Goodrich hosts job fair

FOLEY, Ala. - Foley's Goodrich Aerostructures plant is hosting a job fair Saturday to find workers to construct housing for Airbus engines. Baldwin County's largest industrial employer with some 800 workers, Goodrich is looking to hire 40 workers who have experience in heavy construction, automotive, sheet metal or heating/air conditioning. In the apprenticeship, workers would learn to construct a nacelle, the cover housing that encases the engine for the Airbus A320. The new jobs came about because of increased demand. (Source: Mobile Press-Register, 11/15/11)

Senators: Further cuts unacceptable

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., and Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., pointed to Defense Secretary Leon Panetta's dire description of the impact of further cuts in defense spending as the latest evidence that up to $600 billion in automatic defense spending cuts "should not be allowed to occur." The senators' comments came in response to a letter Panetta sent Monday listing cuts in weapons programs, end strength and the civilian workforce that likely would occur under a worst-case budget scenario. (Source: Defense Communities 360, 11/14/11) Meanwhile, Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas, is urging the congressional deficit-reduction supercommittee to consider closing unneeded overseas bases, rather than slashing force structure or weapons systems. Last year, the president's bipartisan deficit reduction commission estimated that responsible overseas base closings could save taxpayers $8.5 billion through 2015. (Source: Defense Communities 360, 11/14/11)

Panetta: F-35, shipbuilding at risk

Two military programs of high interest to the Gulf Coast, shipbuilding and the F-35, could be at risk with additional defense cuts. In a letter to Sens. John McCain and Lindsey Graham, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said reductions beyond the $450 billion, 10-year defense budget cuts already planned would reduce the size of the military sharply. If a special committee of lawmakers fails to reach agreement by Nov. 23 on deficit reduction, that would trigger a so-called sequestration that would involve at least another $500 billion in defense cuts over a decade and cut military programs in 2013 by 23 percent. In addition to the F-35, other programs that face termination include shipbuilding, space initiatives, silo-based nuclear missiles and ground combat vehicle modernization. (Source: Bloomberg via Business Week, 11/14/11) Gulf Coast note: The F-35 training center is at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla.; Gulfport and Pascagoula, Miss., and Mobile, Ala., build ships for the military.

GE gets orders for engines

GE90-115B engine. GE Aviation photo

At the Dubai Air Show Monday, the United Arab Emirates announced that it ordered 50 aircraft powered by two GE90-115B engines, and agreed to a 12-year maintenance, repair and overhaul contract for those engines. The total value over the life of the contract is $6 billion. The order will have an impact on multiple GE Aviation operations nationwide, including the 258-worker GE Aviation plant in Batesville, Miss. Workers there manufacture composite engine parts – fan stator, acoustic panels and fan platforms – for the GE90. (Source: GE Aviation, 11/14/11) Gulf Coast note: GE Aviation is also building a composite engine parts facility in Hattiesburg, Miss., and Auburn, Ala.

Airbus, Boeing see demand hike

Rivals Boeing and Airbus both anticipate a huge demand increase in the Middle East over the next 20 years for passenger and cargo aircraft. Airbus' latest Global Market forecast says carriers in the Middle East will need 1,921 new passenger and freighter aircraft between 2011 and 2030 valued at $347.4 billion. Boeing forecasts that airlines in the Middle East will need an estimated 2,520 airplanes worth $450 billion by 2030. The forecasts come as the region's carriers continue to surpass global air traffic and capacity growth rates. (Sources: Boeing, EADS/Airbus, 11/14/11) Gulf Coast note: Speakers at the Aerospace Alliance Summit in Sandestin, Fla., in September also projected growth. An Airbus official said there would be a demand worldwide for 26,000 new commercial aircraft; another from GE Aviation noted the company is opening new facilities in Mississippi and Alabama because of the backlog and expected growth of the industry.

U.S. astronaut aboard Soyuz

U.S. astronaut Dan Burbank has become the first American to fly to the International Space Station since the retirement of space shuttle fleet. Burbank and Russian cosmonauts Anton Shkaplerov and Anatoly Ivanishin launched Sunday (Monday Kazakhstan time) from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. They'll dock with the ISS Tuesday. NASA is paying the Russian Federal Space Agency $1.5 billion to fly U.S. and partner nation astronauts while waiting for U.S. commercial companies to begin round-trip supply missions, likely no earlier than 2016. (Sources: Florida Today, NASA, 11/13/11) Gulf Coast note: Stennis Space Center, Miss., tests NASA and commercial rocket engines.

Hotel on AF land raises concerns

Resort owners who will be competing against a proposed hotel on Air Force land on Okaloosa Island, Fla., are raising some concerns. They're concerned about the bidding process, and whether other Eglin Air Force Base holdings on the island might end up on the market. The $24 million hotel is to be built, owned and run by the developers, though the land will remain in military hands. (Source: Northwest Florida Daily News, 11/12/11) Previous story

A growing aerospace footprint

The past few months have brought some encouraging developments for South Mississippi's aerospace activities. That includes NASA's plans to build heavy-lift rocket using space shuttle main engines and the J-2X engines that are tested at Stennis Space Center, and the transfer of the former Mississippi Army Ammunition Plant to NASA, adding a 1.6 million-square-foot facility to NASA's inventory at SSC. Other activities include GE Aviation's plans to build a plant near Hattiesburg, and other developments. (Source: Sun Herald, 11/13/11)

BAE closing Texas plant

BAE Systems plans to close its commercial aircraft electronics manufacturing plant in Irving, Texas, next year, resulting in the loss of 160 jobs. The company in March 2009 began shifting much of the work done at the plant to Fort Wayne, Ind., and Mexico. BAE has surplus capacity in Fort Wayne, the company said. (Source: Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 11/10/11) Gulf Coast note: BAE Systems has multiple operations in the Gulf Coast, including Gautier, Miss., Mobile, Ala., and Fort Walton Beach, Fla.

Coast Guard trains with A-Team

A crew from the Coast Guard Aviation Training Center in Mobile, Ala., last month trained with the Special Forces Operational Detachment Alpha, called the A-Team, and the 7th Special Forces Group of Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., in series of high altitude jumps from an HC-144A Ocean Sentry. ATC Mobile requested a waiver from Coast Guard Headquarters to allow parachute jumps from the Ocean Sentry. Daytime jumps were done at Eglin and near Meridian, Miss., and night insertion jumps were done around Foley, Ala. It was all in preparation for the 7th Group's unconventional warfare exercise Oct. 26 through Nov. 12. (Source: Coast Guard Heartland, 11/07/11) The HC-144, based on a CN-235 transport, is a medium-range surveillance aircraft manufactured by Airbus Military.

Whiting gets new commander

MILTON, Fla. - Capt. Matthew Coughlin took over from Capt. Pete Hall as commanding officer at Naval Air Station Whiting Field. The change of command ceremony, attended by about 400 people, was Thursday at the air station near Milton. Coughlin's first time at the base was 22 years ago. He received his wings in 1990. (Source: Pensacola News Journal, 11/10/11) Whiting Field trains student naval aviators in the primary and intermediate phases of fixed-wing aviation and in the advanced phases of helicopter training.

Shuttle gear bound for SSC

The 266-foot-long Pegasus barge, used to transport space shuttle external tanks from Michoud Assembly Facility, New Orleans, to Kennedy Space Center, Fla., is on its way to NASA's Stennis Space Center, Miss. Pegasus, which will arrive at SSC Nov. 16 after a 900-mile journey, is carrying space shuttle main engine ground support equipment. The NASA barge and shuttle equipment will remain in storage at SSC until final disposition is determined. Pegasus left Kennedy manned by a crew of four and towed by NASA's space shuttle solid rocket booster recovery ship Freedom Star. The barge sailed 41 times between 1999 and 2011 for the shuttle program. The shuttle main engine ground support equipment was used at Kennedy to install shuttle engines into orbiters. The Kennedy shop where the equipment was stored is among the facilities turned over to Space Florida for future use by Boeing, which plans to use the facility to build its CST-100 commercial crew capsule. The shuttle main engines will be used in the Space Launch System engine testing program. (Source: Space Ref, Florida Today, 11/10/11) Previous story

Utah balks at AFMC changes

Members of Utah's congressional delegation are calling for at least a year delay in implementing the restructuring of the Air Force Materiel Command. In a Nov. 2 letter to Air Force Secretary Michael Donley, the delegation said the Air Force failed to follow procedures, which calls for an impact analysis of changes costing more than $500 million. The delegation is concerned about the impact on Hill Air Force Base. The letter was signed by Sens. Orrin Hatch and Mike Lee; U.S. Reps. Jim Matheson, Rob Bishop and Jason Chaffetz and Utah Gov. Gary Herbert. (Sources: Deseret News, 11/07/11, The Patriot, 11/10/11) Gulf Coast note: The restructuring also hit Gulf Coast bases in Northwest Florida and South Mississippi. For previous stories, see Eglin losing AAC, 96th ABW, Keesler to lose 68 civilian positions, Leader worried about Eglin future or the column/analysis, Week in Review (10/30 to 11/5)

Blue Angels show this weekend

PENSACOLA, Fla. - The Blue Angels Homecoming Air Show will be held Friday and Saturday, Nov. 11 and 12, at Naval Air Station Pensacola, Fla. Gates open at 8 a.m. each day and admission is free. The show begins at 9 a.m. with the Blue Angels flight demonstration team scheduled to fly around 2 p.m. Over 100,000 people are expected to view the show each day. In addition to the flying, the show includes static display of aircraft and vendor booths. (Source: Tcp, 11/10/11) More information

J-2X has 500-second test firing

J-2X test Nov. 9, 2011. NASA photo

STENNIS SPACE CENTER, Miss. - NASA conducted a successful 500-second test of the new upper-stage rocket engine today at John C. Stennis Space Center. The engine will be used to carry humans, cargo and equipment beyond low-Earth orbit on the agency's new heavy lift Space Launch System. Data from the test will be analyzed as operators prepare for additional engine firings. The J-2X and the RS-25D/E engines for the SLS core stage will be tested for flight certification at Stennis. Both engines use liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen propellants. The core stage engines were developed originally for the space shuttle. The J-2X engine is being developed by Pratt and Whitney Rocketdyne. (Source: NASA, 11/09/11)

Airport gets a new name

PENSACOLA, Fla. - The airport in Pensacola now has a new name: Pensacola International Airport. The airport, long known as Pensacola Regional Airport, changed its name a few years ago to Pensacola Gulf Coast Regional Airport. Now it's dropped "Gulf Coast Regional" and replaced it with "international." Pensacola Mayor Ashton Hayward said that while the airport has no international flights, it reflects an effort to raise the profile of the city. The airport also dedicated a new terminal expansion, part of an $82 million, five-year capital improvement project. (Source: Pensacola News Journal, 11/09/11)

GD to built robot mine detector

General Dynamics Advanced Informational Systems has been awarded a Navy contract to design and build the Surface Mine Countermeasure Unmanned Underwater Vehicle system. The development and manufacturing will be done in Panama City, Fla., Greensboro, N.C., Fairfax, Va., and Quincy and Braintree, Mass. GD will hire 10 new employees. The system will initially be a part of the Littoral Combat Ship Mine Warfare mission package. The $86.7 million contract awarded by the Naval Sea Systems Command calls for one Engineering Development Model and five low-rate initial production systems if all options are exercised. The system will be able to identify mines in high-clutter underwater environments in a single pass. It also will gather environmental data that can provide intelligence support for other mine warfare systems. (Source: General Dynamics, 11/09/11) Gulf Coast note: Littoral Combat Ships are being built by General Dynamics as well as Austal USA in Mobile, Ala.; Navy operations in the Gulf Coast include the Naval Surface Warfare Center in Panama City, Fla., and the Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command, Naval Oceanographic Office, Naval Oceanography Mine Warefare Center and Naval Research Lab detachment, all at South Mississippi's Stennis Space Center.

Ground broken for Exelis operation

PANAMA CITY, Fla. - Ground was broken Tuesday for the ITT Exelis facility at the VentureCrossing Enterprise Centre in Bay County. The 105,000-square-foot facility will be used by the company’s mine defense systems work. The event was hosted by St. Joe Co., which is developing the 75,000-acre mixed use business park near the Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport. The park will include office, industrial, manufacturing, hotel, retail and residential uses. Gov. Rick Scott said the project is important to Florida because of its strong ties to the defense industry. ITT Exelis currently has about 100 employees in the Panama City area. (Source: Panama City News Herald, Business Wire, 11/08/11)

Florida gears up to protect bases

Six people from Northwest Florida will join six other military and civic leaders from elsewhere in the state to serve on the Florida Defense Support Task Force. The panel, created by legislation sponsored by Sen. Don Gaetz, R-Niceville, will advocate for Florida's bases and missions, including high-tech research and development, at a time of Pentagon belt-tightening and the threat of another base realignment and closure commission. The defense industry is Florida's third largest job producer. There are 21 military bases and missions, bringing $58 billion into the economy every year. In Gaetz's district, base personnel and contracts tied to five installations pump $14.5 billion of economic activity into the region. A $5 million appropriation will help fund research and advocacy on behalf of the uniformed and civilian jobs tied to the state’s bases. (Source: Press release, Sen. Don Gaetz, 11/08/11)

Navy extends Fire Scout tour

SAN DIEGO, Calif. – The Navy has extended the tour of duty of the Fire Scout unmanned helicopter through most of next year. The Northrop Grumman-built system has improved ground commanders' ability to see potential threats and increase fighting effectiveness in Afghanistan, company officials said. A team of sailors and Northrop Grumman employees began their mission in May to gather 300 hours per month of full-motion video surveillance, and deliver it in real time to ground forces. George Vardoulakis, Northrop's vice president for tactical unmanned systems, said the team has established itself as the go-to asset for intelligence, surveillance and recon in northern Afghanistan. (Source: Northrop Grumman, 11/08/11) Gulf Coast note: Fire Scouts are built in part in Moss Point, Miss.