Contract: CSC, $24.9M

CSC Applied Technologies, Fort Worth, Texas. was awarded a $24,887,735 contract modification which will exercise an option for the Base Operating Support service contract at Keesler Air Force Base, Miss., from Feb. 1, 2011 through Jan. 31, 2012. At this time, the entire amount has been obligated. 81 CONS/LGCM, Keesler Air Force Base is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 01/2710)

Wing marks 70th anniversary

EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. - The 53rd Wing will host a 70th anniversary celebration Feb.3 at Hangar 1343. Festivities include a brief history of the wing, time capsule dedication and guest speaker Brig. Gen. (ret.) Douglas Richardson, 53rd Wing commander from 1998-2000. Combat aircraft from many of the operational test wing units will be on display during the ceremony, including an F-16, F-15, F-4, B-1, B-52 and others. (Source: Eglin Air Force Base, 01/26/11)

F-15E tries out new radar system

EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. - The F-15E Strike Eagle flew its first sortie with a new radar system that replaces the 24-year-old APG-70 radar system. The 46th Test Wing fighter flew with the APG-82(V)1 Jan. 18. The new radar uses active electronically scanned array radar technology composed of numerous small solid-state transmit and receive modules. The standard radar, APG-70, is a mechanically scanned array housed in the nose of the aircraft. The new radar removes the motors and hydraulics of the old system and includes a new avionics and cooling system. (Source: Eglin Air Force Base, 01/24/11)

Contract: Hamilton Sundstrand, $24.6M

Hamilton Sundstrand Corp., Windsor Locks, Conn., is being awarded a $24,636,056 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for procurement and installation of Electronic Propeller Control System kits into the C-130T aircraft for the Navy Reserves (up to 20) and the LC-130H aircraft for the Air Force National Guard (up to 5), including non-recurring engineering, technical and logistics services. Thirty-five percent of the work will be done in Crestview, Fla., and the rest in Windsor Locks, Conn., and is expected to be completed in December 2013. This contracts combines purchases for the Navy Reserves and the Air Force National Guard. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 01/25/11)

Eglin testers find Gorgon Stare flaws

Gorgon Stare, an airborne surveillance system that would vastly increase the area a drone can see, was deemed "not operationally effective" when tested in the fall by the 53rd Wing at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. But military officials say such tests are done to find problems beforehand, and fixes are being put in place. The problems, including low image quality and an inability to sufficiently track people on the ground, were detailed in a six-page December draft report obtained by the Center for Defense Information's Winslow Wheeler. The memo, marked as a draft and pre-decisional, found more than a dozen problems. Gorgon Stare, being developed by Sierra Nevada and the Air Force, uses nine or more cameras aboard a Reaper unmanned system to survey a city-sized area. (Sources: Wired, 01/24/11, Los Angeles Times, Washington Post, Air Force Times, 01/25/11)

Palazzo tapped to chair subcommittee

Rep. Steven Palazzo, R-Miss., has been named chairman of the House Science and Technology Committee's Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics, a key appointment for a freshman congressman who represents an area that includes NASA's Stennis Space Center. The appointment must still be approved by the full committee. Palazzo defeated incumbent Gene Taylor, a Democrat, in the November elections. (Sources: Multiple, 01/24/11)

Vision details Gulfport service

GULFPORT, Miss. - Vision Airlines announced the expansion of its low-fare air service from Atlanta, Houston and St. Petersburg, Fla., into the Gulfport-Biloxi International Airport beginning Feb. 9. Vision Airlines’ service to Gulfport will use Boeing 737s. "We are excited to work with Vision Airlines as they expand low-cost, scheduled service to the Mississippi Gulf Coast," said Bruce Frallic, executive director of Gulfport-Biloxi International Airport. (Source: Gulfport-Biloxi International Airport, 01/24/11)

More delays in tanker?

Defense industry sources told The Hill in recent weeks that the $35 billion contract to build Air Force tankers won't be awarded until mid-February. Now a defense insider says it may not come until March or later. That's because of a Senate probe into the inadvertent release of bidders' information to the competing bidders, Boeing and EADS. An initial hearing by the Senate Armed Services Committee is scheduled for Jan. 27. (Source: The Hill, 01/23/11) Gulf Coast note: EADS North America wants to assemble the plans in Mobile, Ala.

Airport renovations target 2013

NEW ORLEANS – The new head of New Orleans' Louis Armstrong International Airport has scaled back a $755 million modernization plan that was put in place before his arrival. Instead, Aviation Director Iftikhar Ahmad is opting for a $200 million effort he expects will be done in time for New Orleans to host the Super Bowl in two years. (Source: New Orleans Times-Picayune, 01/23/11)

Week in review column

Creation of a hub at a Northwest Florida airport, an Airbus tanker boom problem, good news and bad for F-35 fighter and the launch of a year-long celebration of naval aviation highlighted aerospace stories for the Gulf Coast region during the week. (Source: Gulf Coast Aerospace Corridor, 01/22/11)

McCain to see son get wings

MILTON, Fla. - Sen. John McCain will be at Naval Air Station Whiting Field, Fla., next Friday to attend a winging ceremony. His son, Ensign John S. McCain, is one of more than a dozen graduates who will receive wings of gold at the ceremony. The Arizona senator will speak at the event, which is not open to the public. (Source: Pensacola News Journal, 01/22/11)

Mobile MRO subject of PBS report

MOBILE, Ala. - ST Aerospace Mobile was the subject of a Public Broadcasting Service investigative report that aired Tuesday on "Frontline." The report alleged, among other things, that workers falsified records and failed to follow FAA rules to track parts. Company officials called the report shallow, biased and sensationalized, and later in the week responded point-by-point to questions posed by the Mobile Press-Register. (Source: Mobile Press-Register, 01/22/11) PBS report

Celebration marks flight training birth

PENSACOLA, Fla. - About 500 people gathered at Naval Air Station Pensacola Thursday to mark the birthday of the establishment of the Navy's first flight school. The ceremony featured speeches by Navy officers and politicians, including Gov. Rick Scott. Pensacola, which launched its school with 32 aviators 97 years ago, has events spread throughout the year to celebrate 100 of naval aviation. (Source: Pensacola News Journal, Naval Education and Training Command Public Affairs, 01/21/11)

Contract: Composite Engineering, $34.7M

Composite Engineering, Inc., of Sacramento, Calif. was awarded a $34,674,848 contract modification which will exercise the Lot 8 option to procure a quantity of 40 additional BQM-167As, also known as the Air Force Subscale Aerial Target. At this time, the entire amount has been obligated. AAC/EBYK, Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 01/20/11)

Tanker boom breaks off

A large part of a refueling boom broke off from an Airbus tanker during an exercise Wednesday. Airbus said the cause of the accident off the coast of Portugal was not yet clear. Both the tanker, which was to be delivered to the Australian air force, and a Portuguese F-16 were damaged. The boom fell into the Atlantic Ocean. (Sources: New York Times, Bloomberg, Reuters, 01/20/11) Gulf Coast note: The U.S. Air Force is expected to pick Boeing or Airbus aircraft for its new tankers. If Airbus is chosen, EADS North America plans to assemble them in Mobile, Ala.

F-35 interest up; more problems unveiled

China's military buildup is apparently causing Japan, South Korea and Singapore to engage in bilateral talks with government officials to discuss the F-35. The immediate cause may be recently published images showing China’s J-20 stealth aircraft. (Source: Wall Street Journal, (subscription) 01/18/11) Meanwhile, a report by the Pentagon's Director of Operational Test and Evaluation shows the F-35 has previously undisclosed problems with its handling, avionics, afterburner and helmet-mounted display. (Source: Defense News, 01/18/11) Gulf Coast note: Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is home of the F-35 training center.

Vision Airlines adding flights

Atlanta-based Vision Airlines is growing its commercial passenger service with new flights beginning March 25. The airline on Monday said it would add flights between Destin-Fort Walton Beach, Fla., and cities including Asheville, N.C., Atlanta, Miami, Orlando, Huntsville, Ala., Gulfport-Biloxi, Miss., and more. A company route map now shows 23 cities. (Sources: AP via Bloomberg, 01/16/11, St. Petersburg Times, 01/18/11, Huntsville Times, 01/17/11, company map)

Week in review column

The ongoing debate over the direction of NASA, some good news about the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, and the arrival of F-16s at Florida's Eglin Air Force Base were among the aerospace news items that came down the pike during the week. There was even something about the tanker project: nobody can yet say when a winner will be announced. (Source: Gulf Coast Aerospace Corridor, 01/15/11)

Car crusher demilitarizes bombs

EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. - Environmental restoration officials are using a commercial car crusher to "demilitarize" practice bombs prior to recycling. So far, they've recycled more than one million pounds of metal from the BDU 33 and Mark 106 bombs. The crushing operation is part of an agreement between the crushing company, the recyclers and Eglin Air Force Base's contractors, and has resulted in savings of more than $1 million. (Source: 96th Air Base Wing Environmental PA, 01/13/11)

Contract: McDonnell Douglas, $88M

McDonnell Douglas Corp., a subsidiary of the Boeing Co. of St. Louis, Mo., was awarded an $87,996,491 contract which will procure 3,500 guided vehicle kits for Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) purposes. At this time, the entire amount has been obligated. AAC/EDBK, Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 01/14/11)