11,647,403 single award, performance based, firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite quantity contract for the procurement of Supplemental Weather Radars (SWR) systems and associated sustainment services. Additionally, the contract will provide for the procurement of various related sub-assemblies, radar towers, radio frequency filters, uninterruptible power supplies, essential software products, software licenses for various weather detection tools, hardware upgrades, technical manuals and training courses. Incidental procurement support services to be provided will include repairing/replacing defective modules from existing systems; providing customer help desk support; providing on-site technical assistance; installation-related site surveys; AN/FPS-131 software/hardware upgrades; IA patch testing; technical manual updates; and the retrofit of all existing systems with Enterprise change requests. The contract includes a five-year ordering period and one six-month option period which, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of this contract to an estimated $12,269,002. Work will be performed in Enterprise and is expected to be completed by June 2023. If all options are exercised, work could continue until December 2023. Fiscal 2018 other procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $568,191 will be placed on the first task order and obligated at the time of award. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured because it is a sole-source acquisition pursuant to the authority of 10 U.S. Code § 2304(c)(1) - only one responsible source (Federal Acquisition Regulation 6.302-1). Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center Atlantic, Charleston, S.C., is the contracting activity (N6523618D3008). (Source: DoD, 06/27/18)

Contract: Boeing, $1.5B

The Boeing Co., St. Louis, Mo., is awarded a $1,504,995,240 fixed-price-incentive-firm contract that provides for the production and delivery of 22 F/A-18E and six F/A-18F Super Hornets in support of the government of Kuwait. Work will be performed in El Segundo, Calif. (41.4 percent); Hazelwood, Mo. (28.2 percent); Fort Worth, Texas (4.7 percent); Santa Clarita, Calif. (4 percent); Bloomington, Minn. (3.3 percent); Greenlawn, N.Y. (2.8 percent); Endicott, N.Y. (2.3 percent); Santa Ana, Calif. (1.9 percent); Clearwater, Fla. (1.5 percent); Clifton, N.J. (1.3 percent); Mesa, Ariz. (1.3 percent); Torrance, Calif. (1.2 percent); Ontario, Canada (1 percent); Vandalia, Ohio (0.9 percent); Kalamazoo, Mich. (0.8 percent); Fort Walton Beach, Fla. (0.8 percent); East Aurora, N.Y. (0.7 percent); and various locations outside the continental U.S. (2.1 percent), and is expected to be completed in January 2021. Foreign military sales funds in the amount of $1,504,995,240 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 (N00019-18-C-1060). (Source: DoD, 06/27/18)

Summit first day wraps up

MOBILE, Ala. – About 115 participants from 10 countries were on hand Tuesday for the opening session of the inaugural Southeast Aerospace and Defense Conference. Mobile Mayor Sandy Stimpson in his welcoming remarks said Mobile's history with aerospace goes back many years, but with the arrival of Airbus, its suppliers, and soon Bombardier, Mobile has a footprint in aerospace that will only get bigger. Later, Chris Curry, executive director of the Mobile Airport Authority, discussed the recent study that found it feasible to move commercial service from Mobile Regional Airport in west Mobile to the 1,200-acre downtown airport at the Mobile Aeroplex at Brookley, which also includes the 400-acre industrial complex. Asked if moving commercial service would hinder industrial tenants, like Airbus, Curry said tenants were consulted during the study to ensure any move would not jeopardize their operations. Asked what kind of space Brookley has for future companies, Curry said it has as much space as needed. The first day also included talks on the transformation of manufacturing through advanced technologies, from robots to additive manufacturing and more. Also brought up during the conference was Boeing's proposed New Midrange Aircraft (NMA), dubbed the 797. The company hasn't decided whether to build them, but Washington State is already preparing to keep the work there. A Teal Group analysis, commissioned by a Washington coalition, was favorable to Washington and its highly skilled workforce. The report may be the start of a battle between states and cities to win the 797 production site. Participants at the conference include suppliers, original equipment manufacturers, aerospace companies, and investors. The conference continues Wednesday with talks about Mobile’s Airbus Final Assembly Line and the CSeries jetliners Bombardier plans to build in Mobile through a partnership with Airbus. The Leeham Company/Airfinance Journal conference is being held at the Battle House Renaissance Mobile Hotel and Spa. (Source: GCRL, 06/26/18) Previous

Australia buying Tritons

Australia will buy six Northrop Grumman MQ-4C Triton maritime unmanned aerial systems, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull announced on Tuesday. The first RAAF Triton is scheduled to be delivered in mid-2023. Tuesday’s initial $1.4 billion program announcement covers the first of the six planned aircraft, which will be based at RAAF Base Edinburgh near Adelaide, and will include $364 million for the construction of new operational and support facilities at Edinburgh plus RAAF Base Tindal in the Northern Territory, as well as an initial ground support equipment, training and spares package. Triton can fly at altitudes above 50,000 feet and has an endurance of more than 24 hours. (Source: Australian Aviation, 06/26/18) Gulf Coast note: Northrop Grumman does fuselage work on Tritons, a variant of the Global Hawk, in Moss Point, Miss.

Baldwin to house immigrants?

The U.S. Navy is preparing future plans, if asked by Homeland Security, to construct detention centers for up to 25,000 illegal immigrants on remote bases in Alabama, Arizona and California, according to a copy of a draft memo obtained by TIME. The Navy planning document outlines plans to build "temporary and austere" tent cities for up to 25,000 migrants at abandoned airfields in Baldwin County, Ala., at Navy Outlying Field Wolf in Orange Beach and NOF Silverhill. It allocates some 450 square feet per immigrant held for housing, and support staff and security. (Source: TIME, 06/22/18) U.S. Sen. Bradley Byrne (R-Ala.), said he's prepared to fight a migrant camp in Baldwin County. "We have successfully fought efforts to house illegal immigrants in Baldwin County before, and we will do the same again because the proposal makes no sense," Byrne told al.com via e-mail. (Source: al.com, 06/23/18) The previous time was during the Obama administration, and it was never implemented.

Cutters to get ScanEagles

PENSACOLA, Fla. – The Coast Guard will equip National Security Cutter ships with ScanEagle unmanned aircraft, including the cutter Decisive that arrived at Naval Air Station Pensacola in June. Decisive is one of four cutters expected to change homeports to Pensacola this year. The drones have aided the Coast Guard in the interdiction of $1.5B worth of cocaine and heroin off the coasts of Central and South America. The drone weighs 40 pounds and can fly up to 20 hours. The aircraft can also provide aide in disaster relief efforts like it did in Houston in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey. (Source: WEAR-TV, 06/22/18)

Contract: Lockheed, $73.6M

Lockheed Martin Corp., Fort Worth, Texas, was awarded $73,564,206 for modification P00037 to a previously awarded cost-plus-incentive-fee, cost-plus-fixed-fee, fixed-price-incentive-firm contract (N00019-16-C-0004) to stand-up depots outside the continental U.S. (OCONUS) for the maintenance, repair, overhaul, and upgrade (MRO&U) of the F-35 aircraft. This contract also provides for the procurement of support equipment, labor, and Autonomic Logistics Information System hardware required to stand up the F-35 OCONUS MRO&U capability. Work will be performed in New South Wales, Australia (35 percent); Cameri, Italy (35 percent); Orlando, Fla. (15 percent); Fort Worth, Texas (10 percent); and El Segundo, Calif. (5 percent), and is expected to be completed in February 2022. Fiscal 2018 aircraft procurement (Air Force, Marine Corps and Navy); and non-DoD participant funds in the amount of $73,564,206 will be obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This effort combines purchases for the Air Force ($5,985,650; 8.1 percent), the Marine Corps ($3,046,396; 4.1 percent), Navy ($2,985,505, 4.1 percent) and non-DoD participants ($61,546,655; 83.7 percent). The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 06/25/18) Gulf Coast note: Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is home of the F-35 integrated training center.

Contract: Multiple, $75M

Orocon-Carothers JV2, Oxford, Miss. (N69450-16-D-1108); Whitesell-Green, Inc., Pensacola, Fla. (N69450-16-D-1109); The ARTEC Group, Inc., Sarasota, Fla. (N69450-16-D-1110); Desbuild, Inc., Hyattsville, Md. (N69450-16-D-1111); Southeast Cherokee Construction, Inc., Montgomery, Ala. (N69450-16-D-1112); Leebcor Services, LLC, Williamsburg, Va. (N69450-16-D-1113); and Howard W. Pence, Inc., Elizabethtown, Ky. (N69450-16-D-1114), are awarded a $75,000,000 firm-fixed-price modification to increase the maximum dollar value of an indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity multiple award construction contract for design-build construction projects at various locations within the Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) Southeast area of responsibility (AOR). The work to be performed provides for, but is not limited to, new construction, repair, alteration, and related demolition work. After award of this modification, the maximum dollar value for all seven contracts combined will be $174,000,000. Work will be performed in the NAVFAC Southeast AOR, including but not limited to, Florida (70 percent); Georgia (25 percent); and the remainder within the NAVFAC Southeast AOR (5 percent). The term of the contract is not to exceed 60 months, with an expected completion date of July 2021. No funds will be obligated at time of award; funds will be obligated on individual task orders as they are issued. Future task orders will be primarily funded by operation and maintenance, (Navy) and military construction funds. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Southeast, Jacksonville, Florida, is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 06/22/18)

Contract: Lockheed, $175.3M

Lockheed Martin Corp., Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., Fort Worth, Texas, is awarded $175,308,058 for modification P00053 to a previously awarded cost-plus-incentive-fee, fixed-price-incentive-firm, firm-fixed-price contract (N00019-15-C-0114). This modification provides for the development, testing, and activation of 13 different F-35 component repair capabilities in support of the F-35 Lightning depot implementation plan for the Air Force, Marine Corps, Navy and non-Department of Defense (DoD) participants. Work will be performed in Nashua, N.H. (37 percent); Torrance, Calif. (15 percent); Redondo Beach, Calif. (12 percent); Fort Worth, Texas (11 percent); Inglewood, Calif. (8 percent); Cedar Rapids, Iowa (6 percent); Baltimore, Md. (5 percent); Niles, Ill. (3 percent); Williston, Vt. (1 percent); Orlando, Fla. (1 percent); and Grand Rapids, Mich. (1 percent), and is expected to be completed in November 2021. Fiscal 2018 aircraft procurement (Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps); and non-DoD funds in the amount of $175,308,058 are being obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This modification combines purchases for the Air Force ($82,237,394; 46.9 percent); Navy ($41,118,693; 23.5 percent); the Marine Corps ($41,118,693; 23.5 percent); and non-DoD Participants ($10,833,276; 6.1 percent). The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 06/22/18) Gulf Coast note: Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is home of the F-35 integrated training center.

Contract: Aerojet, $69.8M

Aerojet Rocketdyne, Canoga Park, Calif., has been awarded a $69,804,323 modification (P00014) to a previously awarded other transaction agreement (FA8811-16-9-0003) for the development of the AR1 booster engine and the RL10CX upper stage engine for the Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle program. This action implements Section 1604 of the Carl Levin and Howard P. "Buck" McKeon National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal 2015, which requires the development of a next-generation rocket propulsion system that will transition away from the use of non-allied space launch engines to a domestic alternative for National Security Space launches. Work will be performed in Canoga Park; Sacramento, Calif.; Centennial, Colo.; Huntsville, Ala.; Stennis Space Center, Miss.; West Palm Beach, Fla.; and Los Angeles Air Force Base, Calif. The work on the AR1 is expected to be completed by Dec. 31, 2019, and the work on the RL10CX is expected to be completed by Dec. 31, 2021. Fiscal 2017 research, development, test and evaluation (RDT&E) funds in the amount of $63,014,148; and fiscal 2018 RDT&E funds in the amount of $20,000,000 are being obligated at the time of award. The Launch Systems Enterprise Directorate, Space and Missile Systems Center, Los Angeles AFB, Calif., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 06/22/18)

Nuclear engine for space in works

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. – BWX Technologies, Inc. opened a Huntsville office Thursday to begin developing aerospace products, including a nuclear propulsion system. The company has a contract with NASA to create conceptual designs for a nuclear thermal reactor to power a spaceship to Mars. Jonathan Certain, vice president for advanced technical programs for the company, said BWXT hopes to hire between 75 and 150 people in the next four or five years in Huntsville. BWX Technologies was created through the breakup of Babcock and Wilcox. It's headquartered in Lynchburg, Va. and has nine operating sites in North America. The company, which manufactures all the fuel and nuclear cores that power America's aircraft carrier and submarine fleets, is licensed by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to handle weapons grade uranium and builds an average of two reactors to the Navy each year. The company's local site director is Gene Goldman, a former director of NASA's Stennis Space Center (SSC) in Mississippi and acting center director at Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) in Huntsville. At a ceremony, Goldman presented a $5,000 check from the company to help develop the planned Alabama Cyber and Engineering School in Huntsville. (Source: al.com, 06/22/18) Gulf Coast note: MSFC oversees SSC, NASA's primary rocket engine test facility.

MQ-8C being tested on LCS

MQ-8C aboard LCS Montgomery in April 2017
Navy photo

The Navy’s unmanned MQ-8C Fire Scout began a new series of operational testing this month aboard the USS Coronado (LCS 4) off the coast of San Diego. The operations are a continuation of MQ-8C operational testing that began in April. This phase of testing is for the MQ-8C's ability to operate concurrently with other airborne assets and Littoral Combat Ships. The enhanced capability will provide commanders an improved and integrated intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance picture. During Coronado's 2016-17 deployment to the Western Pacific, it successfully used an MQ-8B Fire Scout – a smaller version of the Fire Scout – as a sensor to strike a target beyond visual range using a Harpoon surface-to-surface missile. Also in 2017, the MQ-8C in April had its first flight from the deck of an LCS underway. (Sources: NNS, 06/20/18, Military.com, 06/21/18) Gulf Coast note: Final assembly of the Fire Scout is done by Northrop Grumman in Moss Point, Miss.; LCS 4 was built by Austal USA in Mobile, Ala. Previous

Passenger traffic move feasible

MOBILE, Ala. – A study on the feasibility of moving passenger flights from Mobile Regional Airport in west Mobile to the Downtown Mobile Airport at the Mobile Aeroplex showed it would be beneficial, but could take three to five years to complete. The Mobile Airport Authority, which oversees Mobile Regional Airport and Mobile Aeroplex, launched the study in February and released results Wednesday morning. At the heart of the issue was finding a way get back travelers who current travel to airports to the east and west of Mobile. MAA Executive Director Chris Curry said 47 percent of travelers who might be expected to use Mobile go to competing airports. Part of the problem is access. One question was whether it would be more cost-effective to move commercial service or improve road access to Mobile Regional, and the move was deemed  more cost-effective. The study did not address the specific cost. Curry also said accommodating passenger traffic without inconveniencing the Aeroplex’s industrial aviation tenants will require a balancing act, but the challenge can be managed. (Sources: WALA-TV, al.com, 06/20/18) The Aeroplex, among other things is where Airbus builds A320 jetliners, VT MAE operates a maintenance, repair and overhaul facility and Continental Motors builds small aircraft engines. Bombardier also plans to assemble jetliners at the Aeroplex.

VT-2 command changes

NAVAL AIR STATION WHITING FIELD, Fla. – Navy Cmdr. Zachariah Aperauch turned over command of Training Squadron TWO (VT-2) to Coast Guard Cmdr. Mark Jackson during a change of command ceremony Friday at the Whiting Field North Field hangar. Under Aperauch, VT-2 flew more than 52,500 flight hours in the completion of more than 23,350 sorties, and 619 students completed the primary flight training. Jackson assumes command after a tour as executive officer of VT-2. He has 22 years with the Coast Guard, and earned his wings in 1999 after completing primary flight training with VT-2. Navy Cmdr. Wesley Barnes replaces Jackson as executive officer for the squadron. (Source: Whiting Field, 06/18/18)

Mobile holding aero conference

MOBILE, Ala. – The inaugural Southeast Aerospace and Defense Conference will be held at the Battle House Renaissance Mobile Hotel and Spa June 25-27. It brings together suppliers, original equipment manufacturers, aerospace companies, financiers and investors, with an emphasis on building for the future. The event will feature nine networking opportunities. Topics at the conference will include the Airbus Final Assembly Line, CSeries program and final assembly line, developing aerospace clusters in the Southeast, the evolving aerospace cluster in Mobile and more. To see the agenda, click here. To register, click here. (Source: GCAC, 06/18/18)

Contract: SRI, $91.1M

SRI International, Menlo Park, Calif., has been awarded a $91,131,325 basic indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) contract for digital video laboratory support and an $11,150 delivery order (FA2487-18-F-1100) for upgrade of Terrasight mobile processing units. The contract provides for improvement and modernization of capabilities using digital data in support of the Air Force test mission. Work will be performed in Princeton, N.J. The basic IDIQ has a five-year ordering period, with work expected to be completed by June 2024. This award is the result of a sole-source acquisition. Fiscal 2018 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $11,150 are being obligated at the time of award. Air Force Test Center Specialized Contracting Branch, Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is the contracting activity (FA2487-18-D-0001). (Source: DoD, 06/15/18)

Contract: Lockheed, $503.2M

Lockheed Martin Corp., Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., Fort Worth, Texas, is awarded $503,228,000 for a not-to-exceed modification to a previously issued firm-fixed-price delivery order 0584 placed against basic ordering agreement (N00019-14-G-0020). This modification provides for air vehicle initial spares, to include F-35Lightning II deployment spares packages, afloat spares packages, and associated consumables required to support the air vehicle delivery schedules for the Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps, and non-Department of Defense (DoD) participants. Work will be performed in Fort Worth, Texas (24.4 percent); El Segundo, Calif. (9.1 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. (3.1 percent); Irvine, Calif. (2.5 percent); N. Amityville, N.Y. (2.4 percent); Windsor Locks, Conn. (2.2 percent); Baltimore, Md. (2.2 percent); Papendrect, The Netherlands (1.9 percent); Rolling Meadows, Ill. (1.8 percent); and Alpharetta, Ga. (1.8 percent), and is expected to be completed in December 2023. Fiscal 2018 aircraft procurement (Air Force, Marine Corps and Navy) and non-DoD participant funds in the amount of $503,228,000 will be obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This modification combines purchases for the Air Force ($106,506,000; 21 percent); Marine Corps ($91,695,000; 18 percent); Navy ($68,190,000; 14 percent); and non-DoD participants ($236,837,000; 47 percent). The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 06/15/18) Gulf Coast note: Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is home of the F-35 integrated training center.

June newsletter available

The June issue of the bimonthly Gulf Coast Aerospace Corridor Newsletter is now available. This issue updates the Gulf Coast Aerospace Corridor 2017-2018, a 100-page reference book that was published in June 2017. The newsletter includes an executive summary highlighting changes since last year, along with one-page updates of each chapter. (Source: GCAC Newsletter, 06/15/18)

Marshall chief retiring

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. – The director of NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, Todd May, is retiring effective July 27. May is being replaced on an acting basis by Marshall's deputy director, Joan A. "Jody" Singer. May was first named acting director of Marshall in 2015 and then took over the position on a permanent basis. Before that, the Fairhope native managed the Space Launch System. Marshall is NASA's chief center for rocket propulsion. It has more than 6,000 government and contractor workers in north Alabama and at NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans and Stennis Space Center, Miss. (Sources: AP via Sacremento Bee, WAAY-TV, al.com, 06/11/18)

Hawaiian gets U.S.-built A321neo

Hawaiian Airlines A321neo on first flight.
Airbus photo

MOBILE, Ala. – Hawaiian Airlines took delivery Monday of its first U.S.-produced A321. The aircraft, delivered from the Airbus U.S. Manufacturing Facility in Mobile is also the first new engine option aircraft (NEO) delivered from Airbus' U.S. plant. It is powered by Pratt & Whitney PW1000G high-bypass geared turbofan engines. Executives and employees from Airbus and Hawaiian, and executives from Pratt & Whitney and UTC Aerospace Systems were on hand for the delivery. (Source: Airbus, 06/11/18)

Contract: Lockheed, $735.7M

Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., Fort Worth, Texas, is being awarded a $735,735,572 modification to a previously awarded advance acquisition contract (N00019-17-C-0001). This modification provides additional advance procurement funding in the amount of $74,746,572 for the procurement of long-lead time materials, parts, components, and effort in support of the F-35 Lightning II Low Rate Initial Production Lot 13 aircraft for the U.S. Air Force, U.S. Navy, and U.S. Marine Corps. The modification also provides $660,989,000 in economic order quantity funding for procurement of material and equipment that has completed formal hardware qualification testing for the F-35 program for use in procurement contracts to be awarded for the F-35 program low rate initial production Lots 13 and 14 for the U.S. Air Force, U.S. Navy, and U.S. Marine Corps. 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. Fiscal 2018 aircraft procurement (Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps) funds in the amount of $735,735,572 are being obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This modification combines purchases for the U.S. Air Force ($359,378,333; 49 percent); U.S. Navy ($193,379,239; 26 percent); and the U.S. Marine Corps ($182,978,000; 25 percent). The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 06/08/18) Gulf Coast note: Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is home of the F-35 integrated training center.

Airports awarded FAA grants

Three airports in the Gulf Coast region are among those awarded grants by the Federal Aviation Administration. The FAA will award $677 million in airport infrastructure grants, the first allotment of the total $3.18 billion in Airport Improvement Program funding for airports across the United States. The 241 grants will fund 346 infrastructure projects that include runways, taxiways, aprons, and terminals. In the Gulf Coast region, H.L. (Sonny) Callahan Airport in Fairhope, Ala., will receive a $3 million for construction of a taxiway. Baton Rouge Metropolitan in Louisiana will receive $4 million to improve the runway safety area, and Mississippi's Picayune Municipal will receive $630 million to construct a taxiway and install taxiway lighting. (Source: GCAC based on FAA news release, 06/08/18)

VT MAE has grand opening

PENSACOLA, Fla. – The VT MAE maintenance, repair and overhaul facility at Pensacola International Airport marked its grand opening today with a ribbon-cutting on the north side of the airport. The $46 million project in Pensacola is the second MRO operation for VT MAE in the region. It has had an MRO in Mobile, Ala., that employs over 1,000 workers since 1991. Florida Gov. Rick Scott was on hand to mark the grand opening in Pensacola. Workers already have their first project, a UPS aircraft that’s in the brand new hangar for routine maintenance. The MRO will eventually have more than 400 workers. VT MAE is part of VT Systems of Alexandria, Va., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Singapore-based ST Engineering. (Source: GCAC, 06/08/18)

CSeries deal closing July 1

The Airbus, Bombardier and Investissement Quebec have agreed to close the CSeries transaction July 1. The deal will result in the creation of a final assembly line for the CSeries jetliners in Mobile, Ala. The CSeries is built in Quebec, but this deal will give Bombardier a second assembly line for the jetliner. The CSeries assembly line in Alabama will be built north of the current Airbus A320 series assembly line at the Mobile Aeroplex. All regulatory approvals required for the closing have been obtained, officials announced today. The deal gives Airbus a majority stake in the CSeries Aircraft Limited Partnership (CSALP). The head office, primary assembly line and related functions will be based in Mirabel, Quebec. The deal was initially announced in October 2017. The C Series program continues to ramp up. Having delivered 17 aircraft in 2017, it is gearing up to double its deliveries in 2018. Bombardier will start building jetliners in Mobile next year for U.S. customers, with the first delivery in 2020, according to Bloomberg. (Source: Airbus via Globe Newswire, 06/08/18) Previous

PSA plans PNS maintenance shop

PSA Airlines, a subsidiary of American Airlines, plans to open a new maintenance facility at Pensacola International Airport  (PNS). It will create some 30-35 jobs and support PSA's efforts to grow its fleet by about 20 aircraft. PSA will be looking to hire team members, including mechanics, leads, inspectors and stores personnel. In a news release, PSA said Pensacola International Airport was an ideal location for the new facility because the area provides a sustainable workforce, a strong local military presence and an abundance of technical schools. PSA currently has maintenance facilities in Dayton, Canton and Cincinnati, Ohio; Norfolk, Va.; Charlotte, N.C.; Greenville, S.C.; and Savannah, Ga. (Source: Pensacola News Journal, 06/06/18)

Allegiant adds VPS routes

Allegiant announced Wednesday it would be adding six new nonstop flights out of the Destin-Fort Walton Beach Airport (VPS). The flights will be to VPS from Bentonville, Ark.; Charlotte/Concord, N.C.; Evansville, Ind.; Lexington, Ky.; Nashville, Tenn.; and Raleigh/Durham, N.C. (Source: Northwest Florida Daily News, 06/06/18) Allegiant also serves Gulfport-Biloxi International Airport and Louis Armstrong International Airport in New Orleans.

Contract: Bell Boeing, $47.4M

Bell Boeing JPO, Amarillo, Texas, is being awarded $47,385,038 for cost-plus-fixed-fee delivery order N0001918F0016 against a previously issued basic ordering agreement (N00019-17-G-0002). This delivery order procures non-recurring engineering, production, supportability, and management necessary to facilitate the incorporation of optimized wiring and structural improvements on the nacelle into the V-22 production line and via forced retrofit at the depot level of maintenance for previously delivered V-22 aircraft. The effort addresses all non-recurring activities through the critical design review, to include the delivery, installation, validation, and any defined testing of one nacelle ship set. Work will be performed in Fort Worth, Texas (84 percent); Ridley Park, Pa. (5 percent); Patuxent River, Md. (4 percent); Fort Walton Beach, Fla. (4 percent); and Amarillo, Texas (3 percent), and is expected to be completed in July 2020. Fiscal 2018 aircraft procurement (Navy and Air Force) funds in the amount of $47,385,038 will be obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the fiscal year. This delivery order combines purchases for the Navy ($40,184,366; 85 percent); and Air Force ($7,200,672; 15 percent). The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 06/08/18)

Contract: Lockheed, $9.3M

Lockheed Martin Corp., Orlando, Fla., has been awarded a $9,266,186 cost-plus-fixed-fee delivery order, for Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile (JASSM) C++ Conversion Phase II. This delivery order effort will continue the conversion of the JASSM Extended Range (ER) missile operational flight program (MOFP) software baseline from the Ada computer language to C++, through a preliminary design review (PDR). This PDR will include the MOFP and the integrated flight simulation software design. The contractor will provide support, source data and analysis, as required, to support the government in obtaining an authority to operate for the C++ version of the JASSM-ER weapon system. This is a follow-on effort to C++ Phase I. Work will be performed in Orlando and is expected to be complete by Aug. 31, 2019. The award is the result of a sole-source acquisition. Fiscal 2018 research and development funds in the amount of $4,012,337 are being obligated at the time of award. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is the contracting activity (FA8682-18-F-1044). (Source: DoD, 06/05/18)

First AR-22 assembled for DARPA

AR-22 at Stennis Space Center.
Aerojet Rocketdyne photo

STENNIS SPACE CENTER, Miss. – Aerojet Rocketdyne has completed assembly of its first AR-22 rocket engine built for Boeing as part of the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency Experimental Spaceplane program. This new Boeing spaceplane, called Phantom Express, is intended to demonstrate a new paradigm for more routine, responsive and affordable space access. The AR-22, derived from the Space Shuttle Main Engine that was designed from the outset for reusability, is the main propulsion for Phantom Express. The AR-22 engine is capable of generating about 375,000 pounds of thrust and was designed to fly 55 missions with service every 10 missions. This reusability feature makes the AR-22 ideally suited for Phantom Express. The reusable Phantom Express spaceplane will take off vertically and land horizontally. The vehicle will be equipped with an expendable second stage capable of placing up to 3,000 pounds (1,361 kg) of payload into low Earth orbit. Aerojet Rocketdyne assembled the AR-22 at its facility at NASA’s Stennis Space Center in Mississippi. The engine will undergo a series of daily hot-fire tests at Stennis starting this summer to demonstrate its ability to support the high flight rates envisioned for Phantom Express. These tests will also provide valuable insight that will be used to refine Phantom Express flight and turnaround procedures, while also informing the design requirements for the new ground infrastructure that Boeing is developing for the flight program. (Source: Aerojet Rocketdyne via Globe Newswire, 06/04/18) Previous

L3 Crestview finds buyer

In a deal expected to be finalized this summer pending regulatory approvals, L3 Crestview Aerospace will be sold to New York investment firm American Industrial Partners as part of a $540 million cash deal. The investment firm will acquire two components of L3 Technologies – Vertex Aerospace, which includes L3 Crestview Aerospace, and TCS. Vertex Aerospace provides aviation logistics and aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul services, and TCS provides engineering services and logistics support. American Industrial Partners, which focuses on acquiring U.S. and Canadian industrial businesses, has a portfolio that includes Ascent Aerospace, Shape Technologies Group, Optimas, and REV. L3 Technologies announced late last year that the Crestview plant, an aircraft component manufacturer that employs 500 people at Okaloosa Industrial Air Park, was up for sale as part of the company’s shift in focus toward “more profitable businesses.” In addition to the Crestview plant, L3 Crestview Aerospace includes a plant in Chihuahua, Mexico, that produces sheet metal and parts for commercial aircraft. (Sources: L3 Technologies, 05/01/18, Northwest Florida Daily News, 05/25/18) Previous

Contract: Lockheed, $14.4M

Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., Fort Worth, Texas, is awarded a $14,386,915 cost-plus-fixed-fee, firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for emerging capabilities and analysis systems engineering to include programmatic, and logistics tasks that will analyze the F-35 air system's ability to meet future operational requirements, investigate cost and weight reduction program options, and conduct modeling and simulation activities. Additional assessments may include such efforts as analyzing changes to design life, operational readiness, reliability, and air system design and configuration. Work will be performed in Fort Worth and is expected to be completed in December 2018. Fiscal 2018 research, development, test and evaluation (Navy) funds in the amount of $4,919,388 will be obligated at time of award, none of which expire at the end of the current fiscal year. 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 (N00019-18-D-0129). (Source: DoD, 06/04/18) Gulf Coast note: Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is home of the F-35 integrated training center.

Contract: Emerald Coast, $13.8M

Emerald Coast Utility Services Inc., Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., has been awarded a maximum $13,822,116 modification (P00016), incorporating the economic-price-adjustment agreement to the existing 50-year contract (SP0600-16-C-8311) with no option periods, for the water/wastewater operations and maintenance and renewal and replacement utility service charge. This is a fixed-price with economic-price-adjustment contract. Location of performance is Florida, with a June 14, 2067, performance completion date. Using military service is Air Force. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2018 Air Force operations and maintenance funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Energy, Fort Belvoir, Va. (Source: DoD, 06/01/18)

Contract: Kaman, $69.4M

Kaman Precision Products, Orlando, Florida, and Middletown, Conn., has been awarded a $69,368,000 firm-fixed-price, cost-plus-fixed-fee contract modification (P00006) to an already existing contract (FA868118C0009) for exercising an option for the joint programmable fuze. This contract modification provides for delivery of Lot 14 of the joint programmable fuze (FMU-52) and corresponding production, test and engineering support. Work will be performed in Orlando, Fla.; and Middletown and is expected to be completed by June 1, 2020. This award is the result of a sole-source acquisition. The current action is 33 percent unclassified foreign military sales to the Netherlands, Qatar, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Nigeria, Indonesia, the United Arab Emirates, Taiwan, and South Korea. Fiscal 2017 procurement funds in the amount of $69,368,000 are being obligated at time of award. The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 06/01/18)

Contract: Pivotal, $47.5M

Pivotal Software Inc., San Francisco, Calif., has been awarded a $47,537,079 fixed-base, production, other transaction agreement. This agreement will utilize the prototyped methodology, and the software and services that support them, across the entire Air Operations Center, as well as the targeting and geospatial-intelligence enterprises. Work will be performed in San Francisco; Cambridge, Mass.; Denver, Colo.; Washington, D.C.; Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla.; Osan Air Base, Republic of Korea; Shaw AFB, S.C.; Al Udeid AB, Qatar; Hickam AFB, Hawaii; Langley AFB, Va.; Ramstein AB, Germany; Davis-Monthan AFB, Ariz.; Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, and is expected to be completed by May 31, 2019. Fiscal 2017 research, development, test and evaluation funds; and fiscal 2018 operations and maintenance funding in the amount of $10,514,658 will be obligated at the time of award. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Battle Management, Hanscom AFB, Mass., is the agreement activity (FA8730-18-9-0001). (Source: DoD, 05/31/18)