Monday, April 29, 2019

Contract: Lockheed, $1.1B

Lockheed Martin Corp., Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., Fort Worth, Texas, is awarded a $1,148,847,334 cost-plus-incentive-fee, cost-plus-fixed-fee, firm-fixed-price, cost share contract for sustainment services in support of the F-35 Lightning II aircraft for the Air Force, Navy, non-U. S. Department of Defense (non-U.S. DoD) participants and Foreign Military Sales (FMS) customers. Services to be provided include ground maintenance activities, action request resolution, depot activation activities, Automatic Logistics Information System operation and maintenance; reliability, maintainability and health management implementation and support; supply chain management; and activities to provide and support pilot and maintainer initial training. Work will be performed in Fort Worth, Texas (60 percent); Orlando, Fla. (24 percent); Greenville, S.C. (7 percent); Samlesbury, Preston, United Kingdom (5 percent); and El Segundo, Calif. (4 percent). Work is expected to be completed in December 2022. Fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance (Air Force, Navy/Marine Corps); non-U.S. DoD participant; and FMS funds in the amount of $1,135,420,262 will be obligated at time of award, $811,246,309 of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured pursuant to Federal Acquisition Regulation 6.302-1. This contract combines purchases for the Air Force ($477,920,120; 41.60 percent); Navy ($346,753,261; 30.18 percent); non-U.S. DoD participants ($231,207,693; 20.13 percent); and FMS customers ($92,966,260; 8.09 percent). The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity (N00019-19-C-1022). (Source: DoD, 04/29/19) Gulf Coast note: Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is home of the F-35 integrated training center.

Friday, April 26, 2019

Contract: Boeing, $127.6M

The Boeing Co., St. Louis, Mo., has been awarded a $127,632,494 modification (P00003) to previously awarded contract FA2103-18-C-0061 for the B61-12 Life Extension Program. This modification provides for the initiation of an undefinitized contract action for Lot 1 and Lot 2 Long Lead items. Work will be performed in Saint Charles, Mo., and is expected to be complete by Aug. 31, 2020. This modification brings the total cumulative face value of the contract to $131,932,494. Fiscal year 2018 and 2019 procurement funds, and fiscal year 2019 research and development funds, in the amount of $29,218,278 are being obligated at the time of award. Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center, Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 04/26/19)

Contract: Korte, $31.3M

Korte Construction Co., St. Louis, Mo., was awarded a $31,295,038 firm-fixed-price contract to design and build an Integrated Training Center Academics Building at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. Bids were solicited via the internet with six received. Work will be performed in Okaloosa County, Fla., with an estimated completion date of April 30, 2021. Fiscal 2016 and 2019 military construction funds in the amount of $31,295,038 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Mobile, Ala., is the contracting activity (W91278-19-C-0013). (Source: DoD, 04/25/19)

Contract: Lockheed, $90.8M

Lockheed Martin Corp., Fort Worth, Texas, is awarded $90,773,387 for fixed-price-incentive-fee modification P00014 to a previously awarded contract (N0001918C1048). This modification will stand up organic depot repair capabilities for the F-35 integrated core processor. Work will be performed in McKinney, Texas (39.1 percent); Owego, N.Y. (32.7 percent); Fort Worth, Texas (14.5 percent); Camden, N.J. (5.9 percent); Clearwater, Fla. (5 percent) and Melbourne, Fla. (2.8 percent), and is expected to be completed in October 2022. Fiscal 2019 aircraft procurement (Air Force, Marine Corps and Navy) funds in the amount of $90,773,387 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 U.S. Air Force ($45,386,693; 50 percent), U.S. Marine Corps ($22,693,347; 25 percent) and the U.S. Navy ($22,693,347; 25 percent). The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 04/25/19) Gulf Coast note: Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is home of the F-35 integrated training center.

Wednesday, April 24, 2019

Bell would build TH-XX in Ozark

Bell's proposed trainer, the 407GXi
Bell photo
Bell has announced that, if it is selected to build the U.S. Navy’s Advanced Helicopter Trainer, it will assemble the aircraft in Ozark, Ala., where it currently does some of the assembly work for the Fire Scout unmanned helicopter. The company would build the Bell 407GXi, and final assembly would take place in Ozark, according to Bell’s parent company Textron. Ozarks is near Fort Rucker, where the Army trains its aviators. The Navy wants about 130 aircraft for the program. Bell’s workforce at the Ozark site could grow by 25 percent to a total of 100 workers if the company wins the competition, according to the Alabama Department of Commerce. If selected, the Bell 407GXi would replace the Navy’s TH-57 Sea Ranger training helicopters, which Bell first introduced in the 1970s. A decision from the Navy is expected later this year. Bell is competing against Airbus Helicopters and Leonardo Helicopters.(Source: al.com, 04/23/19, Bell press release, 04/18/19) For additional background on this story, see a package of stories on pages 5-7, Gulf Coast Aerospace Corridor Newsletter, April 2019. Page six highlights to trainer competition.

Tuesday, April 23, 2019

ST Engineering inks deal

Singapore Technologies Engineering (ST Engineering) secured around $959 million in new contracts in the aerospace sector, for the first quarter of the year that ended 31 March. The Singapore group says that among the new contracts is a 10-year service agreement with a long-time, unidentified North American operator, to provide heavy maintenance checks for its fleet of Airbus A300s and Boeing 757s. The contract will cover over 160 widebody and narrowbody aircraft, to be serviced at its maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) facilities in San Antonio, Texas, and Pensacola, Fla., starting in 2020. (Sources: Flightglobal, WEAR-TV, 04/23/19, AviationPros, ST Engineering, 04/22/19) ST Engineering has one MRO hangar in Pensacola and plans are to build three more. ST Engineering also has MRO operations in Mobile, Ala.

Contract: Lockheed, $117.1M

Lockheed Martin Corp., Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., Fort Worth, Texas, is being awarded a $117,101,550 modification (P00004) to a firm-fixed-price delivery order (N0001918F0584) previously placed against basic ordering agreement N00019-14-G-0020. This modification provides for air vehicle initial spares to include a deployment spares package, afloat spares package, and associated consumables to support air vehicle delivery schedules for the F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter aircraft in support of the Air Force and Marine Corps. Work will be performed in Fort Worth (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); North 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). Work is expected to be completed in August 2023. Fiscal 2017 aircraft procurement (Air Force and Marine Corps) funds in the amount of $117,101,550 will be obligated at time of award, all of which will expire at the end of the fiscal year. This order combines purchases for the Air Force ($88,383,883; 75 percent); and Marine Corps ($28,717,667; 25 percent). The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 04/23/19) Gulf Coast note: Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is home of the F-35 integrated training center.

Friday, April 19, 2019

Symposium wraps up

MIRAMAR BEACH, Fla. - The 22nd Gulf Power Economic Symposium wrapped up its two-day summit Thursday with talks about innovation, public/private partnerships and what factors might make a company pick one site over another. There were 638 participants at the symposium, originally scheduled for October 2018 but canceled when Hurricane Michael targeted Northwest Florida. The second day of the summit at Sandestin Beach Resort also included remarks by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who talked about the trend of people, businesses and wealth moving from highly taxed, highly regulated states to places like Florida. He said Florida has low taxes, reasonable regulations and conservative spending. "I think we're seeing more and more people who want to come and invest in Florida for those reasons," he said. DeSantis also talked about the state's approach to preparing workers for the future. He said that while Florida's university system is ranked No. 1 by U.S. News and World Report, the university path is not the only road to success. "We set a goal to make Florida No. 1 in workforce education by 2030," he said, noting that the state is now in the middle of the pack. One of the fields with high paying jobs that do not necessarily require a college degree is aerospace. "I think that in many respects were leading the way," he said about Florida's aerospace activity compared to other states. (Source: GCAC, 04/18/19)

Tuesday, April 16, 2019

ST Engineering nacelles deal

ST Engineering has been given approval by regulators in the United States to acquire GE Aviation’s nacelle unit. The Singapore group said in a statement on April 14 that the acquisition of Middle River Aircraft Systems (MRAS) will close in the week beginning April 15. The deal, worth an estimated net price of $440 million, will see ST Engineering’s US subsidiary, Vision Technologies Aerospace, acquire all the shares of Baltimore, Md.-based MRAS.MRAS is the sole supplier of certain nacelle equipment for GE engines powering the Airbus A330, Boeing 747-8, 767, Comac ARJ21 and Embraer 190. It specializes in the development, production and aftermarket support of nacelles, thrust reversers and aerostructures and employs around 800 staff. (Sources: Flightglobal, Singapore Business Review, 04/15/19, Aerospace Technology, 04/16/19) Gulf Coast note: ST Engineering has maintenance, repair and overhaul operations in Mobile, Ala., and Pensacola, Fla. It also owns VT Halter Marine shipyard in Pascagoula, Miss.

Contract: Raytheon, $19.1M

Raytheon Missile Systems Co., Tucson, Ariz., has been awarded a $19,136,527 firm-fixed-price modification (P00011) to previously awarded contract FA8675-18-C-0003 for Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM) production program. This modification provides for upgrade and commonality of AMRAAM production test equipment being produced and utilized under the basic contract. Work will be performed in Tucson and is expected to be complete by April 15, 2022. This contract involves unclassified foreign military sales to Australia, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Morocco, Poland, Qatar, Romania, Spain, and the United Kingdom. Fiscal 2017 procurement funds (Air Force and Navy) in the amount of $12,396,642; and Foreign Military Sales funds in the amount of $6,739,885, 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, 04/16/19)

Contract: UTC, $201.9M

United Technologies Corp., Pratt & Whitney Engines, East Hartford, Conn., is awarded $201,915,947 for modification P00004 to the previously awarded advance acquisition contract (N00019-18-C-1021). This modification provides for long-lead materials, parts, and components for Lot 14 F135 Propulsion systems for the F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter aircraft in support of 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 East Hartford (67 percent); Indianapolis, Ind. (26.5 percent); and Bristol, United Kingdom (6.5 percent), and is expected to be completed in April 2022. Fiscal 2019 aircraft procurement (Air Force, Marine Corps, and Navy); non-U.S. DoD participant; and FMS funds in the amount of $201,915,947 will be obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the fiscal year. This modification combines purchases for the Air Force ($68,062,565; 33.71 percent); Marine Corps ($34,923,315; 17.3 percent); Navy ($23,607,892; 11.69 percent); non-U.S. DoD participants ($66,767,551; 33.07 percent); and FMS customers ($8,554,624; 4.23 percent). The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 04/15/19) Gulf Coast note: Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is home of the F-35 integrated training center.

Contract: Boeing, $65M

The Boeing Co., St. Louis, Mo., has been awarded a $65,000,000 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for Small Diameter Bomb Increment I miniature munitions. This contract provides for integration, sustainment and support of the Small Diameter Bomb Increment I miniature munition and carriage system on various Foreign Military Sales aircraft platforms. This support includes all testing, engineering, management, technical, and logistical activities associated with Small Diameter Bomb Increment I weapon system with various aircraft and associated systems. Work will be performed in St. Louis, various Air Force test ranges, and in each respective country. Work is expected to be complete by April 15, 2029. This contract involves foreign military sales to Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Greece, Israel, South Korea, Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, Singapore and any other future country with an approved letter of offer and acceptance. This award is the result of a sole-source acquisition. Foreign Military Sales funds in the amount of $2,474,387 are being obligated on the first task order at the time of award. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is the contracting activity (FA8681-19-D-0009). (Source: DoD, 04/15/19)

Friday, April 12, 2019

Contract: Boeing, $21.6M

The Boeing Co., St. Louis, Mo., has been awarded a $21,607,000 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity modification (P00002) to previously awarded contract FA8681-18-D-0007 for GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator sustainment. This modification extends the ordering period an additional four years and increases the order ceiling price to cover the extension. Work will be performed in St. Louis, Missouri, and is expected to be complete by July 18, 2023. This modification brings the total cumulative face value of the contract to $26,407,000. No funds are being obligated at time of award. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 04/12/19)

Thursday, April 11, 2019

Tariffs would impact Airbus Mobile

The United States and the European Union are preparing to impose tariffs on each other’s products in connection with the 14-year fight over government aid given to Boeing and rival Airbus. The United States requested the authority to impose retaliatory tariffs of $11.2 billion per year, and the two sides are awaiting a decision on the level of tariffs that the United States will be authorized to levy on the European Union. The proposed tariffs would include airplane sections and parts shipped into Mobile, Ala., to build A320 series jetliners. Airbus and Boeing compete for industry dominance. Both sides have been judged by the WTO to have paid billions in subsidies to gain advantage, and have been asked to stop or face potential sanctions. (Sources: multiple, including New York Times, al.com, WKRG-TV, 04/09/19, FOX10, 04/10/19) In Brussels today, European Union countries gave initial clearance to start formal trade talks with the United States. The European Commission said it had started to draw up plans to retaliate over subsidies for U.S. planemaker Boeing. Both sides have won partial victories at the World Trade Organization in claiming the other’s planemaker received unlawful subsidies but disagree on the amount involved and whether each has complied with earlier WTO rulings. (Source: Reuters, 04/11/19)

Last of the Raiders dies

Retired Air Force Lt. Col. Richard E. “Dick” Cole, the last living member of the WWII bombing mission by the Doolittle Radiers, died April 9 in Texas at the age of 103. Cole was one of 80 Army Air Corps personnel that volunteered for the mission, a team led by then-Lt. Col. James Doolittle to strike Japan on April 18, 1942, after the sneak attack on Pearl Harbor. Sixteen B-25 bombers launched from the deck of the aircraft carrier USS Hornet. The team trained at Eglin Field in Florida for two weeks. Damage from the raid was slight, but showed that Japan was not beyond the reach of American air power. Seven of the raiders lost their lives in the mission. Cole bailed out of the B-25 after the raid while trying to reach a landing site in China. He will be interred at Arlington National Cemetery. (Source: AF Special Operations Command, 04/10/19)

Tuesday, April 9, 2019

April aerospace newsletter published

The April edition of the bi-monthly Gulf Coast Reporters League/Gulf Coast Aerospace Corridor Newsletter is now available at the website Gulf Coast Aerospace Corridor. There's a story about the National Flight Academy in Pensacola, which is piquing the interest of young people in the aerospace and aviation fields at a time that the industry is facing shortages of workers. There's also a story about the new helicopter simulators at Naval Air Station Whiting Field, near Milton, Fla., as well as an analysis on the growth of the region's aircraft assembly footprint. (Source: GCAC Newsletter, 04/09/19)

Air Force nomination

Air Force Maj. Gen. Marc H. Sasseville has been nominated for appointment to the rank of lieutenant general, and assignment as commander, Continental U.S. North American Aerospace Defense Command Region; and commander, First Air Force (Air Forces Northern), Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla. Sasseville is currently serving as deputy director, Air National Guard, Pentagon, Washington, D.C. (Source: DoD, 04/09/19)

Sunday, April 7, 2019

Test culmination of 4 years work

RS-25 lifted on A-1 test stand
NASA photo
STENNIS SPACE CENTER, Miss. - NASA conducted a successful hot fire test of an RS-25 engine Thursday, the culmination of four-plus years of testing for the RS-25 engines that will send the first four Space Launch System (SLS) rockets into space. "This completes four years of focused work by an exceptional Stennis test team," Stennis Director Rick Gilbrech said. Johnny Hefllin, deputy manager of the SLS Liquid Engines Office at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., said "Engines are now a 'go' for missions to send astronauts forward to the Moon to learn and prepare for missions to Mars. We’re ready to provide the power to explore the Moon and beyond." The RS-25 rocket engine test era began Jan. 9, 2015, with a 500-second – more than 8 minutes – hot fire of RS-25 developmental engine No. 0525 on the A-1 Test Stand at Stennis. NASA tested the first SLS flight engine on March 10, 2016. Altogether, the agency has conducted 32 developmental and flight engine tests for a total of 14,754 seconds – more than four hours – of cumulative hot fire – all on the A-1 stand at Stennis. Having launched 135 space shuttle missions, these main engines are considered the most tested engines in the world. When the Space Shuttle Program ended in 2011, NASA still had 16 engines that ultimately were modified for SLS. (Source: NASA, 04/04/19)

Saturday, April 6, 2019

Museum has Apollo 11 VR attraction

PENSACOLA, Fla. - The National Naval Aviation Museum has a new Apollo 11 virtual reality (VR) attraction designed to let visitors walk in the footsteps of Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin. The 5-minute, $10 experience includes climbing aboard the rocket — a row of 12 chairs facing a replica Houston Mission Control — where seats shake, pitch and roll to simulate the feeling of being hurled into space. After launch, riders get a 360 degree view of earth and space while heading to the moon. Animation of the historic 1969 landing allows guests to see what the astronauts might have witnessed and felt while on the moon’s surface. This year is the 50th anniversary of the moon landing. (Source: Destin Log, 04/05/19)

Thursday, April 4, 2019

Blue Angles name 2020 leader

PENSACOLA, Fla. - The Navy Blue Angels said Cmdr. Brian Kesselring will be the team's flight leader and commanding officer for the 2020 and 2021 show seasons. He will replace Capt. Eric Doyle in November when the 2019 show season ends. Kesselring will lead the team during its 75th anniversary season in 2021 and will likely oversee the transition from the F/A-18 Hornet to the Super Hornet. The Navy expects the change to happen in 2021 - the first time in 35 years the Blue Angels have changed aircraft. (Source: Pensacola News Journal, 04/02/19)

Wednesday, April 3, 2019

Contract: AECOM, $30.6M

AECOM Management Services Inc., Germantown, Md., is awarded $30,571,740 for modification P00045 to a previously awarded cost-plus-fixed-fee contract (N68335-17-C-0272). This modification provides for the procurement of aviation support equipment in support of the Fleet Readiness Centers. Work will be performed in Solomons, Md. (15 percent); North Island, Calif. (14 percent); Jacksonville, Fla. (12 percent); Cherry Point, N.C. (10 percent); Portsmouth, Va. (9 percent); El Centro, Calif. (8 percent); Lemoore, Calif. (7 percent); Beaufort, S.C. (5 percent); New Orleans, La. (5 percent); Fort Worth, Texas (5 percent); Comalapa, El Salvador (4 percent); Cheatham Annex, Va. (3 percent); Whidbey Island, Wash. (2 percent); and Futenma, Japan (1 percent). Work is expected to be completed in April 2022. Fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance (Navy); fiscal 2019 other procurement (Navy); and fiscal 2019 research, development, test and evaluation (Navy) funds in the amount of $12,635,797 are being obligated at time of award, $11,548,797 of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, Lakehurst, N.J., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 04/03/19)

Tuesday, April 2, 2019

Contract: CenturyLink, $11.4M

NASA has awarded a task order to CenturyLink, of Va., to provide support of NASA’s core backbone services including Optical Wavelength Service (OWS) and ethernet interfaces. The Communications Program (CP) Backbone Core task order is awarded against the GSA Enterprise Infrastructure Solutions (EIS) federal supply contracts. The firm-fixed price task order has a performance period consisting of an 18-month base period plus four two-year option periods, for a total order value of $11.4 million. The CP Backbone Core task order is an agency wide contract providing backbone core network support to all NASA centers and facilities through Sept. 30, 2028, if all options are exercised. The contract will be administered by the NASA Shared Services Center (NSSC) at the agency’s Stennis Space Center, Miss. The NSSC performs selected business activities for all NASA centers. (Source: NASA/NSSC, 04/01/19)

Contract: Seventh Sense, $24.6M

NASA has awarded a contract to Seventh Sense Consulting, LLC, of Woodbridge, Va., to provide Agency Wide Acquisition Support Services (AWASS) to all NASA centers. The $24.6 million firm fixed price contract has a one-year base period beginning July 1, and four one-year options which run through June 30, 2024 if all options are exercised. The AWASS contract shall provide a wide range of non-inherently governmental agency-wide acquisition support services. These services include requirements document development support, procurement administrative services, acquisition policy support, procurement operations support, procurement source selection support, cost/pricing support and contract closeout. The contract will be administered at the NSSC, located at Stennis Space Center, Miss. The NSSC performs select business activities for all NASA centers. (Source: NSA/NSSC, 04/01/19)

Contract: Boeing, $250M

The Boeing Co., Boeing Defense Space and Security, St. Louis, Mo., has been awarded a $250,000,000 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for Joint Direct Attack Munition/Laser Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM/LJDAM) technical services, aircraft integration, and sustainment. This contract provides for JDAM/LJDAM-specific activities including, but not limited to, technical services, aircraft integration, and sustainment. Work will be performed in St. Louis, and is expected to be complete by March 2029. This contract involves sales to the U.S. government (52 percent); and foreign military sales (48 percent) to various countries. Fiscal 2019 (Air Force and Navy) procurement and ammunition funds in the amount of $12,829,441 are being obligated on the first task order at the time of award. The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is the contracting activity (FA8681-19-D-0005). (Source: DoD, 04/01/19)

Contract: Peerless, $47.2M

Peerless Technologies Corp., Fairborn, Ohio, has been awarded for $47,241,075 for advisory and assistance services to support the Air Force Civil Engineering Center energy directorate. This contract provides for support of current Air Force energy policy execution, development of new plans and procedures, and implementation of future centralized energy program management endeavors. Work will be performed at Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla., and is expected to be complete by April 10, 2024. This award is the result of a competitive acquisition and four offers were received. Fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $8,328,435 are being obligated at the time of award. The Air Force Installation Contracting Agency, Joint Base San Antonio, Texas, is the contracting activity (FA8903-19-F-0126). (Source: DoD, 04/01/19)

Contract: Lockheed, $151.3M

Lockheed Martin Corp., Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., Fort Worth, Texas, is being awarded a $151,287,000 fixed-price-incentive-firm modification (P00016) to a previously awarded advance acquisition contract (N00019-17-C-0001). This modification provides for the procurement of long-lead items for the manufacture and delivery of 21 F-35 Lightning II Lot 14 low-rate initial production aircraft for the governments of Australia (15) and Norway (6). 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 Dec 2022. International partner funds in the amount of $151,287,000 will be obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract combines purchase for the governments of Australia ($108,170,000; 71 percent): and Norway ($43,117,000; 29 percent) under a cooperative agreement. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 04/01/19) Gulf Coast note: Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is home of the F-35 integrated training center.

Contract: Northrop, $12.9M

Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., San Diego, Calif., is being awarded a $12,872,342 modification (P00012) to a previously awarded fixed-price-incentive contract (N00019-17-C-0018). This modification upgrades three MQ-4C Triton aircraft from a baseline Integrated Functional Capability (IFC) 3 software configuration to a Multi-IFC 4 software configuration. Additionally, this modification updates drawings and associated technical data in support of the MQ-4C IFC software configuration upgrade. Work will be performed in Palmdale, Calif. (48 percent); San Diego, Calif. (38 percent); and Moss Point, Miss., (14 percent), and is expected to be completed in October 2021. Fiscal 2018 aircraft procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $12,872,342 will be obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 04/01/19)

Contract: Northrop, $7.2M

Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., San Diego, Calif., is being awarded a $7,241,880 advance acquisition contract modification (P00002) to a previously awarded cost-reimbursable contract (N00019-18-C-1028). This modification extends the period of performance and provides additional funding to procure long lead components, material, parts and associated efforts required to maintain the MQ-4C Triton Unmanned Aircraft System planned low rate initial production, lot 4 production schedule. Work will be performed in San Diego (25.3 percent); Baltimore, Md. (22.7 percent); Salt Lake City, Utah (20.2 percent); Bridgeport, W.Va. (8.2 percent); Red Oak, Texas (4.7 percent); Vandalia, Ohio (.2 percent); various locations within the continental U.S. (15.1 percent); and various locations outside the continental U.S. (3.6 percent), and is expected to be completed in May 2019. Fiscal 2018 aircraft procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $7,241,880 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, Maryland, is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 04/01/19) Gulf Coast note: Fuselage work on the Triton is done in Moss Point, Miss.