Contract: CAE USA, $27.7M

CAE USA Inc., Tampa, Fla., was awarded a $27,656,384 firm-fixed-price contract for flight training services, single engine aircraft, flight simulators, real property facilities and supporting equipment. Bids were solicited via the internet with one received. Work will be performed in Dothan, Ala., with an estimated completion date of March 9, 2032. Fiscal 2024 operation and maintenance, Army funds were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Field Directorate Office, Fort Eustis, Va., is the contracting activity (W9124G-23-C-0002). (Source: DoD, 11/30/22)

Contract: L3/Vertex, $94M

L3 Communications Vertex Aerospace LLC, Madison, Miss., was awarded a $93,995,000 firm-fixed-price contract for contractor-operated and -maintained base supply of the Air Education and Training Command fleet of 177 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, 2023. This contract was a competitive acquisition, and three offers were received. Fiscal 2023 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $14,131,472 are being obligated at the time of award. The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Tinker AFB, Okla., is the contracting activity (FA8106-18-C-0001). (Source: DoD, 11/30/22)

Contract: Textron, $9M

Textron Systems Corp., New Orleans, La., is awarded a $9,021,994 firm-fixed-price contract modification to the previously awarded contract N00024-12-C-2401. This effort is to provide Major Shore Based Spares (MSBS) to support Landing Craft Air Cushion 100 class vessels at Assault Craft Unit-4. Work will be performed in Cincinnati, Ohio (83%); and Indianapolis, Ind. (17%), and is expected to be completed by April 2025. Fiscal 2020 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy) funds in the amount of $9,021,994 will be obligated at time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured in accordance with 10 U.S. Code 2304(c)(1) — only one responsible source and no other supplies or services will satisfy agency requirements. The Supervisor of Shipbuilding, Conversion, and Repair, Gulf Coast, Pascagoula, Miss., is the contracting activity (N00024-12-C-2401). (Source: DoD, 11/30/22)

Contract: Raytheon, $511.6M

Raytheon Technologies Corp., Pratt and Whitney Military Engines, East Hartford, Conn., is awarded a not-to-exceed $511,589,719 modification (P00025) to a previously awarded cost-plus-incentive-fee, cost-plus-fixed-fee, cost reimbursable, and fixed-price incentive (firm target) undefinitized contract (N0001921C0011). This modification provides for F135 propulsion system annual sustainment including recurring sustainment support, program management, financial and administrative activities, propulsion integration, replenishment spare part buys, engineering support, material management, configuration management, product management support, software sustainment, security management, joint technical data updates, support equipment management, depot level maintenance and repair for all fielded propulsion systems at the F-35 production sites and operational locations, as well as training. These efforts are in support of the F-35 Lightning II aircraft for the Air Force, Marine Corps, Navy, non-U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) participants, and Foreign Military Sales (FMS) customers. Work will be performed in East Hartford (40%); Oklahoma City, Okla. (21%); Indianapolis, Ind. (12%); Windsor Locks, Conn. (6%); West Palm Beach, Fla. (6%); Brekstad, Norway (4%); Leeuwarden, Netherlands (3%); Iwakuni, Japan (3%); Williamtown, Australia (2%); Cameri, Italy (1%); Marham, United Kingdom (1%); and Fort Worth, Texas (1%), and is expected to be completed in May 2023. Fiscal 2023 operation and maintenance (Air Force) funds in the amount of $38,863,770; fiscal 2023 operation and maintenance (Marine Corps) funds in the amount of $25,890,796; fiscal 2023 operation and maintenance (Navy) funds in the amount of $8,315,050; non-U.S. DOD participant funds in the amount of $23,125,291; and FMS funds in the amount of $12,102,937 will be obligated at time of award, $73,069,616 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, 11/29/22) Gulf Coast note: Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is home of an F-35 training center and reprogramming labs.

Contract: Raytheon, $114.5M

Raytheon Technologies Corp., Pratt Whitney Military Engine, East Hartford, Conn., is awarded a not-to-exceed $114,500,000 cost-plus-fixed-fee undefinitized order (N0001923F0019) against a previously issued basic ordering agreement (N0001921G0005). This order provides supplies or services for design engineering, program management support, technology maturation, risk reduction, long lead material and hardware, and weapons system integration to support F135 engine enhancement efforts for the F-35 Lightning II program. Work will be performed in East Hartford (85%); and Indianapolis, Ind. (15%), and is expected to be completed in September 2024. Fiscal 2022 research, development, test and evaluation (Air Force) funds in the amount of $56,000,000 will be obligated at the time of award, all 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, 11/29/22) Gulf Coast note: Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is home of an F-35 training center and reprogramming labs.

Contract: Raytheon Missiles, $84M

Raytheon Missiles and Defense, Tucson, Ariz., was awarded an $84,087,924 modification (P00025) to contract W15QKN-19-C-0017 for procurement of 155mm Excalibur Increment Ib projectiles. Work will be performed in Healdsburg, Calif.; Karlskoga, Sweden; East Camden, Ariz.; Cedar Rapids, Iowa; Plymouth, United Kingdom; Cincinnati, Ohio; Glenrothes, Scotland; Salt Lake, City Utah; Joplin, Mo.; Gilbert, Ariz.; Lansdale, Pa.; Santa Clara, Calif.; Santa Ana, Calif.; Trenton, Texas; Valencia, Calif.; Cookstown, N.J.; Tucson; Phoenix, Ariz.; Anniston, Ala.; Chino, Calif.; Inglewood, Calif.; McAlester, Okla.; and Farmington, N.M., with an estimated completion date of April 29, 2024. Fiscal 2022 other procurement, Army funds in the amount of $84,087,924 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Newark, N.J., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 11/29/22)

Contract: FCN, $15.2M

FCN Inc., Rockville, Md., was awarded a $15,218,715 fixed-fee contract for the Elastic License Bundle. This contract provides for the Elastic License Bundle, which includes unlimited Enterprise resource unit software licenses, consulting services, professional annual training subscriptions, monthly training courses, and warranty coverage in support of the Cyberspace Vulnerability Assessment/Hunter weapon system. Work will be performed at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland and Chapman Annex, San Antonio, Texas; Scott Air Force Base, Ill.; and Hurlburt Field, Fla., and is expected to be completed by Nov. 29, 2023. This contract was a competitive acquisition, and three offers were received. Fiscal 2023 procurement funds in the amount of $15,218,715 are being obligated at time of award. The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Joint-Base San Antonio-Lackland, is the contracting activity. (Contract NNG15SC71B, Task Order FA8307-23-F-0008). (Source: DoD, 11/28/22)

Contract: Weeks Marine, $31.2M

Weeks Marine Inc. Covington, La., was awarded a $31,197,575 firm-fixed-price contract for beach renourishment. Bids were solicited via the internet with three received. Work will be performed in Fenwick, Del., with an estimated completion date of Aug. 29, 2023. Fiscal 2023 civil construction funds in the amount of $31,197,575 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Philadelphia, Pa., is the contracting activity (W912BU-23-C-0002). (Source; DoD, 11/23/22)

Contract: Accord Federal Services, $8.7M

Accord Federal Services, Knoxville, Tenn., was awarded an $8,729,277 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for logistics support services. Bids were solicited via the internet with 14 received. Work will be performed at Fort Rucker, Ala., with an estimated completion date of Nov. 30, 2023. Fiscal 2023 operation and maintenance, defense-wide funds in the amount of $91,007 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Rock Island Arsenal, Ill., is the contracting activity (W519TC-23-F-0022). (Source: DoD, 11/22/22) 

Contract: Lockheed, $47.3M

Lockheed Martin Corp., Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., Fort Worth, Texas, is awarded a $47,345,839 firm-fixed-price modification (P00015) to a previously awarded, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract (N0001919D0015). This modification exercises an option to procure Ancillary Mission Equipment in support of F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Lot 17 production aircraft for the Air Force, Marine Corps, Navy, Foreign Military Sales customers, and non-U.S. Department of Defense participants. Work will be performed in Fort Worth and is expected to be completed in December 2025. No funds are being obligated at time of award and funds will be obligated on individual orders as they are issued. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 11/22/22) Gulf Coast note: Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is home of an F-35 training center and reprogramming labs.

LSU to oversee Space Camp development

BATON ROUGE, La. - Louisiana State University is set to oversee development of Louisiana Space Campus, central hub for space-related industries that will be located in East New Orleans. LSU will be one of the major partners in the development of the campus, according to Bob Fudickar, executive director of the National Center for Advanced Manufacturing. The Space Campus was announced in a March 10, 2021, press release by Gov. John Bel Edwards. The campus will target commercial office development for tenants of the Michoud Assembly Center, a New Orleans facility where NASA contractors build space vehicles, like the Space Launch System and Orion capsule. It will seek to bring in new partners from both the commercial and private sectors. LSU will be the administrator of the Space Campus, which will be located in a 50-acre plot near the heart of the 829-acre Michoud Assembly Facility. According to Fudickar, many of the buildings at Michoud date back to the 1940s, so the more modern Space Campus will likely be very appealing to companies like Boeing and Lockheed Martin to move their offices to the Space Campus. Fudickar said the governor’s goal for the Space Campus is to expand job opportunities in the state and to increase Louisiana’s presence in the space industry, with $40 million being devoted to the Space Campus. The state, according to Fudickar, is set to cover half and the Baton Rouge Area Foundation, a nonprofit which seeks to further develop the state, will cover the other half of the price tag. (Source: LSU Reveille, 11/17/22) Previous

Artemis launches

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - The historic Artemis I mission took flight in the early hours of Wednesday morning, kicking off a journey that will send an uncrewed spacecraft around the moon, paving the way for NASA to return astronauts to the lunar surface for the first time in half a century. The 322-foot-tall Space Launch System (SLS) lit its engines at 1:47 a.m. ET. It emitted up to 9 million pounds of thrust to haul itself off the launchpad. Atop the rocket was the Orion spacecraft, which broke away from the rocket after reaching space. Orion is designed to carry humans, but its passengers for this test mission are mannequins collecting vital data to help future live crews. Orion will come within about 60 miles of the lunar surface during its close flyby next week. The white, bell-shaped capsule has embarked on a 25-day test flight that will take it around the moon and back, an approximately 1.2-million-mile trip.(Source: multiple, including CNN, NPR, 11/16/22) Gulf Coast note: The SLS and Orion were built at Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans and the engines that launched the SLS were tested at Stennis Space Center, Miss.

Contract: Johns Hopkins, $150M

Johns Hopkins University, Laurel, Md., has been awarded a $150,001,000, cost-plus-fixed-fee, firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity modification (P00003) to contract FA8656-20-D-0005 for Air Warfare Systems. The contract modification provides services for advanced development, acquisition, and test and evaluation of aerospace systems, to include munitions, cyber warfare and electronic warfare elements. Work will be performed in Laurel and is expected to be completed July 31, 2026. No funds are being obligated at the time of award. Total cumulative face value of the contract is $250,000,000. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 11/14/22)

Contract: Lockheed, $27.6M

Lockheed Martin Corp., a Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., Fort Worth, Texas, is awarded a $27,584,830 cost-plus-incentive-fee undefinitized modification (P00078) to a previously awarded contract (N0001919C0010). This modification adds scope for the production and delivery of long-lead material in support of Band 2/5 Radar Warning Receiver integration from preliminary design review to development test complete, and associated mission data file development for the Common Reprogramming Tool for the F-35 Program. Work will be performed in Baltimore, Md. (99%); and Fort Worth (1%), and is expected to be completed in February 2025. Fiscal 2022 research, development, test and evaluation (Air Force) funds in the amount of $3,318,920; fiscal 2022 research, development, test and evaluation (Navy) funds in the amount of $3,318,920; and non-U.S. Department of Defense partner funds in the amount of $1,462,160 will be obligated at the time of award, $6,637,840 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, 11/14/22) Gulf Coast note: Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is home of an F-35 training center and reprogramming labs.

Contract: Lockheed, $11.5M

Lockheed Martin Corp., Fort Worth, Texas, is awarded an $11,506,002 cost-plus-fixed-fee modification (P00060) to a previously awarded contract (N0001918C1048). This modification exercises an option to extend services to provide ongoing sustainment services and outcomes, to include supporting daily flight operations with the Freedom of Action specific capabilities required at various F-35 operating sites for the government of the United Kingdom. Work will be performed in Fort Worth and is expected to be completed in March 2023. Non-U.S. Department of Defense participant funds in the amount of $11,506,002 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, 11/10/22) Gulf Coast note: Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is home of an F-35 training center and reprogramming labs.

F-15EX undergoes acoustic testing

EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. - The Air Force has conducted a series of ground and flight acoustic sound testing for the F-15EX fighter. The two-week testing was conducted at Eglin Air Force Base range. This marks the first time that such in-depth digital acoustic testing was carried out on a USAF’s F-15 model and GE-129 engines. The tests were initiated by the Department of Defense specifically for the F-15EX fighter jet, as it is a new model in the USAF’s inventory. (Sources: Eglin Air Force Base, 11/07/22, Airforce Technology, 11/08/22) Previous

Contract: Mike Hooks, $49M

Mike Hooks LLC, Westlake, La., was awarded a $49,000,000 firm-fixed-price contract for rental of a cutterhead pipeline dredge for dredging projects in Alabama, Mississippi and Florida. Bids were solicited via the internet with two received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of Jan. 8, 2024. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Mobile, Ala., is the contracting activity (W91278-23-D-0026). (Source: DoD, 11/08/22)

Rocket Lab cuts ribbon at SSC

STENNIS SPACE CENTER, Miss. - NASA’s Stennis Space Center (SSC) and Rocket Lab USA cut the ribbon Nov. 4 on a new agreement for the aerospace company to locate its engine test complex at the rocket propulsion site in South Mississippi. NASA, Rocket Lab, and key elected officials gathered in the Stennis Test Complex for an official ribbon-cutting ceremony to mark launch of the 10-year agreement. Rocket Lab expects to make a substantial capital investment in the project in upcoming years and also create dozens of jobs. With the new agreement, the A-3 Test Stand and about 24 surrounding acres at SSC will be incorporated into the Archimedes Test Complex. Archimedes is Rocket Lab’s new liquid oxygen and liquid methane rocket engine that will power its large, reusable Neutron rocket. The Mississippi Development Authority is providing assistance for Rocket Lab to develop the new site and to relocate and install needed equipment. (Source: NASA/SSC, 11/04/22) Previous

Contract: Lockheed, $765.2M

Lockheed Martin Corp., Fort Worth, Texas, is awarded a not-to-exceed $765,158,560 firm-fixed-price, cost-plus-fixed-fee, undefinitized indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract. This contract provides for site activation/hardware requirements in support of first aircraft arrival, initial operation capability, and full operational capability milestone events, to include site activation events, support equipment, pilot flight equipment, and post ejection survival training  material, as well as contract management, planning and readiness reviews and associated non-recurring introduction to service activities in support of F-35A, F-35B, and F-35C aircraft initial sustainment activities for the Air Force, Marine Corps, Navy, non-Department of Defense participants and Foreign Military Sales customers. Work will be performed in El Segundo, Calif. (52%); Orlando, Fla. (44%); Fort Worth (3%); and Lancashire, United Kingdom (1%), and is expected to be completed in December 2024. No funds will be obligated at the time of award; funds will be obligated on individual orders as they are issued. 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 (N0001923D0010). (Source: DoD, 11/04/22) Gulf Coast note: Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is home of an F-35 training center and reprogramming labs.

AFSOC gets final AC-130J

HURLBURT FIELD, Fla. - Air Force Special Operations Command received its 31st and final AC-130J Ghostrider, completing the command’s transition from the legacy AC-130W, AC-130U and AC-130H fleets. There was a commemoration ceremony at the Lockheed Martin Gunship Modification Facility in Crestview Nov. 2. At the conclusion of the ceremony, the new AC-130J took off for Cannon Air Force Base, N.M., where it will become part of the 27th Special Operations Wing. The AC-130J is a transport aircraft modified for special forces operations and has been used to support AFSOC in missions around the world. It is a fifth-generation gunship that can provide close air support, air interdiction and armed reconnaissance. (Source: AFSOC, 11/03/22)

Contract: Coastal Helicopters, $17.6M

Coastal Helicopters Inc., Panama City, Fla., is awarded a $17,648,526, firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for flight test support of suitable airborne platforms for ongoing testing of sensor systems. This contract includes a base year of 12 months and four 12-month option periods. Work will be performed in Panama City (70%); Fort Walton, Fla. (25%); and outside the continental U.S. (5%), and is expected to be completed by November 2023. If all options are exercised, work will continue through November 2027. This contract will be funded from fiscal 2023 research, development, training, and evaluation funds with a ceiling of $17,648,526; however, no funding will be obligated at contract award. This contract was not competitively procured via the Federal Business Opportunities website per 10 U.S. Code 2304(c)(1). Coastal Helicopter Inc. is the only source with the required capabilities. The Naval Surface Warfare Center Panama City Division, Panama City, is the contracting activity (N61331-22-D-0001). (Source: DoD, 11/01/22)