Contract: UTC, $522M

United Technologies Corp., Pratt & Whitney Military Engines, East Hartford, Conn., is awarded a $521,996,409 undefinitized contract modification (P00070) to a previously awarded cost-plus-incentive-fee, cost-plus-fixed-fee and fixed-price-incentive-firm-target contract (N00019-17-C-0010). This modification provides performance based logistics sustainment in support of the F-35 Lightning II F135 propulsion system for the Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, non-Department of Defense (DoD) participants and foreign military sales (FMS) customers. Work will be performed in East Hartford (73%); Oklahoma City, Okla. (18%); Camari, Italy (3%); Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. (2%); Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. (1%); Hill Air Force Base, Utah (1%); Luke Air Force Base, Ariz. (1%); and Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, S.C. (1%), and is expected to be completed in November 2020. Fiscal 2020 operation and maintenance (Air Force) funds for $72,261,440 will be obligated at time of award, all of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This modification combines purchases for the Air Force ($179,272,654; 34%); Marine Corps ($134,605,633; 26%); Navy ($29,758,385; 6%); non-DoD participants ($124,483,008; 24%), and FMS customers ($53,876,729; 10%) under the FMS Program. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 11/27/19)

Contract: Raytheon, $386M

The Raytheon Co., Tucson, Ariz., has been awarded a $386,000,000 contract modification (P00001) to the previously awarded contract FA8681-18-D-0001 for the total package approach (TPA) to the Paveway Family of Weapons. The contract action provides a TPA for Paveway-specific activities including, but not limited to: studies, production, certification, integration and sustainment. This modification increases the ceiling of the indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract from the previously awarded amount of $110,000,000 to $496,000,000. Work will be performed at Tucson, Arizona; and Air Force test ranges. This modification involves 100% foreign military sales to countries with active cases to acquire Paveway weapon systems or have expressed interest in the Paveway Family of Weapons. The total cumulative face value of the contract is $496,000,000. Foreign Military Sales funds are being used and no funds are being obligated at the time of award. The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Direct Attack Branch, Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 11/20/19)

Contract: L3, $77.2M

L3 Communications Vertex Aerospace LLC, Madison, Miss., has been awarded a $77,247,414 firm-fixed-price contract for contractor operated and maintained base supply of the Air Education and Training Command fleet of 178 T-1A trainer aircraft. Work will be performed at Randolph Air Force Base, Texas; Laughlin AFB, Texas; Vance AFB, Okla.; Columbus AFB, Miss., and Pensacola Naval Air Station, Fla., and is expected to be completed by Nov. 30, 2020. This award is the result of a competitive acquisition and three offers were received. Fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance funds in the amount $15,787,799 are being obligated at the time of award. The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Tinker Air Force Base, Okla., is the contracting activity (FA8106-18-C-0001). (Source: DoD, 11/20/19)

Contract: Schmidt-Prime, $30M

Schmidt-Prime Group LLC, Pensacola, Fla., is awarded a $30,000,000 maximum amount firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity architect-engineering contract for professional architectural and engineering services in the Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) Southeast area of operations (AO). The work to be performed provides for preparation of professional architectural and engineering services for preparation of design-bid-build documents and design-build request for proposals for various project types at Department of Defense (DoD) and non-DoD activities in the NAVFAC Southeast AO. Initial task order is being awarded at $441,467 to provide engineering services to update the installation DD Form 1391 project documentation and prepare the region team final DD Form 1391 for the Advanced Helicopter Training System at Naval Air Station, Whiting Field, Milton, Fla. Work for this task order is expected to be completed by March 2020. All work on this contract will be performed at various Navy and Marine Corps installations in the NAVFAC Southeast AO including, but not limited to, Florida (20%); Georgia (17%); South Carolina (15%); Louisiana (10%); Mississippi (10%); Texas (10%); Andros Island, Bahamas (5%); Guantanamo Bay, Cuba (5%); Tennessee (3%); Alabama (1%); Arkansas (1%); Kansas (1%); Missouri (1%); and Oklahoma (1%), and is expected to be completed by November 2024. Fiscal 2019 military construction (MILCON, Navy) contract funds in the amount of $441,467 are obligated on this award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Future task orders will be primarily funded by operation and maintenance and MILCON, Navy. This contract was competitively procured via the Navy Electronic Commerce Online website with 26 proposals received. NAVFAC Southeast, Jacksonville, Fla., is the contracting activity (N69450-20-D-0002). (Source: DoD, 11/20/19)

Contract: Lockheed, $831M

Lockheed Martin Corp., Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., Fort Worth, Texas, is awarded an $831,008,187 modification to a previously awarded fixed-price-incentive-firm-target, firm-fixed-price contract (N00019-17-C-0001). This modification provides for the production and delivery of 15 lot 14 F-35A aircraft and associated red gear in support of the Government of Australia. Work will be performed in Fort Worth (59%); El Segundo, Calif. (14%); Warton, United Kingdom (9%); Cameri, Italy (4%); Orlando, Fla. (4%); Nashua, N.H. (3%); Baltimore, Md. (3%); San Diego, Calif. (2%); and various locations outside the continental U.S. (2%), and is expected to be completed in March 2023. Non-U.S. Department of Defense participant funds in the amount of $831,008,187 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, 11/26/19) Gulf Coast note: Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., has an F-35 training center.

Contract: Lockheed, $328M

Lockheed Martin Corp., Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., Fort Worth, Texas, is awarded a $327,950,000 fixed-price-incentive-firm-target advance acquisition contract to procure long lead material, parts and components in support of the Lot 15 production and delivery of 48 F-35A Lightning II aircraft for the Air Force. Work will be performed in Fort Worth (35%); El Segundo, Calif. (25%); Warton, United Kingdom (20%); Orlando, Fla. (10%); Nashua, N.H. (5%); and Baltimore, Md. (5%), and is expected to be completed in June 2023. Fiscal 2020 aircraft procurement (Air Force) funds in the amount of $327,950,000 will be obligated at time of award, none of which will 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 (N00019-20-C-0009). (Source: DoD, 11/26/19) Gulf Coast note: Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., has an F-35 training center.

VT 86 has command change

NAVAL AIR STATION PENSACOLA, Fla. - The "Sabrehawks" of Training Squadron (VT) 86 held a change-of-command ceremony Nov. 14 at Naval Air Station Pensacola, where Cmdr. Eric Reeves relieved Cmdr. Joshua Fuller as commanding officer. During his tenure, Fuller saw 224 Naval Flight Officers received their Wings of Gold and together accumulated more than 19,000 hours in the T-45C Goshawk jet trainer. Fuller, a graduate of Samford University in Alabama, earned his wings in December 2001. Reeves is a native of Baldwinsville, N.Y., and a Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute graduate earning his commission through the Navy ROTC program. He earned his wings in 2003 as a naval flight officer. Cmdr. George Zintak, a native of Chicago, will assume the role of executive officer. VT-86 graduates complete follow-on training with fleet replacement squadrons to prepare them for future fleet aircraft including the F/A-18 Hornet/Super Hornet and E/A-18G Growler. (Source: Chief of Naval Air Training, 11/22/19)

35,000th helicopter aviator winged

NAVAL AIR STATION WHITING FIELD, Fla. – Training Air Wing (TRAWING) 5 celebrated a milestone in naval aviation when the 35,000th rotary wing student naval aviator walked across the stage at Naval Air Station Whiting Field to receive his "Wings of Gold" Nov. 22. Lt. j.g. Robert Woods, a native of Northlake, Ill., walked off the stage at the Lassen Auditorium as the Navy’s newest helicopter pilot. He joined 22 other students in achieving the designation. Woods will go on to fly the MH-60R Sea Hawk helicopter with the Airwolves of Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron Forty in Jacksonville, Fla. TRAWING 5 conducts primary flight training and advanced rotary training at NAS Whiting Field. The wing flew 129,937 hours in fiscal year 2019, which accounts for 46 percent of all of Chief of Naval Air Training (CNATRA) hours and 15 percent of all United States Navy flight hours. It is responsible for training all Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard helicopter pilots and winged 457 rotary wing aviators in fiscal year 2019.(Source: Naval Air Station Whiting Field, 11/22/19)

Contract: Raytheon, $72M

Raytheon Missiles Systems Co., Tucson, Ariz., has been awarded a $72,000,000 cost-plus, fixed-fee, cost-plus-incentive fee, firm-fixed price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for advanced medium range air to air missile (AMRAAM) technical support. The contractor will provide technical services and analysis supporting the AMRAAM weapon system. Work will be performed in Tucson and is expected to be completed by Sept. 30, 2025. This award is the result of a sole source acquisition. No funds are being obligated on the action at the time of award. Concurrently, the first task order will be awarded with $238,173 in fiscal 2019 missile procurement funds. The Air Force Lifecycle Management Center, Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is the contracting activity (FA8675-20-D-0010). (Source: DoD, 11/22/19)

Contract: Raytheon, $11M

Raytheon Missile Systems Co., Tucson, Ariz., has been awarded a $10,954,391 fixed-price incentive (firm) modification (P00018) to previously awarded contract FA8675-18-C-0003 for Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM) Production program. This modification provides for acceptance of a voluntary value-engineering change proposal resulting in non-recurring engineering costs for qualification of a second source for the AMRAAM Integrated Wing Restraint rocket motor. Work will be performed in Tucson and is expected to be complete by Dec. 15, 2021. This contract involves foreign military sales to Japan, South Korea, Australia, Indonesia, Spain, United Kingdom, Poland, Romania and Morocco. The total cumulative face value of the contract is $1,252,588,656. Fiscal 2018 missile procurement funds (Air Force and Navy) in the amount of $7,096,254; and Foreign Military Sales funds in the amount of $3,858,137 are being obligated at the time of award. The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 11/22/19)

Contract: UTC, $762.5M

United Technologies Corp., Pratt and Whitney Engines, East Hartford, Conn., is awarded a $762,486,023 modification (P00014) to a previously awarded fixed-price-incentive-fee contract (N00019-18-C-1021). This modification exercises options for the Lot 14 production and delivery of 48 F135-PW-100 propulsion systems for the Air Force and 10 F135-PW-600 propulsion systems for the Marine Corps. Work will be performed in East Hartford (85.3%); Indianapolis, Ind. (11.8%); and Bristol, United Kingdom (2.9%), and is expected to be completed in April 2022. Fiscal 2020 aircraft procurement (Air Force and Marine Corps) funds in the amount of $762,486,023 will be obligated at the time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This modification combines purchases for the Air Force ($521,507,748; 68%); and the Marine Corps ($240,978,275; 32%). The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 11/21/19) Gulf Coast note: Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is home of the F-35 integrated training center.

Airman's medal upgraded

HURLBURT FIELD, Fla. - Air Force Chief Master Sgt. Chris Grove, a special tactics combat controller assigned as the 720th Special Tactics Group based at Hurlburt Field, Fla., was awarded the nation’s third-highest medal for gallantry against an armed enemy during a ceremony this month. Grove was originally awarded the Bronze Star in October 2008, but due to a review of awards within the 24th Special Operations Wing, the award was upgraded to a Silver Star. The action occurred in November 2007 during a reconnaissance patrol in Afghanistan. Grove was able to call in air strikes against the Taliban that had taken uphill positions, delivering thousands of pounds of munition and securing the safety of his joint and partner forces. Lt. Gen. Jim Slife, commander of Air Force Special Operations Command, presented the medal during a ceremony, November 15 at Hurlburt Field. (Source: 24th Special Opertions Wing, 11/15/19)

Contract: Raytheon, $18.6M

Raytheon Co. Missile Systems Division, Tucson, Ariz., has been awarded an $18,569,662 modification (P00003) exercising the first option year of three options to previously awarded FA8675-19-C-0004 for fiscal 2020 High-speed Anti-Radiation Missile (HARM) Targeting System (HTS) Contractor Logistics Support (CLS) services. The contract modification is for HTS POD CLS depot repairs and sustainment activities. Work will be performed at Tucson and is expected to be completed by Nov. 30, 2020. The total cumulative face value of the contract is $37,260,817. Fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $18,569,662 are being obligated at the time of award. The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 11/14/19)

Four engines mated to core

NEW ORLEANS, La. -- All four RS-25 engines were mated to the core stage of NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) rocket for Artemis I, the first mission of SLS and NASA's Orion spacecraft. Engineers and technicians at Michoud Assembly Facility are now integrating the propulsion and electrical systems within the structure. The stage, which includes two huge propellant tanks, provides more than 2 million pounds of thrust to send Artemis I to the Moon. The fourth engine was attached Nov. 6 just one day after structurally mating the third engine. The first two RS-25 engines were structurally mated to the stage in October. After assembly is complete, crews will conduct an integrated functional test of flight computers, avionics and electrical systems that run throughout the 212-foot-tall core stage in preparation for its completion later this year.(Sources: Spaceref, 11/11/19, Scitechdaily, 11/08/19)

Missing airman identified

The Air Force identified the missing airman who fell out of a C-130 over the Gulf of Mexico during a training exercise as 29-year-old Special Tactics combat controller Staff Sgt. Cole Condiff. The Dallas native fell about 1,500 feet from the plane Tuesday during a parachute training exercise south of the Florida Panhandle. His parachute was deployed and he was seen treading water after the fall. Condiff was with the 23rd Special Tactics Squadron, 24th Special Operations Wing at Hurlburt Field, Fla. The recovery operation continues. (Source: multiple, including ABC News, 11/10/19) Previous

Contract: UTS Systems, $200M

UTS Systems LLC, Fort Walton Beach, Fla., has been awarded a maximum $200,000,000 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for commercial shelters. This is a one-year base contract with three one-year option periods. Location of performance is Florida, with a Nov. 7, 2020, performance completion date. Using military services are Army, Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2020 through 2021 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pa. (SPE1C1-20-D-1210). (Source: DoD, 11/08/19)

Airman missing after fall from plane

An Air Force airman who fell out of the C-130 he was flying in over the Gulf of Mexico remains missing. Rescue crews were searching for the man in a 700-square-mile area south of the Florida Panhandle, about two nautical miles offshore between Destin and Pensacola, Fla. The plane was based at Hurlburt Field, Fla., near Mary Esther. Officials received the report that the airman fell into the water on Tuesday around 11:30 a.m. The staff sergeant was in training at the time and fell from the aircraft at about 1,500 feet, Pensacola station WEAR reported. Others in the plane saw the airman's parachute deploy and that he was treading water once he landed. (Sources: multiple, including ABCNews, NBCNews, 11/06/19)

Blue Angels homecoming

NAVAL AIR STATION PENSACOLA, Fla. - The Blue Angels cap another season of nationwide air show performances with a Homecoming Air Show Friday and Saturday at Naval Air Station Pensacola. There will be three shows over the two days. Gates open at 8 a.m. both Friday and Saturday for the day shows, which begin at about 9:30 a.m. The Blue Angels fly at about 2 p.m. both days. The Friday night show is from 4 until 6:30 p.m., a show that does not include the Blue Angels. (Source: Pensacola News Journal, 11/05/19) The team is headquartered at NAS Pensacola.