Orion passes static load tests

NASA's Orion crew module has successfully passed its static loads tests. Orion will sit atop the launch vehicle in NASA's Space Launch System program, designed to take astronauts further in space than ever before. Engineers at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Fla., built a 20-foot-tall static loads test fixture for the crew module with hydraulic cylinders that slowly push or pull on the vehicle. The fixture produced 110 percent of the load caused by eight different types of stress Orion will experience during Exploration Flight Test-1 in September 2014. More than 1,600 strain gauges recorded how the vehicle responded. The loads ranged from as little as 14,000 pounds to as much as 240,000 pounds. Orion also was pressurized to simulate the effect of the vacuum in space, allowing engineers verify repairs made to superficial cracks in the vehicle's rear bulkhead caused by previous pressure testing in November. (Sources: SpaceTravel, 06/11/13, NASA, 06/06/13) Gulf Coast note: Michoud Assembly Facility, New Orleans, builds Orion and the core stage of the Space Launch System; Stennis Space Center, Miss., is testing engines for the SLS that will carry Orion into space.

Hot air balloon fest set

FOLEY, Ala. – Forty-five balloonists will take to the air as part of the 9th Annual Gulf Coast Hot Air Balloon Festival this weekend. Weather will determine if flights take place Friday night and Saturday, but there will be other activities at the Foley Sports Complex on U.S. 98, including musical entertainment and arts and crafts. (Source: al.com, 06/10/13)

Contract: Lockheed, $104.7M

Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., Fort Worth, Texas, is being awarded a $104,734,081 modification to a previously awarded firm-fixed-price contract for the procurement and delivery of 83,169 Xilinx field programmable gate arrays for the U.S. Air Force (35,842), U.S. Marine Corps (10,517); U.S. Navy (9,517), and the governments of Italy (5,992); Turkey (6,370); Australia (5,952); Norway (4,905); United Kingdom (3,530); the Netherlands (61); and Denmark (483). These FPGAs are required for the manufacture of the low rate initial production Lot VII through full rate production Lot III Joint Strike Fighter aircraft. Work will be performed in Fort Worth, Texas, and is expected to be completed in September 2014. This contract combines purchases for the U.S. Air Force (44.3 percent); U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps (22.7 percent); and the governments of Italy (7.7 percent); Turkey (7.2 percent); Australia (6.6 percent); Norway (6.3 percent); United Kingdom (4.9 percent); the Netherlands (.11 percent); and Denmark (.10 percent). The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 06/10/13) Gulf Coast note: Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is home of the F-35 training center.

Contract: Pratt and Whitney, $648.8M

Pratt and Whitney Military Engines, East Hartford, Conn., is being awarded a $648,769,404 modification to a previously awarded cost-plus-incentive-fee contract to extend the F135 System Development and Demonstration contract period of performance. In addition this modification is for the procurement of the technical baseline review design, verification, validation and qualification tasks; two spare flight test engines, and additional spare parts to support the F-35 Flight Test Program. Work will be performed in East Hartford, Conn. (72 percent); Bristol, United Kingdom (22 percent); and Indianapolis, Ind. (6 percent), and is expected to be completed in December 2016. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 06/10/13) Gulf Coast note: Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is home of the F-35 training center.

Further Brookley development eyed

MOBILE, Ala. -- The Mobile Airport Authority has launched preliminary talks with two partner firms to develop as many as 215 acres at Brookley Aeroplex. Baltimore-based Cordish includes Mobile-based JMG Realty as part of its development team. Brookley, a former Air Force base, now hosts aerospace and other companies. Airbus, which has an engineering center at Brookley, broke ground in April for a $600 million A320 final assembly line. The authority envisions a total build-out of the aerospace hub that nearly doubles commercial space to 6 million square feet, creates a net increase of more than 4,000 jobs and houses as many as 10,000 employees. Buddy Rice, the authority's spokesman, said negotiations are in the preliminary stage so specifics regarding the scope of the work are speculative at this time. (Source: al.com, 06/10/13)

Plane makes emergency landing

GULFPORT, Miss. -- A United Airlines flight bound for Houston made an emergency landing Friday at the Gulfport-Biloxi International Airport after a tire blew out as it took off from the airport. No injuries were reported to the 50 passengers and three crew members, said Clay Williams, airport executive director. The plane circled the airport several times before landing safely just before 2 p.m., officials said. (Sources: Sun Herald, 06/07/13)

F-35 has missile launch milestone

F-35 launches AIM 120 missile.
Lockheed Martin photo by Matthew Short

EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- An F-35A on Wednesday completed the first in-flight missile launch of an AIM-120 over the Point Mugu Sea Test Range. It paves the way for targeted launches in support of the Block 2B fleet release capability later this year. The F-35A is designed to carry a payload of up to 18,000 pounds using 10 weapon stations. It features four internal weapon stations located in two weapon bays to maximize stealth capability, and can also utilize an additional three external weapon stations per wing if required. (Source: Military.com, Defense News blog, Lockheed Martin, 06/07/13) Gulf Coast note: Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is home of the F-35 training center.

State gets land to protect Eglin

EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. -- The state bought a 20,850-acre buffer zone to help protect Eglin Air Force Base from any development that could interfere with its missions. The land, on the eastern side of Eglin in Walton County, was bought from M.C. Davis for $12.5 million. Davis will continue to own and manage the land, but it will not be developed. The buffer was purchased through a partnership of state and federal governments and agencies. Florida committed $10.2 million, the federal government $1.75 million and Eglin $550,000. Eglin is 474,000 acres, but its footprint in the air is larger and includes special use airspace for test, evaluation and training missions done out of Eglin, Hurlburt Field and Duke Field. Airspace over the new buffer is primarily used for low-level flying. (Source: Northwest Florida Daily News, 06/06/13, DoD, 06/07/13)

A320neo could lead to higher output

TOULOUSE, France -- Airbus could increase narrow body aircraft production once a revamped version of its A320 medium-haul jet enters service in late 2015. "After we introduce the A320neo we could easily imagine going to rates like 44 per month, and in fact as we go towards the end of the decade, 50 a month," said Tom Williams, executive vice-president of programs at Airbus, in a media briefing. Airbus has sold 517 aircraft in the first five months of this year, just ahead of Boeing. Both companies are expected to unveil orders at the June 17-23 Paris Air show. (Source: Reuters via euronews, 06/06/13) Gulf Coast note: Airbus broke ground in April on a $600 million final assembly line for the A320 family of jets in Mobile, Ala.

SSC building RS-25 test component

Thrust frame adapter. NASA/SSC photo

STENNIS SPACE CENTER, Miss. -- Fabrication recently began at Stennis Space Center on a new 7,755-pound thrust frame adapter for the A-1 Test Stand to enable testing of the RS-25 engines that will provide core-stage power for Space Launch System. NASA will begin testing the engines that were used to power the Space Shuttle in the fall of 2014. Gary Benton, RS-25 test project manager at SSC, said the initial thought was that they would have to go offsite to have the stand component equipment built. But the design team came up with a way to build it at SSC. Each rocket engine type requires a thrust frame adapter unique to


Illustration of thrust adapter location.
NASA/SSC illustration

its specifications. On the test stand, the adapter is attached to the thrust measurement system. A rocket engine then is attached to the adapter, which must hold the engine in place and absorb the thrust produced during a test, while allowing accurate measurement of the engine performance. NASA and the Lockheed Martin Test Operations Contract Group team worked together in designing the new adapter, and communicated closely with Jacobs Technology welding and machine shop teams to make sure what was being designed actually could be built. The adapter is slated to be finished and installed on the stand in November 2013.(Source: NASA, 06/06/13)

Eglin F-35 fleet grows

More F-35s arrive at Eglin AFB, Fla.
Air Force photo

EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. -- The largest fleet of F-35 aircraft grew to 25 with the arrival Wednesday of two F-35A variants at the F-35 Integrated Training Center in Northwest Florida. More than 30 pilots from all three variants have been trained at the training center, where the Air Force has 12 F-35A joint strike fighters, the Marine Corps has 11 and the United Kingdom embedded with the Marine Fighter Attack Training Squadron-501 has two F-35Bs. The Navy is slated to get its first two F-35C variants in the coming weeks. About 72 pilots from the Air Force, Marine Corps and Navy are scheduled to graduate F-35 transition pilot training this year. (Source: 33rd Fighter Wing, 06/06/13)

Sergeant gets Bronze Star

EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. -- A sergeant with the 33rd Fighter Wing was awarded the Bronze Star Tuesday for his service during his deployment in Southwest Asia. Senior Master Sgt. Jamie Jordan oversaw maintenance for the 380th Air Expeditionary Wing at Al Dhafra Air Base in the United Arab Emirates from March 2012 to February 2013. His squadron of 1,400 maintenance personnel prepared aircraft for a variety of missions. Jordan was one of the first maintainers to arrive at Eglin to work in the F-35 program before his deployment, and he's slated to return to that now that he's home. (Source: WEAR-TV, Northwest Florida Daily News, 06/04/13)

USCG gets 15th HC-144A

HC-144A Ocean Sentry. EADS NA photo

HERNDON, Va. -- The U.S. Coast Guard took delivery of its 15th HC-144A Ocean Sentry maritime patrol aircraft from prime contractor EADS North America. The Ocean Sentry is based on the Airbus Military CN235 tactical airlifter, currently in operation in 29 countries. The latest aircraft joins a fleet of Ocean Sentries performing in a range of different roles from Coast Guard Air Stations in Cape Cod, Mass., Mobile, Ala., and Miami. The plane can remain airborne for more than 10 hours and performs a range of patrol missions for the Coast Guard, including drug and migrant interdiction, disaster response, and search and rescue. (Source: EADS, 06/05/13)

RAF has first vertical landing

First RAF vertical landing.
Lockheed Martin photo

NAVAL AIR STATION PATUXENT RIVER, Md. -- Squadron Leader Jim Schofield became the first Royal Air Force pilot to complete a vertical landing of a Lockheed Martin F-35B short takeoff and vertical landing (STOVL) Lightning II on May 28. Schofield said after the flight that with the press of a button, the aircraft transforms to STOVL mode and the plane can take off or hover hands-off. The U.S. Marine Corps plans to declare Initial Operational Capability with the STOVL in 2015. (Source: Lockheed Martin, 06/04/13) Gulf Coast note: Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is home of the F-35 training center.

New MAA chief chosen

MOBILE, Ala. -- Veteran economic developer Roger Wehner will take over as executive director of the Mobile Airport Authority later this month. Wehner, the current president of Global Resource Group of Birmingham, Ala., replaces Bill Sisson, who in April was named president of the Mobile Area Chamber of Commerce. Wehner was formerly with Alabama Power and on loan to the airport authority while Airbus parent EADS made a case for building tankers in Mobile at Brookley Aeroplex. EADS didn't win the competition, but Wehner learned a lot about recruiting suppliers. Wehner is also a former vice president for business development with Safran USA, which now has an operation in Mobile. (Source: two stories, al.com, al.com, 06/04/13)

Aviation school moving forward

FAIRHOPE, Ala. -- The Baldwin County Board of Education is expected to approve a lease Thursday for a $2.5 million aviation training center at H.L. "Sonny" Callahan Airport. Groundbreaking should take place before the end of the month. Faulkner State Community College, Enterprise State, Baldwin County Public Schools and the Fairhope Airport Authority announced plans for the 15,000-square-foot aviation center in February. Dual-enrollment classes for high school students and courses for adults are expected to begin in January. (Source: al.com, 06/04/13)

Fuzing research topic of briefings

EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. -- U.S. Air Force weapons experts will brief industry June 25 and 26 on fuze technology research efforts for specific applications, as well as on research programs in the mid- and far-terms. The Fuze Technology Days event will enable government and industry to discuss research and development efforts in fuzing technology, and encourage collaboration among attendees. Briefings will be by experts in the Air Force Research Laboratory Munitions Directorate at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., at the University of Florida Research and Engineering Education Facility adjacent to Eglin. (Source: Military and Aerospace Electronics, 06/04/13)

Defunct business admits fraud

GULFPORT, Miss. -- A former Diamondhead business admitted making false statements on concrete-stress tests on jobs at Stennis Space Center. Corporate representative Robert C. Miller pleaded guilty on the company's behalf Tuesday in U.S. District Court, said a spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorney's Office. Miller was doing business as Gulf Cities Testing Laboratories LLC, a subcontractor on projects at Stennis in 2011. The company, which faces a fine of up to $250,000 Sept. 4, was indicted in April on charges involving work for NASA on three diffuser pads on a flight-engine test stand and for the Army Corps of Engineers at the Mississippi Army Ammunition Plant. (Source: Sun Herald, 06/04/13)

F-35 operational dates revealed

The fifth-generation F-35 Joint Strike Fighter will reach operational milestones in 2015 for the Marine Corps, 2016 for the Air Force and 2019 for the Navy, according to details formally provided to Congress. Those are the dates that F-35 will achieve initial operational capability, the point when the services have enough planes to go to war if needed. Actual deployments usually lag initial operational capability by about a year. (Source: Reuters, 06/03/13) Gulf Coast note: Eglin Air Force Base is home of the F-35 training center.

Airbus' McArtor reaches out

MOBILE, Ala. – The chairman of Airbus Americas was in Mobile Monday talking about opportunities presented by the new Airbus assembly line being built at Brookley Aeroplex. Allan McArtor was at B.C. Rain High School early in the day visiting with educators and students. The school is the site of the county’s new Aviation and Aerospace Academy. There was a groundbreaking in May for the 15,500 square-foot training facility, slated to be completed in the fall. Later, McArtor was at a fundraising dinner with the 100 Black Men of Greater Mobile. The plant will mean 3,000 construction jobs and after it's built it will provide employment for about 1,000 workers. There are also the spinoff jobs. Also on Monday, the company announced postings for its first manufacturing related positions. (Source: WPMI-TV, al.com, WKRG-TV, 06/03/13)