Airbus inks more orders

Wednesday was a busy day for Airbus A320 purchases, with 43 orders valued at $4.2 billion announced at the 15th Aviation Expo China in Beijing, and another $10 billion memorandum of understanding announced outside the expo. The $10 billion deal is with Vietnam's VietJetAir, which signed a MoU for 42 A320neo, 14 A320ceo and six A321ceo, plus 30 purchase rights for the A320 family (Source: Airbus, 09/25/13). At the expo, BOC Aviation, the Singapore-based aircraft leasing subsidiary of Bank of China, announced a firm order for the purchase of 13 A320ceo and 12 A320neo. The order comprises A320 and A321 variants. BOC Aviation will make its engine selection at a later date (Source: Airbus, 09/25/13). Also, newly established Qingdao Airlines signed a purchase agreement with Airbus for five A320ceo and 18 A320neo (Source: Airbus, 09/25/13), and Zhejiang Loong Airlines signed a MoU for 11 A320ceo and nine A320neo. (Source: Airbus, 09/25/13). Gulf Coast note: Airbus is building an A320 final assembly line in Mobile, Ala., to help meet demand for the popular family of aircraft. Previous: Airbus ups demand forecast

Dothan airport gets $1M grant

Dothan-Houston County Airport Authority Inc. on Wednesday was awarded a $1 million federal grant for infrastructure upgrades by the U.S. Economic Development Administration. The money will be used for roadway and water system improvements to support an aircraft maintenance and inspection business. It's expected that the investment will help create 300 jobs and generate $7.5 million in private investment. Dothan was one of 16 projects in 11 states awarded $21.1 million to support economic development projects. (Source: al.com, U.S. Economic Development Administration, 09/25/13) Previous: $12M investment in Dothan MRO

Contract: L-3 Vertex, $8.3M

L-3 Communications Vertex Aerospace LLC, Madison, Miss., is being awarded an $8,271,023 modification to a previously awarded firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract (N00019-13-D-4001) for contractor logistics services in support of T-39N and T-39G aircraft and associated equipment used in student naval flight officer training. Work will be performed at the Naval Air Station Pensacola, Fla., and is expected to be completed in March 2014. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 09/25/13)

Contract: L-3 Vertex, $11M

L-3 Communications Vertex Aerospace LLC, Madison, Miss., is being awarded a $10,956,633 modification to a previously awarded firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery requirements contract (N00019-12-D-0016) to exercise an option for logistics support services in support of the Aircraft Intermediate Maintenance Department at the Naval Air Station Pensacola, Fla., and NAS Corpus Christi, Texas. Half the work will be done in Pensacola and half in Corpus Christi, and is expected to be completed in September 2014. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 09/25/13)

Contract: Rolls-Royce, $50.7M

Rolls-Royce Defense Services Inc., Indianapolis, Ind., is being awarded a $50,728,950 modification to a previously awarded firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery requirements contract (N00019-09-D-0002) to exercise an option for intermediate and depot level maintenance and related logistics support for about 223 in-service T-45 F405-RR-401 Adour engines. Work will be performed at the Naval Air Station (NAS) Meridian, Miss. (47 percent); NAS Kingsville, Texas (46 percent), NAS Pensacola, Fla. (6 percent), and NAS Patuxent River, Md. (1 percent), and is expected to be completed in March 2014. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 09/25/13)

Airport sports new old look

NEW ORLEANS -- Restoration of the 1930-era Lakefront Airport terminal along Lake Pontchartrain will be unveiled Saturday at 10 a.m. Damage from Hurricane Katrina led to the decision to restore the terminal to its original Depression-era look. Construction on the original building began around 1929, and the airport started taking commercial flights in 1933 but wasn't officially christened until 1934. During the Cold War the building was remodeled, turned into a virtual fortress with concrete two inches thick. But the architects recognized the importance of the art deco design and were careful to protect it for posterity. That care made the renovation possible. (Source: Times Picayune, 09/25/13)

F-35C fleet roll-out planned

EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. -- The Navy will mark the F-35C introduction to the fleet with a roll-out ceremony Oct.1 at this joint training base. Strike Fighter Squadron 101 (VFA-101), the fleet readiness squadron responsible for training F-35C pilots and maintenance personnel, will host the ceremony. The squadron stood up last year with 20 personnel and now has more than 100. The initial cadre of F-35C aviators will become instructor pilots to prepare for the transition of the first fleet squadron from the F/A-18 Hornet to the F-35C. (Source: Seapower magazine, 09/24/13)

ABMs learning what F-35s need

TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. -- In another move forward with the F-35, air battle managers from the 337th Air Control Squadron have begun working with the plane. The F-35s, based at nearby Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., require a different set of operating rules than other fighters. The new set of rules are being written by air battle manager instructors who have had the chance to control the F-35. Air battle managers provide pilots with information they may not have, like vectors to the nearest refueling tanker or the number of enemy aircraft in an area. Information a pilot may need varies from aircraft to aircraft. Air battle managers must know the different capabilities of each aircraft. Air battle managers go through nine months of training at the 337th ACS at Tyndall, home to the Air Force's other fifth generation fighter, the F-22 Raptor. (Source: 325th Fighter Wing, 09/24/13)

Things looking up for F-35

Reuters reports that Lockheed Martin anticipates dozens of international orders or commitments for the F-35 in coming months, according to U.S. government officials and industry executives. The program got a boost Tuesday when South Korea rejected the Boeing F-15 and said it needed a fifth-generation fighter. Singapore may also announce an order for a dozen F-35s during the Singapore air show in February. (Source: Reuters, 09/24/13) Gulf Coast note: Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is home of the F-35 training center.

Airbus ups demand forecast

Airbus raised its long-term jet demand forecast, saying the world would need to double its fleet as Asia's increasingly affluent middle class takes to the skies. The latest Global Market Forecast on Tuesday said airlines, lessors and cargo operators would need some 29,220 new passenger and freighter jets worth $4.4 trillion over the next 20 years. Its latest forecast includes 28,355 passenger jets valued at $4.1 trillion, up 3.7 percent from its previous estimate a year ago, and 871 freighters, up 1.6 percent. In June, Boeing revised up its own 20-year market demand forecast by 3.8 percent. Both planemakers anticipate a surge in Asian travel. (Sources: multiple, including Airbus, Reuters, 09/24/13) Gulf Coast note: Airbus is building an A320 final assembly line at Brookley Aeroplex in Mobile, Ala. The A320 is the most popular line of Airbus jets. Previous: Boeing ups demand forecast; Airbus ups estimate of aircraft need

Contract: Raytheon, $11.2M

Raytheon Co., Tucson, Ariz., has been awarded an $11,206,567 firm-fixed-price contract for 16 GBU-49 telemetry, 17 GBU-50 telemetry and a ten year warranty. Work will be performed at Tucson, Ariz., and is expected to be completed by July 1, 2025. This is a 100 percent foreign military sales for Saudi Arabia. The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center/EBDK, Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 09/24/13)

Contract: Summit, $26M

Summit Construction Inc., Santa Rosa Beach, Fla., is being awarded two contracts. One is a $13,085,132 firm-fixed-price contract to add/alter the commissary at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Fort Eustis, Va. The contract is for a 594-day period based on the issuance of the notice-to-proceed which is expected in November 2013. The other contract is a $12,905,184 firm-fixed-price contract for the architectural/refrigeration upgrade to the commissary at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas. The contract is for a 597-day period based on the issuance of the notice-to-proceed which is expected in November 2013. The contracting activity for both contracts is the Defense Commissary Agency, Enterprise Acquisition Division, Construction Design Branch, Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas. (Source: DoD, 09/24/13)

Personnel chief visits Pensacola

PENSACOLA, Fla. -- The chief of naval personnel visited Naval Education and Training Command's tenant commands at Naval Air Station Pensacola today. It was Vice Adm. William F. Moran's first visit to Pensacola as CNP. As he worked his way through the aviation and information dominance training pipelines, he addressed questions on the current budget discussions taking place in Washington. Moran said Navy leadership was focused on the situation and would continue keep the fleet informed on the impacts of a potential government shutdown, continuing resolution and sequestration. (Source: NNS, 09/24/13)

Two more Airbus jobs posted

MOBILE, Ala. -- Airbus Americas posted two new managerial job openings for the $600 million assembly line being built at Brookley Aeroplex. One position is director of aircraft delivery, and the other is manufacturing engineer manager. Both positions require a minimum of nine months' training abroad. Airbus also has openings for three liaison engineer positions. Airbus will do the final assembly of the A320 family of passenger liners at the Mobile plant. Eventually it will have about 1,000 workers. (Source: al.com, 09/24/13)

Summit landing in Huntsville

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. -- A city long known as one of the nation's premiere aerospace and defense centers will host the third aerospace summit of the four-state Aerospace Alliance next month at the Von Braun Center. The agenda includes discussions about unmanned aerial systems, a session on composites manufacturing, commercial space programs and an update on the $600 million Airbus final assembly line being built in Alabama's port city of Mobile. Two previous summits were held in Destin, Fla., and New Orleans, along the Interstate 10 aerospace corridor. (Source: GCAC, 09/24/13)

Networking lunch set

The Gulf Coast Government Contractors Association and the National Finance Center have scheduled a networking luncheon for Wednesday in New Orleans. The National Finance Center Industry Outreach and Networking Luncheon is at the Lindy Bogg International Conference Center at University of New Orleans Lakeside, with welcoming remarks at 8:30 a.m. (To register: GCGCA)

QF-16 makes unmanned flight

QF-16 on unmanned flight.
Air Force photo

TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. – A QF-16 drone made its first unmanned sortie at Tyndall Air Force Base last Thursday, officials said. The 82nd Aerial Targets Squadron and Boeing conducted the flight, the first step in a two year process to phase out the QF-4 Full Scale Aerial Target. A pilot performed all the normal preflight checks before climbing out of the cockpit and locking the canopy from the outside. Control was then turned over to Thomas Mudge, 82nd ATRS pilot controller, sitting in a control room on the opposite side of base. The QF-16 took off at 3 p.m. for an hour long sortie, conducting a series of simulated maneuvers and reaching supersonic speeds before returning to base and landing. The first QF-16 was delivered to Tyndall in November 2012 for operational and developmental testing to ensure their viability for aerial targets. (Source: Tyndall Air Force Base, 09/23/13) Background story: "New drones a quantum leap," Gulf Coast Aerospace Corridor Quarterly.

MQ-8C power turned on

MQ-8C on the flight line prior to testing.
Northrop Grumman photo

Northrop Grumman turned on the power to the Navy's first MQ-8C Fire Scout unmanned helicopter and rotated the aircraft's four blades for the first time during initial ground testing and engine runs at Naval Base Ventura County Point Mugu, Calif., Sept. 20. Conducting initial engine runs of the aircraft allows engineers to collect data to ensure that all the aircraft's systems are functioning and communicating properly prior to its first flight. The C model upgrade to the Fire Scout system provides the Navy with more than twice the endurance and three times the payload carrying capacity. Northrop Grumman is the Navy's prime contractor for the Fire Scout program and is currently under contract to produce MQ-8C aircraft for deployment beginning in 2014. (Source: PRNewswire, 09/23/13) Gulf Coast note: Fire Scouts are made in part in Moss Point, Miss.

Triton sensor tested

Northrop Grumman completed more than 25 flight tests of the U.S. Navy Triton unmanned aircraft system's primary maritime surveillance sensor in preparation for its installation on the aircraft. The company is conducting risk-reduction tests of the Multi-Function Active Sensor using a Gulfstream II surrogate aircraft off the California coast. The radar will provide the Triton with a 360-degree view of ocean and coastal regions. The Navy's program calls for 68 aircraft to be built. (Source: Space Daily, 09/22/13) Gulf Coast note: Tritons are variants of the Global Hawk and are built in part in Moss Point, Miss.

Contract: Raytheon, $39M

Raytheon Co., El Segundo, Calif., is being awarded $39,000,000 for firm-fixed-price delivery order 0048 against a previously issued basic ordering agreement for the procurement of 15 AN/APG-79 AESA radar systems for the F/A-18 E/F aircraft. Work will be performed in Forest, Miss. (80 percent), and El Segundo, Calif. (20 percent), and is expected to be completed in November 2015. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 09/23/13)