UTC center gets Spirit contract

FOLEY, Ala. -- UTC Aerospace Systems' Aerostructures has been chosen by Florida-based Spirit Airlines to provide nozzle maintenance for the Airbus A320 family aircraft in the carrier's fleet. Spirit operates a fleet of more than 50 A320 family aircraft. The work for the three-year contract will be done at UTC Aerospace Systems' Alabama Service Center in Foley, which houses both original equipment work as well as the Alabama Service Center, a maintenance, repair and overhaul site dedicated to nacelle components. (Source: al.com, 04/08/14) Background story: Thriving in the shadow of a giant, Gulf Coast Reporters League newsletter, December 2013

UK team to train on Triton

LONDON -- Britain's Ministry of Defense is sending a team to train on Northrop Grumman's MQ-4C Triton unmanned system in preparation for a decision next year on whether to re-establish a maritime patrol capability. The government said that four personnel are scheduled to train on the MQ-4C Triton during June and August 2014 at Patuxent River Naval Air Station, Md. The Triton is the U.S. Navy's version of Global Hawk. It's in flight test phase ahead of delivery to the U.S. Navy. (Source: Defense News, 04/07/14) Gulf Coast note: Tritons are built in part in Moss Point, Miss. Previous: Initial flight tests of Triton done; Australia to buy Tritons

Park designated AdvantageSite

FAIRHOPE, Ala. -- A 110-acre industrial park next to H. L. Sonny Callahan Airport is now the fifth Baldwin County site to earn the Alabama AdvantageSite designation. Since its inception in 2008, the program, coordinated by the Economic Development Partnership of Alabama, has recognized 47 sites in the state that meet guidelines including utility and environmental standards, size, zoning and accessibility. The Fairhope Airport Industrial Park has 75 contiguous developable acres out of 110. It’s located 12 miles south of Interstate 10, next to the municipal airport and its 6,604-foot runway. The area is also the location of the nearly complete Aerospace Training Center. (Source: al.com, 04/07/14)

JHSV to test railgun

Electromagnetic railgun. Navy photo

The Navy plans to test a prototype electromagnetic railgun aboard a joint high speed vessel in fiscal year 2016, the service said today. It marks the first time an EM railgun will be demonstrated at sea. Railguns use an electromagnetic force to rapidly accelerate and launch a projectile between two conductive rails. The launch is at such high velocities that it can achieve greater ranges than conventional guns and maintains enough kinetic energy that it doesn't require a high explosive payload. High-energy EM railguns are expected to be used against multiple threats, including warships, small boats, aircraft, missiles and land-based targets. A JHSV is being used because of its available cargo and topside space and schedule flexibility. (Source: NNS, 04/07/14) Gulf Coast note: JHSVs are built by Austal USA in Mobile, Ala.

403rd conducts training exercise

BILOXI, Miss. – All of Keesler Air Force Base’s C-130J and WC-130J aircraft were up in the air simultaneously Saturday as part of the 403rd Wing's training exercise called Operation Surge Capacity. The combat readiness exercise was one of the largest the 403rd Wing has conducted in years. Hundreds of airmen in the 403rd Wing took part in this massive training exercise, created to test multiple capabilities in the wing and help ensure readiness in future missions. The three-hour training exercise included dropping 15 pound sandbags to simulate a tactical air drop. (Source: WLOX-TV, 04/05/14)

81 Medical Group gets new leader

KEESLER AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. -- The "Dragon Medics" welcomed their new leader last week as Col. (Dr.) Thomas Harrell assumed command of the 81st Medical Group from Brig. Gen. (Dr.) Kory Cornum during a change of command ceremony at Keesler Medical Center's Don Wylie Auditorium. Harrell comes to Keesler Air Force Base from Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, where he commanded the Department of Defense/Veterans Affairs Joint Venture Hospital and also served as the Alaskan Command command surgeon. Cornum has been reassigned to Scott AFB, Ill., as Air Mobility Command command surgeon. (Source: 81st Medical Group, 03/31/14)

Contract: BAE, $47.4M

BAE Systems Electronic Solutions, Nashua, N.H., is being awarded a $47,352,248 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity delivery order contract for the manufacture of the transmitter countermeasures T-1687A/ALE-70 (V) in support of the Joint Strike Fighter program. Work will be performed at Nashua and work is expected to be completed by April 2017. Fiscal 2014 procurement of ammunition Navy and Marine Corps, and fiscal 2012 Air Force aircraft funding in the amount of $14,314,816 will be obligated at the time of award. The Air Force funds in the amount of $6,308,224 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The NAVSUP Weapon Systems Support, Mechanicsburg, Pa., is the contracting activity (N00104-14-D-K054). (Source: DoD, 04/03/14) Gulf Coast note: Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is home of the F-35 training center.

Paint hanger work to begin in 2Q

MOBILE, Ala. -- Airbus Americas will break ground on a $13 million paint shop hangar for its A320 final assembly line in the second quarter. The facility will be operated by MAAS Aviation Services, a division of the Expressair Aviation Group. The paint hangar is expected to employ 34 people. MAAS has options for expansion as Airbus' production increases. Airbus is building its $600 million A320 final assembly line at the Mobile Aeroplex. It's expected to open in 2015 and its first plane will be produced in 2016. (Source: al.com, 04/03/14) Expressair Aviation Group is a privately owned, Irish registered holding company. MAAS has paint hangars in Ireland, the UK and Netherlands.

Contract: Northrop, $43.8M

Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., San Diego, Calif., is being awarded a $43,781,216 modification to a previously awarded cost-plus-incentive-fee, firm-fixed-price contract (N00019-12-C-0059) for the production and delivery of five MQ-8 Fire Scout vertical take-off and landing tactical unmanned aerial vehicles (VTUAV) and one ground control station in support of the VTUAV endurance upgrade rapid deployment capability effort. Work will be performed in Dallas, Texas (32 percent); Ozark, Ala. (27 percent); Rancho Bernardo, Calif. (25 percent); Moss Point, Miss. (15 percent); and Point Mugu, Calif. (1 percent), and is expected to be completed in December 2015. Fiscal 2013 and 2014 aircraft procurement, Navy funds in the amount of $43,781,216 are being obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 04/02/14) Previous

More Airbus openings posted

MOBILE, Ala. -- Airbus is seeking to fill seven hourly aircraft quality inspector positions for its A320 final assembly line being built at the Mobile Aeroplex. The latest listings include one quality inspector for the flight line and six for the final assembly line. Pay ranges from $20 to $30 an hour. For regular updates on job postings, check the Alabama Industrial Development Training program website. (Source: al.com, 04/01/14)

IHMC to show off robots

PENSACOLA, Fla. -- Some of the world's most advanced robots will be on display next week at the Florida Institute for Human and Machine Cognition Robotics Lab in downtown Pensacola. The open house is April 10, from 4-7 p.m., at 201 E. Wright Street. It's part of fifth annual National Robotics Week April 5-13. Among the robots on display will be Atlas, a humanoid robot built by Boston Dynamics and used by IHMC in the DARPA Robotics Challenge in December 2013. IHMC, which wrote the programs that allowed Atlas to perform life-saving tasks during a disaster, finished second among 16 of the world's top robotics development teams. Also on display at the April 10 open house will be FastRunner, a two-legged, fast-moving platform inspired by the ostrich, and NASA's X1 exoskeleton, designed to help astronauts exercise in space and to help disabled humans walk on Earth. The event is free and will feature demonstrations and tours. (Source: IHMC, 04/01/14)

Aero manufacturing takes off

The South is already home to auto giants, and now it's increasingly attracting some of the biggest names in aviation, including Boeing in South Carolina, Airbus in Alabama, Gulfstream Aerospace Corp. in Georgia and GE Aviation in North Carolina. Aerospace companies are moving manufacturing operations to Southern states, in part due to lower costs, generous state incentive packages and right-to-work laws that make it hard for unions to organize. The aerospace sector is growing. Sales grew 41 percent from 2002 to 2012, driven largely by military and international sales. And that growth won't ebb anytime soon. (Source: Stateline, 04/02/14)

Contracts: Multiple, $20M

Alessi Keyes Construction, North Little Rock, Ark.; AMR Construction LLC, Little Rock, Ark.; Oren Atchley Co., Inc., Fort Smith, Ark.; BES Design/Build LLC, Fairhope, Ala.; Beshears Construction Inc., Fort Smith, Ark.; C&M Contractors Inc., Doniphan, Mo.; Charpie Construction Co., Inc., Hopkinsville, Ky.; CWR Construction Inc., North Little Rock, Ark.; DAV Construction Co., Sherwood, Ark.; Flynco Inc., Little Rock, Ark.; Haralson Property Resources LLC, Memphis, Tenn.; Hernandez Consulting LLC, New Orleans, La.; HGL Construction, Midwest City, Okla.; Hollon Contracting LLC, Dothan, Ala.; J&S Construction Company Inc., Cookeville, Tenn.; Jack Helms Construction Co., Fort Smith, Ark.; Jack Morgan Construction, England, Ark.; Jane Construction LLC, Ozark, Ark.; K&E Construction Inc., South Beebe, Ark.; LJB Construction Inc., Rogers, Ark.; Lobina Construction, Hot Springs, Ark.; McCormick Asphalt Paving & Excavation, Ozark, Ark.; Precise Concrete Works LLC, Memphis, Tenn.; Primestar Construction Corp., Dallas, Texas; RHI Inc., West Haven, Utah; Roederer Construction Inc., LaGrange, Ky.; Ross Sparks Builders, Little Rock, Ark.; Structural Systems Inc., Fort Smith, Ark.; Wilkins Construction, North Little Rock, Ark., were awarded a $20,000,000 firm-fixed-price indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for the sustainment/repair and maintenance of National Guard military construction projects at Little Rock Air Force Base, Camp Joseph T. Robinson, and Fort Smith Regional Airport. Funding and work location will be determined with each order. Estimated completion date is March 31, 2019. Bids were solicited via the Internet with 29 received. All contractors in this announcement are small businesses. National Guard Bureau, North Little Rock, Ark., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 04/01/14)

Contracts: Multiple, $33M

URS Federal Inc., Germantown, Md. (N00189-12-D-Z016); Raytheon Technical Services Co. LLC, Sterling, Va. (N00189-12-D-Z017); Technical Software Services Inc., Pensacola, Fla. (N00189-12-D-Z018); Camber Corp., Huntsville, Ala. (N00189-12-D-Z019); General Dynamics Information Technology, Fairfax, Va. (N00189-12-D-Z020); Northrop Grumman Corp., Herndon, Va. (N00189-12-D-Z021); Logistic Services International Inc., Jacksonville, Fla. (N00189-12-D-Z022); Sonalysts Inc., Waterford, Conn. (N00189-12-D-Z023); and Kratos Defense and Security Solutions, San Diego, Calif. (N00189-12-D-Z024), are being awarded modifications under previously awarded multiple award contracts to exercise option two of the contracts pursuant to contract clause FAR 52.217-9, option to extend the term of the contract. The contracts provide education training products and services for the Naval Education Training Command in conjunction with Naval Education Training and Professional Development and Technology Center which works to educate Navy sailors in a variety of ways. The maximum contract value, for option two, for all nine contracts combined, is $33,079,710. These nine contractors will compete for task orders under the terms and conditions of the awarded contracts. No funding will be obligated with the exercise of the option, and therefore none of the funding will expire before the end of the current fiscal year. Funding will be provided on individual task orders issued against the contracts during the period of the option. Work will be performed in Pensacola (90 percent) and the other 10 percent will be performed at the contractors' locations. Work is expected to be completed April 30, 2015. The NAVSUP Fleet Logistics Center Norfolk, Contracting Department, Philadelphia Office, Philadelphia, Pa., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 04/01/14)

Contract: Boeing, $80M

The Boeing Co., St. Louis, Mo., has been awarded a maximum $80,000,000 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract, for Joint Direct Attack Munitions technical support for studies and analysis, product improvement, upgrades, integration (including, but not limited to, software integration, aircraft integration, and associated hardware) and testing. Work will be performed in Missouri with an expected completion date of March 31, 2019. Fiscal 2014 Air Force procurement funds in the amount of $4,141,039 and fiscal 2014 Navy operations and maintenance funds in amount $145,000 will be obligated at time of award. This award is the result of a sole source acquisition. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center/EBDK, Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is the contracting activity (FA8681-14-D-0028). (Source: DoD, 04/01/14)

Standex to supply A320neo

SALEM, N.H. -- Standex International Corp. announced that Spincraft, the company's engineered products metal fabrication business unit, received a life of program award from Senior Aerospace (SSP, formerly Stainless Steel Products) to produce exhaust plug and nozzle components for the nacelle on the Airbus A320neo. Spincraft will produce exhaust plug and nozzle sets, consisting of five individual components, for all the A320neo assemblies produced by SSP. SSP production is anticipated to represent up to 100 percent of the volume requirements on the UTAS nacelle for the Pratt & Whitney engine version of the aircraft. (Source: Business Wire, 03/31/14) Gulf Coast note: Airbus is building an A320 final assembly line in Mobile, Ala.

Assignments impact Tyndall

New assignments have been made affecting Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla. Col. David W. Hicks, selected for the grade of brigadier general, vice director, operations, J-3, North American Aerospace Defense Command, U.S. Northern Command, Peterson Air Force Base, Colo., has been assigned as vice commander, First Air Force (Air Forces Northern), Air Combat Command, Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla. Also, Brig. Gen. Jack L. Briggs II, selected for the grade of major general, vice commander, First Air Force, Air Combat Command, Tyndall, has been assigned to director of operations, J-3, Headquarters U.S. Northern Command, Peterson Air Force Base, Colo. (Source: DoD, 03/31/14)

IHMC scientist symposium speaker

PENSACOLA, Fla. -- Veteran Shuttle astronaut Tom Jones, a senior research scientist at the Florida Institute for Human and Machine Cognition, will be a featured speaker at the first X-STEM: Extreme STEM Symposium in Washington, D.C., on April 24. The symposium opens the third annual USA Science & Engineering Festival Expo and Book Fair, April 26-27, hosted by sponsor Lockheed Martin. Held at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, X-STEM is a "TED-style" event for kids with talks by 50 of the nation's most noted science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) professionals representing top universities, corporations, non-profits and governmental agencies. "I'm honored to speak at X-STEM and get to meet some of our future explorers," said Jones, who flew on four shuttle missions. "Exciting our young people about science, technology, engineering and math … is crucial to America's future." IHMC is a non-profit institute focusing on human-machine interaction. (Source: IHMC, 03/31/14)

NASA to extend contracts

Orbital Sciences and SpaceX could be hauling cargo to the international space station through 2017 under planned two-year contract extensions NASA announced March 31. NASA said it plans to extend the Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) contracts it gave Orbital and SpaceX in 2008 "for up to 24 months from December 2015 to December 2017." It was unclear whether NASA will be ordering additional missions. (Source: Space News, 03/31/14) Gulf Coast note: Orbital's Antares launch vehicle uses Aerojet AJ26 engines tested at Stennis Space Center; SpaceX last year announced it will test its Raptor methane rocket engines at SSC.

F-35 program cost drops

The estimated acquisition cost of the F-35 program dropped $11.5 billion over the past year, the congressional Government Accountability Office reported Monday in its annual report on U.S. arms programs. GAO now estimates the Pentagon will spend $332.3 billion over coming decades to develop the radar-evading F-35 jet and buy a total of 2,457 aircraft, about 3.3 percent less than last year's estimate. The new estimate was provided in fiscal year 2014 dollars. (Source: Reuters, Breaking Defense, 03/31/14) Gulf Coast note: Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is home of the F-35 training program.