Florida airport expansion delayed

EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. - Financial market uncertainties led officials at Northwest Florida Regional Airport - the former Okaloosa County Airport - to delay an expansion of the ticketing area, concourse and baggage claim. The airport recently received a $250,000 grant from the Florida Department of Transportation for the first phase of work. They will likely decide later this year whether to move forward or to wait some more. (Source: Northwest Florida Daily News, 10/08/08)

New Orleans airport eyes privatization

NEW ORLEANS, La. - Even as the state ponders a possible takeover of Louis Armstrong International Airport, airport officials are exploring the idea of turning it over to private management. Airport officials laid out the idea of privatizing Armstrong at a meeting of the council's Aviation Committee on the same day the Chicago approved turning Midway Airport to a private operator. (Source: New Orleans Times-Picayune, 10/08/08)

Contract: DRS-C3, $8.7M

DRS-C3 Systems Inc., Fort Walton Beach, Fla., was awarded an $8.69 million firm fixed price contract for 564 tube-launched optically-tracked wire guided missile launchers. Work will be performed in Fort Walton Beach, with estimated completion date of July 31, 2010. U.S. Army Aviation & Missile Command, Redstone Arsenal, Ala., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 10/08/08)

Drone system delivered to Army

EADS North America delivered a jet-powered target drone system, DT35/DT45, to the Army for evaluation in the training of missile defense crews. The system delivered to McGregor Range, N.M., consists of subscale aerial targets, catapult launcher and ground control stations. The DT35/DT45 contract was awarded to Applied Geo Technologies Inc., a tribally-chartered aerospace corporation of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians. Its corporate office is in Choctaw and it operates a unit at Stennis Space Center. EADS North America is a principal subcontractor and supplier to AGT. (Source: EADS North America, 10/07/08)

Eurocopter UH-72A hits milestone

COLUMBUS, Miss. - EADS North America marked an industrial milestone for the U.S. Army's UH-72A Lakota Light Utility Helicopter program, delivering its first final assembly line aircraft from the production facility at Columbus, Miss. The Lakota is built by American Eurocopter, a business unit of EADS North America. (Source: EADS North America, 10/07/08)

FOIA request regarding F-35: $1.5M

EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. - The documents sought in a Freedom of Information Act request will take 51,428 hours to complete and cost the city of Valparaiso nearly $1.5 million. The Air Force denied a requests that the fee be waived. Valparaiso filed suit seeking records relating to BRAC, the Joint Land Use Study and draft Environmental Impact Statement. The city is concerned about the noise that a new F-35 joint training center will bring to Eglin Air Force Base. Valparaiso has not yet served the papers. (Source: Northwest Florida Daily News, 10/07/08)

Gunship commander wins award

WASHINGTON - The aircraft commander of an AC-130H Spectre gunship won the Cheney Award for providing close-air support to troops in Afghanistan in May 2007. Capt. Chad Bubanas, 18th Flight Test Squadron, Hurlburt Field, Fla., and his crew were on routine patrol when they were radioed about a crashed CH-47. The gunship provided support when survivors came under hostile fire. The Cheney Award is named for 1st Lt. William Cheney, killed in an air collision in 1918. The award is presented each year to aviators who demonstrate an act of valor, extreme fortitude or self-sacrifice in a humanitarian venture. (Source: Air Force, 10/07/08)

Panhandle hurricane threat down

EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. - The Atlantic hurricane season runs through Nov. 30, but the Eglin Air Force Base Weather Squadron is confident the threat to the Panhandle has declined sharply. Upper level winds across the Gulf of Mexico now resemble those expected in late October or November with persistent wind shear. Richard Henning, meteorologist with the 46th Weather Squadron, said that "shuts the door about a month early on any more hurricane activity that might threaten the Panhandle." (Source: Northwest Florida Daily News, 10/06/08)

Schools likely to be impacted by F-35

EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. - A new report from the Environmental Protection Agency says children may have trouble learning in five Okaloosa County schools because of the noise when F-35s are stationed at Eglin Air Force Base. It also says some homes exposed to 75 decibels or higher should be bought from willing sellers. The report was obtained by Channel 3 News. (Source: WEAR TV3, 10/06/08)

Talks continue over tanker termination fee

EADS North America and KC-45 prime contractor Northrop Grumman are still in talks with the Air Force about termination of its tanker contract. Defense Department leadership killed the award after congressional auditors cited flaws in the process in the wake of a Boeing protest. After an initial attempt to speed through a new acquisition award this year, Pentagon leaders punted to the next administration. EADS/Northrop wanted to build the planes in Mobile, Ala., and Boeing wants to build them in Washington State. (Source: Aviation Week, 10/06/08)

Navy orders EADS helicopters

The Navy has ordered five UH-72 Light Utility Helicopter to be used for pilot training at the Naval Test Pilot School at Patuxent River, Md. The Navy joins the active Army and the Army National Guard in acquiring UH-72 Lakotas. The Navy's firm fixed-price order is valued at more than $24 million. Deliveries are scheduled from October 2009 through January 2010. The aircraft are produced in Columbus, Miss., under the management of American Eurocopter. (Source: EADS North America, 10/06/08)

NASA awards future vehicles contracts

WASHINGTON - NASA has awarded research contracts worth a total of $12.4 million to six industry teams to study advanced concepts for subsonic and supersonic commercial transport aircraft that could enter service in 25 to 30 years. The teams are led by Boeing, GE Aviation, Lockheed Martin, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Northrop Grumman. The separate 18-month study contracts are valued at some $2 million each. (Source: NASA, 10/06/08)

Student-designed lunar tools sought

WASHINGTON - A new NASA contest challenges college-level students to design tools or instrument packages that could be used on the next generation of human-driven moon rovers. Full-time students enrolled in universities, colleges, trade schools, community colleges and professional schools in the United States or its territories can compete as individuals or teams. Details. (Source: NASA)

Contract: Northrop Grumman, $23.2M

Northrop Grumman Integrated Systems of San Diego, Calif., is being awarded a contract modification for $23.2 million. This action will provide for Long Lead associated with 5 Global Hawks. Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity. Portions of Global Hawk fuselages are built in Moss Point, Miss. (Source: DoD, 10/03/08)

Work begins on joint AF, Navy school

PENSACOLA, Fla. - Ground was broken Thursday at Naval Air Station Pensacola for the $45 million Air Force Navigator Training Hangar and Combat Systems Officer Instruction Facility. When finished next year, it will begin training about 400 Air Force and Navy students each year as navigators, weapons systems officers and electronic warfare officers. It replaces an Air Force school in San Antonio, Texas. (Source: Pensacola News Journal, 10/03/08)

Valparaiso delays serving suit to AF

VALPARAISO, Fla. - The city of Valparaiso has not yet served to the Air Force a lawsuit filed Sept. 22. The City Commission met in executive session Thursday after some commissioners disagreed with the decision to file the Freedom of Information Act suit. The city is seeking additional information on the Joint Strike Fighter mission at Eglin Air Force Base. Residents are concerned about noise and other issues. (Source: Northwest Florida Daily News, 10/02/08)

Avalex makes Inc. list

Aircraft display maker Avalex of Pensacola, Fla., made Inc. Magazine's 2008 list of 5,000 fastest growing private businesses in America. Avalex, which makes displays for military and surveillance aircraft, was in the 2,583rd spot with $9.2 million in reported 2007 earnings. (Source: Pensacola News Journal, 10/02/08)

Contract: Rolls-Royce, $90M

Rolls-Royce Defense Services Inc., Indianapolis, Ind., was awarded a $90.4 million contract for intermediate and depot level maintenance and related support for T-45 F405-RR-401 Adour engines at Naval Air Station Kingsville, Texas, NAS Meridian, Miss., NAS Pensacola, Fla., and NAS Patuxent River, Md., to be completed in Sept. 2013. Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 10/01/08)

Contract: DTS Aviation, $14M

The Air Force is modifying a CLINS contract with DTS Aviation Services Inc., Fort Worth, Texas, for $14 million for aircraft backshop maintenance, munitions, and equipment support for the Air Armament Center and for Air Armament and Command, Control, Communications, Computers, and Intelligence Systems Testing for 12 months. 96 CONS/MSCB, Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 10/01/08)

Northrop CEO open to split tanker buy

The Pentagon has said buying aerial tankers from both Northrop Grumman/EADS and Boeing would be too expensive, but CEO Ron Sugar of Northrop is open to the idea. He told Reuters his company would be supportive of whatever the government wants. Rep. John Murtha, D-Pa., has proposed buying from both companies. Northrop won the contract in February to assemble the tankers n Mobile, Ala., but the GAO sided with Boeing’s protest. Last month the Pentagon punted to the next administration. (Source: Reuters, 09/30/08)