Airbus lists more job openings

MOBILE, Ala. -- Airbus Americas is seeking three quality conformance specialists for the Airbus U.S. Manufacturing Facility at the Mobile Aeroplex. The quality conformance specialists are responsible for maintaining the production quality system and associated organization approvals for the Airbus U.S. Manufacturing Facility. Among other qualifications, successful candidates must have a minimum of five years of experience in aircraft manufacturing/lean management/quality inspection of entire aircraft or aircraft installation; and a degree in aerospace/industrial engineering or business/quality management is preferred. For a complete list of Airbus jobs in Mobile, visit the Alabama Industrial Development Training website. (Source: Airbus, 12/15/15)

Hurlburt squadron wins award

The 801st Special Operations Aircraft Maintenance Squadron (801 SOAMXS) of Hurlburt Field, Fla., is this year’s winner of the Phoenix Award for Maintenance Excellence. It was announced at the secretary of defense awards ceremony Dec. 8. The Phoenix Award is presented to the single best maintenance unit out of that year's six field-level maintenance award winners. In FY 2014, the 801 SOAMXS’s maintenance actions produced over 1,200 sorties and 3,500 flying hours, more than 28 percent of the 1st Special Operations Wing's mission. Heavily engaged in Overseas Contingency Operations, the unit facilitated safe transportation and recovery of three battle damaged CV-22 aircraft valued at $267 million dollars for subsequent depot repair. In addition, the unit achieved a deployed mission capable rate that exceeded the command standard by 24 percent. Vigilant in innovation, the 801 SOAXMS authored 328 engineer requests resulting in modifications that saved over $8 million dollars and 2,000 man-hours. (Source: DoD, 12/10/15)

Contract: Rockhill Group, $13.2M

The Rockhill Group Inc., Molino, Fla., has been awarded a $13,166,915 firm-fixed-price contract for Air Force Special Operations Air Warfare Center aircrew instruction support services. Work will be performed at Hurlburt Field, Fla., and Cannon Air Force Base, N.M., and is expected to be complete by Dec. 31, 2016. This award is the result of a competitive acquisition with 11 offers received. Air Force Installation Contracting Agency, Wright Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity (FA0021-16-C-0001). (Source: DoD, 12/10/15)

Contract: Lockheed, $21.5M

Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., Fort Worth, Texas, is being awarded a $21,500,000 modification to a previously awarded advance acquisition contract (N00019-13-C-0008) to purchase, manufacture, and install various components to update the configuration of four conventional takeoff and landing variant F-35 aircraft for the government of Japan under the Foreign Military Sales program. In addition, this modification provides for updates to associated systems engineering products. Work will be performed in Fort Worth, Texas, and is expected to be completed in December 2016. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting authority. (Source: DoD, 12/10/15) Gulf Coast note: Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is home of the F-35 integrated training center.

Contract: Multiple, $157M

Segers Aero Corp., Fairhope, Ala. (N68335-16-D-0002); Standard Aero Inc., San Antonio, Texas (N68335-16-D-0001); and Turbopower LLC, Hialeah, Fla. (N68335-16-D-0003), are each being awarded fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity multiple award contracts for T56 Series III engine depot-level repair. The aggregate, not-to-exceed amount for these multiple award contracts is $157,075,454. This contract is for the receipt, inspection, disassembly, repair and/or modification, assembly, testing, and preservation of the T56 Series III propulsion system, modules, quick engine change kit, and components. The three major modules of the engine to be maintained and repaired under this contract will be power sections, reduction gear assemblies, and torquemeters, with a maximum quantity of 252 power sections, 285 reduction gear assemblies, and 231 torquemeters. Work will be performed in San Antonio, Fairhope and Hialeah. Work is expected to be completed in December 2020. The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, Lakehurst, N.J., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 12/09/15)

New summer flights added

PENSACOLA, Fla. – Pensacola International Airport announced that June 10 and extending through July 31, Southwest Airlines will offer a non-stop Saturday flight to Dallas and a non-stop Saturday flight to Kansas City. Southwest also has daily non-stop flights to Houston and Nashville. (Source: Pensacola News Journal, 12/08/15)

Contract: Kaman, $20.3M

Kaman Precision Products, Inc., Orlando, Fla., has been awarded a $20,285,171 firm-fixed-price modification (P00038) to previously awarded contract FA8681-13-C-0029 for Lot 12 production of Joint Programmable Fuze systems. Contractor will provide an additional quantity of 7,733 state-of-the-art fuze systems being produced under the basic contract. Work will be performed at Orlando and is expected to be complete by Sept. 29, 2017. This contract involves foreign military sales to the United Kingdom, Singapore, Spain, United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Eglin Air Force Base Fla., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 12/08/15)

Contract: Lockheed, $17.5M

Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control, Orlando, Fla., has been awarded a $17,472,496 fixed price modification (P00004) to previously awarded contract FA8682-16-C-0005 for the Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile program (JASSM). Contractor will provide labor, material, management, technical, and logistical support for the JASSM Lot 14 tooling effort. Work will be performed at Salt Lake City, Utah, and is expected to be complete by Dec. 30, 2018. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 12/04/15)

Contract: Lockheed, $302.2M

Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control, Orlando, Fla., has been awarded a $302,222,015 fixed-price incentive firm target modification (P00003) to previously awarded contract FA8682-16-C-0005 for the Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile (JASSM) program. Contractor will provide JASSM production, system upgrades, integration, sustainment, management and logistical support. Work will be performed at Troy, Ala., and is expected to be complete by June 29, 2019. This contract involves foreign military sales (FMS) to Poland and Finland. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 12/03/15)

MQ-8C wraps up assessment

The Navy and Northrop Grumman have completed a three-week operational assessment of the MQ-8C Fire Scout at Naval Base Ventura County at Point Mugu, Calif. It included 11 flights for a total of 83.4 flight hours, in which the Fire Scout unmanned helicopter was assessed for its performance, endurance and reliability against maritime and surveyed land targets. The C model is an upgraded, larger version of the MQ-8B Fire Scout, currently deployed on the USS Fort Worth. The smaller Fire Scout has flown more than 16,000 hours and has also demonstrated the ability to operate alongside the MH-60 manned helicopter during ship-based operations. (Source: Naval Technology, 12/02/15) Gulf Coast note: Final assembly of the Fire Scout is done by Northrop Grumman in Moss Point, Miss.

NAS Whiting wins award

Naval Air Station Whiting Field, Fla., won first place in the small installation category in a just completed 2016 competition. The Navy's annual Installation Excellence Award winners were announced today by the Navy Installations Command. The program recognizes the Navy's top three large and small installations. The top large installation is Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, Wash. (Source: NNS, 12/02/15) NAS Whiting trains Navy, Marine and Coast Guard helicopter pilots.

F-35 sims link pilots

ORLANDO, Fla. -- F-35A pilots are now training with four Full Mission Simulators linked together at Hill Air Force Base in Utah. It moves the 34th Fighter Squadron closer to meeting its goal to be combat ready by August 2016. The squadron will be the first Air Force F-35A unit to reach initial operational capability. The ability to link four pilots together during training using virtual technology not only gives them a chance to hone their individual skills but to develop tactics as a unit against ground and airborne threats in a high fidelity environment. According to Lockheed Martin, more than 190 F-35 pilots and 1,000 maintenance personnel for the Air Force will be mission ready by August 2016. The Marine Corps was the first to declare initial operational capability last summer. The Navy plans to reach IOC in 2018. (Source: Defense News, 12/01/15) Gulf Coast note: Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is home of the F-35 integrated training center.

Hurlburt officer promoted

Air Force Col. Sean M. Farrell has been nominated by the president for appointment to the grade of brigadier general, according to Secretary of Defense Ash Carter's office. Farrell is currently serving as commander, 1st Special Operations Wing, Air Force Special Operations Command, Hurlburt Field, Fla. (Source: DoD, 12/01/15)

Contract: UTC, $214.6M

United Technologies Corp., Pratt & Whitney, Military Engines, East Hartford, Conn., is being awarded a $214,597,057 modification to a previously awarded fixed-price-incentive-firm, cost-plus-incentive-fee contract (N00019-15-C-0004) for Low Rate Initial Production (LRIP) Lot 10 annualized sustainment in support of the F-35 for the U.S Navy, U.S Air Force, U.S. Marine Corps, Non -U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) participants and foreign military sales customers. This effort includes support services for LRIP 10 propulsion systems as well as hardware and training course material and equipment. Work will be performed in East Hartford (76 percent); Oklahoma City, Okla. (18 percent); Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. (2 percent); Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. (1 percent); Hill Air Force Base, Utah (1 percent); Luke Air Force Base, Ariz. (1 percent); and Beaufort, S.C. (1 percent), and is expected to be completed in April 2019. This contract combines purchases for the U.S. Air Force (47 percent); U.S. Marine Corps (27 percent); the U.S. Navy (11 percent); international partners (12 percent); and foreign military sales customers (3 percent) under the Foreign Military Sales program. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 11/25/15)

History made by Blue Origin

VAN HORN, Texas -- Blue Origin today announced that its New Shepard space vehicle successfully flew to space, reaching its planned test altitude of 329,839 feet, then made a historic upright landing back at the launch site in West Texas. "Now safely tucked away at our launch site in West Texas is the rarest of beasts -- a used rocket," said Jeff Bezos, founder of Blue Origin. Like something from an old science fiction movie, the launch vehicle came in for a controlled landing just over four feet from the center of the pad. The spacecraft, powered by a single BE-3 liquid hydrogen, liquid oxygen engine, is named in honor of the first American in space, Alan Shepard. (Source: Blue Origin via Business Wire, 11/24/15) Gulf Coast note: Blue Origin has used Stennis Space Center, Miss., to test engine components.

Keesler officer promoted

Air Force Col. Daniel J. Heires has been nominated by the president for appointment to the rank of brigadier general, according to Secretary of Defense Ash Carter's office. Heires is currently serving as the mobilization assistant to the commander, 2nd Air Force, Air Education and Training Command, Keesler Air Force Base, Miss. (Source: DoD, 11/23/15)

Contract: Lockheed, $13M

Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., Fort Worth, Texas, is being awarded a $12,972,450 modification to a previously awarded cost-plus-incentive-fee, fixed-price-incentive-firm contract (N00019-15-C-0114) to provide interim contractor support for F-35A aircraft located at Luke Air Force Base, Glendale, Ariz. Work will be performed in Glendale and is expected to be completed in November 2016. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 11/23/15) Gulf Coast note: Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is home of the F-35 integrated training center.

Contract awarded for engine

NASA picked Aerojet Rocketdyne of Sacramento, Calif., to restart production of the RS-25 engine for the agency's Space Launch System, the world's most powerful rocket. SLS will use four RS-25 engines to carry the agency's Orion spacecraft and launch explorers on deep space missions. The first four missions will be flown using 16 existing, upgraded engines that were used in the Space Shuttle program. Under the $1.16 billion contract, the heritage engines will be made more affordable and expendable, with fewer parts and welds and certified to a higher operational thrust level. The new engines will benefit from improvements in materials and manufacturing techniques, such as five-axis milling, 3D manufacturing and digital X-rays. The contract runs November 2015 and continues through Sept. 30, 2024. Engine testing will be done at NASA's Stennis Space Center, in South Mississippi. (Source: Space Daily, 11/24/15)

Leap-1A gets FAA-EASA OK

The CFM Leap-1A turbofan has gained joint certification from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration and European Aviation Safety Agency, clearing the engine to power the Airbus A320neo in revenue service in mid-2016. Airbus expects to gain certification of the Pratt & Whitney PW1100G-powered A320neo by the end of this year. With the Leap-1A's simultaneous FAA and EASA approval, CFM stands as the only engine manufacturer to gain dual original certification from both agencies, it said. Typically, a lead agency issues type certification and the second agency validates it. The Leap-1A flew for the first time on the Airbus A320neo on May 19, 2015. A second aircraft was added to the test program in September and, to date, the two airplanes have logged a combined total of more than 140 flights and 360 hours of flight testing. CFM International is a joint venture of Snecma (Safran) of France and GE of the United States. (Source: AIN, 11/20/15) Gulf Coast note: Airbus is building the A320 series of jetliners in Mobile, Ala.

SpaceX gets nod

SpaceX received orders Friday from NASA to send astronauts to the International Space Station in the coming years, helping restore U.S. access to space, NASA said. The announcement was a formal step in a process that began earlier this year when Boeing was given the nod by NASA to send crew to the orbiting outpost by late 2017. Both Boeing and SpaceX have received billions in seed money from NASA to restore American access to the ISS, after the U.S. space shuttle program was retired in 2011. The announcement of $4.2 billion for Boeing and $2.6 billion for SpaceX was made in September 2014. (Source: Space Daily, 11/20/15) Gulf Coast note: SpaceX is using Stennis Space Center, Miss., for research into its next generation of rocket engines.