Blue Angels fly over Super Bowl

SANTA CLARA, Calif. – The Blue Angels Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron helped kick off the 2016 Super Bowl with a flyover at Levi's Stadium. The Blue Angels' six-jet Delta formation soared over more than 70,000 spectators at the stadium following the national anthem. The Blue Angels of Naval Air Station Pensacola, Fla., are currently training in California for the 2016 air show season and are scheduled to fly 65 demonstrations at 33 locations throughout North America in 2016, the Blue Angels' 70th anniversary year. (Source: NNS, 02/07/16)

F-35 marks first; crosses Atlantic

An Italian Air Force pilot flying the first Italian-made F-35A Lightning II made history Friday after completing the maiden transatlantic crossing of the Lockheed Martin fighter. Aircraft AL-1 was refueled en route by Italy's own Boeing KC-767 tanker. The aircraft took off from Lajes Field on Portugal's Azores island group and touched down at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Md., Friday after a seven-hour flight. It began its journey earlier in the week when it left Cameri Air Base, Italy, for the trip to Portugal. The plane was built at the Cameri final assembly line. In June 2014, a contingent of U.S. Marine Corps F-35Bs had been poised to make the first transatlantic crossing to London to attend the Farnborough Airshow until an F-35A caught fire at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., temporarily grounding the fleet. (Source: Flightglobal, Defense News, 02/05/16)

Contract: X Corp, $50M

X Corp Solutions Inc., Stafford, Va., was awarded a firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract (HDTRA1-16-D-0002) with a five-year ordering period and a ceiling of $50,000,000 for security and counterintelligence operations support services. This contract procures non-personal services to provide security and counterintelligence support to DTRA/SCC-WMD/JFHQ-E personnel, missions, and facilities worldwide. Work will be performed at DTRA locations in Albuquerque, N.M.; Travis Air Force Base, Calif.; Eglin Air Force Base, Fla.; Kleber Kaserne, Kaiserslautern, Germany; and primarily, the Defense Threat Reduction Center in Fort Belvoir, Va. DTRA, Fort Belvoir, Va., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 02/03/16)

Contract: GD, $46.7M

General Dynamics Information Technology, Fairfax, Va., is being awarded a $46,672,970 single award, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, cost-plus-fixed-fee contract that will include terms and conditions for the placement of both cost-plus-fixed-fee and firm-fixed-price task orders for security cooperation, security assistance, foreign military sales technical, and program/project management support services to the Naval International Programs Office, Naval Supply Systems Command (NAVSUP) Weapon Systems Command (WSS) and applicable customers of NAVSUP WSS International Programs Directorate. Work will be performed in Philadelphia, Pa. (40 percent); Washington, D.C., (40 percent); Pensacola, Fla. (10 percent); and Wright Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio (10 percent). Naval Supply Systems Command Fleet Logistics Center Norfolk, Contracting Department, Philadelphia Office, Pa., is the contracting activity (N00189-16-D-Z004). (Source: DoD, 02/04/16)

AFSOC planes dedicated

HURLBURT FIELD, Fla. -- Air Force Special Operations Command on Tuesday dedicated an AC-130H Spectre gunship and MC-130P Combat Shadow special operations aircraft for display in the airpark at Hurlburt Field. The AC-130 "Wicked Wanda" retired in December 2014 after some 40 years of service. The MC-130P had its last sortie in May 2015. Among other missions, the gunship served in the first Gulf War and participated in the Battle of Khafji. Its sister gunship, using the call sign Spirit 03, was shot down Jan. 31, 1991, killing the crew. Toward the end of the ceremony, the crowd paid tribute to the 14-member crew from Spirit 03. (Sources: 1st Special Operations Wing Public Affairs, Northwest Florida Daily News, 02/02/16)

Eglin slates boat, flight operations

EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. -- The 53rd Weapons Evaluation Group will conduct boat operations in the Gulf of Mexico and the Choctawhatchee Bay Feb. 8-11. Preparatory boat operations will take place in the bay today. Each morning, fighters will release munitions between 8 a.m. and 12 p.m. about eight to 20 nautical miles south of Destin in the Gulf of Mexico. Notices to mariners will be issued prior to the missions and flyers will be handed out at the local marina. In the afternoons between 1 and 5 p.m., about 30 boats travelling in formation will transverse between the Mid-Bay Bridge and the Highway 331 Bridge. The boat formation will be used as targets by F-15s and F-16s flying over the area. No weapons or ammunition will be involved with this boat formation. Some boat operators will be dressed in various military uniforms and white costumes. They will carry rubber rifles, painted in high visible colors which will be kept out-of-view when transiting to and from the mission area. Some boats will have fake deck guns and rocket launcher tubes. The boats will also use marine flares as visual markers. These operations are part of the 53rd Wing’s Weapon System Evaluation Program. (Source: Eglin Public Affairs, 02/01/16)

Two die in plane crash

MOBILE, Ala. -- Two people died after a Cessna crashed near Mobile Regional Airport while returning from a charity flight. The plane went missing Monday evening when the tower lost contact with the plane, which was returning after flying a patient to Baton Rouge, La. The wreckage was found before 2 a.m. in west Mobile.  The Civil Air Patrol identified the victims of Monday night's crash as Maj. David R. Mauritson of Fairhope, Ala., a member of CAP since 1991, and 2nd Lt. Phil J. Dryden of Gulf Shores, who joined CAP in November 2015. (Sources: multiple, including al.com, WPMI, WKRG, 02/02/16)

Contract: Lockheed, $15.7M

Lockheed Martin Missile and Fire Control, Orlando, Fla., has been awarded a $15,699,586 modification (P00014) to previously awarded contract FA8682-14-C-0084 for Lot 12 of NAMMO value engineering change proposal for Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile (JASSM) production. Work will be performed at Orlando; Troy, Ala. and Salt Lake City, Utah, and is expected to be complete by Jan. 27, 2018. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 02/01/16)

Contract: Strategic Def. Sol., $13.2M

Strategic Defense Solutions LLC, Huntsville, Ala., was awarded a $13,170,497 firm-fixed-price, incrementally funded, multi-year contract with options for gunnery range support, Ft. Rucker, Ala., with an estimated completion date of Feb. 28, 2017. Bids were solicited via the Internet with 12 received. Army Contracting Command, Ft. Benning, Ga., is the contracting activity (W9124G-16-C-0003). (Source: DoD, 02/01/16)

EM-1 Orion set for shipment

NEW ORLEANS – The recently completed Exploration Mission One (EM-1) Orion will be shipped to Florida's Kennedy Space Center Monday aboard NASA's Super Guppy. The pressure vessel, built by Lockheed Martin at Michoud Assembly Facility, is the structure that holds the spacecraft's systems and subsystems. The pressure vessel's aluminum pieces were joined using friction-stir welding that bonds the edges of the aluminum pieces together. This structure will eventually be fitted atop NASA's Space Launch System and conduct its first mission in 2018 – an unscrewed orbit around the moon. (Source: Spaceflight Insider, 01/30/16)

Contract: Composite Eng., $37M

Composite Engineering Inc., Sacramento, Calif., has been awarded a $37,000,000 firm- fixed-price contract for Air Force Subscale Aerial Target (AFSAT) peculiar spares, contractor logistics support, and out of warranty repairs. Contractor will provide procurement of peculiar reparable spares and consumables to be procured for use in the AFSAT during operations at Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla.; and the Utah Test and Training Range. In addition, the contract provides for contractor logistics support and out of warranty repairs for the system. Work will be performed at Sacramento and is expected to be complete by Feb. 28, 2022. This award is the result of a sole-source acquisition. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is the contracting activity (FA8678-16-D-0008). (Source: DoD, 01/29/16)

Contract: Airbus DS, $8.6M

Airbus Defense and Space Inc., Herndon, Va., was awarded a $8,648,399 modification (P00970) to contract W58RGZ-06-C-0194 for logistics support for UH-72A (Lakota) helicopters. Work will be performed in Herndon with an estimated completion date of June 30, 2016. Fiscal 2016 operations and maintenance (Army) funds in the amount of $8,648,399 were obligated at the time of the award. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Ala., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 01/29/16) Gulf Coast note: Airbus builds UH-72As in Columbus, Miss.

Contract: Lockheed, $61.9M

Lockheed Martin Corp., Fort Worth, Texas, is being awarded a $61,943,088 modification to a previously awarded cost-plus-incentive-fee contract (N00019-15-C-0031) for recurring logistics services support for F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter aircraft. Services to be provided include ground maintenance activities; action request resolution; depot activation activities; Automatic Logistics Information System operations and maintenance; reliability, maintainability and health management implementation and support; supply chain management; and activities to provide and support pilot and maintainer initial training. Work will be performed in Ft. Worth, Texas (35 percent); El Segundo, Calif. (25 percent); Warton, United Kingdom (20 percent); Orlando, Fla. (10 percent); Nashua, N.H. (5 percent); and Baltimore, Md. (5 percent). Work is expected to be completed in February 2016. This contract combines purchases for the Air Force (55 percent); Marine Corps (21 percent); Navy (16 percent); and non-DoD participants (8 percent). The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 01/29/16) Gulf Coast note: Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is home of the F-35 integrated training center.

Sicily to get drones by year end

NATO will send all five of its Global Hawks this year to Sigonella Air Base in Sicily, four years later than program managers had initially planned. The drones are part of the Alliance Ground Surveillance system NATO is setting up in Italy amid growing regional and global concern about the presence of the Islamic State group across the Mediterranean in Libya. Fifteen NATO members are in the process of acquiring the Global Hawk surveillance systems. (Source: International Business Times, 01/26/16) Gulf Coast note: All variants of the Global Hawk are built in part in Moss Point, Miss.

JetBlue to overhaul cabins

JetBlue said on Monday that it's ready to overhaul the cabins of its A320 jets. The carrier say the restyling of all 130 of its A320s marks the first complete redesign of A320 interiors since JetBlue launched in 2000. The A320 cabin overhaul will include the addition of JetBlue's "Fly-Fi gate-to-gate" high-speed Internet and new high-definition seatback TV screens. JetBlue also will add power outlets and USB ports at every seat. JetBlue officials say the restyling is partially an attempt to make the A320 cabin interiors more like the interiors found on the airline's newer A321s, which get higher ratings from customers. (Source: USA Today, 01/26/16) Gulf Coast note: JetBlue will take delivery of the first Airbus A321 built in Mobile, Ala., this year.

KC-46A has first refueling flight

SEATTLE -- Boeing and U.S. Air Force aircrews successfully completed the KC-46A tanker's first refueling flight Sunday over Washington state. Following takeoff from Boeing Field, the KC-46A test team worked through a series of test points before offloading 1,600 pounds of fuel to an F-16 flying at 20,000 feet. During the 5 hour and 43-minute flight, air refueling operators accomplished multiple contacts with the F-16 that confirmed the system was ready to transfer fuel. (Source: Boeing, 01/24/16) Gulf Coast note: Airbus had competed for the refueling contract and planned to build the tankers in Mobile, Ala. Boeing won, and Airbus instead opted to build A320 series jetliners in Mobile. The first Mobile-built jetliner, for JetBlue, will be delivered this year.

Contract: General Atomics, $34M

General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc., Poway, Calif., has been awarded a $34,028,813 order (0014) from basic ordering agreement FA8620-15-G-4040 to develop and field the Air Force Special Operations Command MQ-9 Medium Altitude Long Endurance Tactical (MALET) Lead-Off Hitter (LOH) software line. Contractor will establish, define, and grow a process to rapidly field capabilities. Included in this effort is to address activities driving software changes such as: software defect corrections, threats, policy or doctrine driven, safety, interoperability, and software changes resulting from hardware upgrades. Work will be performed at Poway; Clovis, N.M.; and Ft. Walton Beach, Fla., and is expected to be complete by Feb. 28, 2018. Fiscal 2016 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $11,898,735 are being obligated at the time of award. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 01/22/16)

Contract: Composite Eng., $18.7M

Composite Engineering Inc., Sacramento, Calif., has been awarded an $18,674,455 modification to previously awarded contract FA8678-15-C-0069 for Air Force Subscale Aerial Target (AFSAT) Lots 11-13 production. Contractor will provide additional quantity of 21 AFSAT production units being produced under the basic contract (Lot 12) and the associated warranty. Work will be performed at Sacramento and is expected to be complete by Nov. 30, 2020. Fiscal 2016 procurement funds in the amount of $17,785,195 are being obligated at the time of award. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 01/21/16)

GE Aviation, Praxair joint venture

GE Aviation and Praxair Surface Technologies Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Praxair, Inc., have entered into an agreement to form a joint venture for the development, support and application of specialized coatings. The coatings will be tailored for GE Aviation’s and CFM International’s current and future engine models, including the GE9X and LEAP engines. The joint-venture company will expand its footprint with a new coatings plant in the southeast United States, which will supplement the services provided to GE from Praxair’s Indianapolis facility and other global operations. (Source: Praxair via Business Wire, 01/19/16)

Contract: Raytheon, $14M

Raytheon Co., Tucson, Ariz., has been awarded a not-to-exceed $14,000,000 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity cost contract for research and development in support of increased capabilities for next-generation, air-launched, tactical missiles. Contractor will work to increase the number of missiles carried on a single sortie, increase the effectiveness of each missile, and enhance the platform survivability against all threats in an anti-access, area denial (A2AD) environment. Two research concepts to fulfill these needs are the Small Advanced Capability Missile (SACM) and Miniature Self-Defense Munition (MSDM). The SACM will support affordable, highly lethal, small size and weight ordnance with advanced air frame design and synergistic control capabilities for air dominance enabling high air-to-air load-out. The MSDM will support miniaturized weapon capabilities for air superiority by enabling close-in platform self-defense and penetration into contested A2AD environment with little to no impact to payload capacity. Work will be performed at Tucson and is expected to be complete by Jan. 19, 2021. This award is the result of a competitive acquisition with four offers received. Fiscal 2016 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $388,905 are being obligated at the time of award. Air Force Research Laboratory, Munitions Directorate, Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is the contracting activity (FA8651-16-D-0314). (Source: DoD, 01/20/16)