Infinity displays Apollo module

BAY ST. LOUIS, Miss. -- An early artifact of America's moonshot program is now on display in Mississippi. Infinity Science Center is displaying the command module from Apollo 4, an unmanned 1967 mission that successfully demonstrated the full Saturn V rocket and the capsule that would carry men to the moon. The 9-hour mission showed the rocket's third stage would restart and that the command module's heat shield would withstand re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere. The command module is on long-term loan from the Smithsonian Institution's National Air & Space Museum. The display is part of a redesign of the museum's space exhibits. The Saturn V rocket was among those tested at neighboring Stennis Space Center. The 8,000-pound module was stored for five years at Stennis out of public view. (Source: multiple, including AP via WREG-TV, Jackson Free Press, 11/06/17, Sun Herald, 11/10/17)

Contract: Lockheed, $34.6M

Lockheed Martin Corp., Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., Fort Worth, Texas, is being awarded a $34,622,661 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for weapons capabilities technology maturation and risk reduction pre-engineering, manufacturing and development activities for dual-capability F-35 Lightning II joint strike fighter aircraft and small-diameter bomb 2 (SDB-II) in support of the Marine Corps and Air Force. Work will be performed in Fort Worth, Texas, and is expected to be completed in July 2018. Fiscal 2017 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $6,000,000 are being obligated at the time of award, all of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured pursuant to Federal Acquisition Regulation 6.302-1. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity (N00019-18-C-1004). (Source: DoD, 11/09/17) Gulf Coast note: Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is home of the F-35 integrated training center.

Tyndall hosts large exercise

And airman pushes tools along the flight line.
Air Force photo

TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. – Personnel and equipment from Air Force installations across the country have converged on Tyndall Air Force Base in Northwest Florida to participate in Checkered Flag 18-1, a two-week, large-scale exercise that integrates the war-fighting capabilities of fourth-and fifth-generation aircraft. It’s being held with the concurrently running Weapons Systems Evaluation Program, Combat Archer. Tyndall is hosting the 525th Fighter Squadron, Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska; 131st Fighter Squadron, Barnes Municipal Air National Guard Base, Mass.; 393th Fighter Squadron, Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho; 79th Fighter Squadron, Shaw Air Force Base, S.C.; 552nd Air Control Wing, Tinker Air Force Base, Okla.; 509th Bomb Wing, Whiteman Air Force Base, Mo.; and 116th ACW, Robins Air Force Base, Ga. “What we have in our Checkered Flag airspace is an over water range that affords us the opportunity to be fully supersonic down to the ground,” said Air Force Lt. Col. Daniel Lee, 44th Fighter Group deputy commander and Checkered Flag 18-1 Air Expeditionary Wing vice commander. “This is not a capability that we have on a large scale at any other ranges within the United States.” The exercise wraps up Nov. 17. (Source: 325th Fighter Wing, 11/09/17)

Norway gets F-35 data file

EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. -- The 53rd Electronic Warfare Group's Partner Support Complex delivered the F-35 mission data file to Norway Oct. 26. This is the first overseas delivery of Block 3F mission data to a foreign nation and was accomplished in anticipation of Norway's first F-35s, which arrived last week and will be marked by a Nov.10 ceremony there. The delivery of Block 3F mission data enables the F-35 to accomplish its primary missions of air interdiction, close air support, and suppression and destruction of enemy air defenses. Mission data files enable the aircraft to know what threats to search for and when, providing the F-35 its means of deciphering the environment. The men and women of the PSC are charged with programming this essential mission data software for eight F-35 partner nations, to include Norway, Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, Italy, the Netherlands, Turkey, and Denmark. (Source: 53rd Wing, 11/08/17) Previous related

Contract: Reliance Test, $48M

Reliance Test & Technology, Crestview, Fla., has been awarded a $48,000,000 modification (P00022) to a previously awarded contract (FA2486-16-C-0002) for Eglin operation and maintenance services. The modification increases the government-provided value of cost-reimbursable, contractor-acquired property for contract line item number 0005. Work will be performed at Eglin test and training complex, Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., with an expected completion date of Sept. 30 2026. Fiscal 2018 research and development funds in the amount of $48,000,000 are being obligated at time of award. Air Force Test Center, Eglin Air Force Base, is the contracting activity. (Awarded Nov. 7, 2017) (Source: DoD, 11/08/17)

Bridenstine supports SLS, Orion

WASHINGTON — As the Senate Commerce Committee prepares to advance his nomination as NASA administrator to the full Senate, Jim Bridenstine offered pledges of continuity for many key agency programs. In response to questions submitted for the record by several members of committee, Bridenstine said he believed the Space Launch System and Orion programs are critical to the agency’s exploration plans, as well as contributions from commercial space ventures. “SLS and Orion will serve as the backbone to our country’s Deep Space exploration architecture,” Bridenstine said in response to a question from Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., about how those programs would fit into NASA’s long-term exploration plans. He used the same language in similar questions from other senators about the future of those programs. (Source: SpaceNews, 11/07/17) Gulf Coast note: Stennis Space Center, Miss., and Michoud Assembly Facility, New Orleans, are both involved in the SLS/Orion program as well as commercial space activities.

Airbus Americas getting new chief

HERNDON, Va. -- The leadership of European planemaker Airbus’ U.S. operations will change early next year when C. Jeffrey Knittel becomes chairman and chief executive posts at Airbus Americas. He will replace Airbus Americas CEO Barry Eccleston, who will retire on Feb. 28, 2018. Allan McArtor, chairman of Airbus Americas, will remain with the company as chairman emeritus. Knittel, who brings more than 25 years of global aerospace leadership experience to the position, will join the company at its Americas headquarters in Herndon Jan. 12. (Source: Airbus, 11/07/17) Gulf Coast note: Airbus Americas employs 5,000 people and its operations include an A320 series assembly line and Engineering Center in Mobile, Ala., and helicopter manufacturing facilities in Columbus, Miss., and Texas. Knittel is a trustee of the National World War II Museum in New Orleans.

Terminal design to be shown

LAFAYETTE, La. – Design details for a new 120,000-square-foot, $90 million terminal at Lafayette Regional Airport are being unveiled this week during the airport commission’s regular meeting Wednesday. Lafayette Regional Airport was the fourth busiest in Louisiana in 2016 in terms of enplanements, according to the Federal Aviation Administration, but Airport Director Steven Picou said it operates with the smallest square-footage. “Every other airport in the state of Louisiana that has air carrier operations has had a terminal remodel or brand new terminal. Lafayette has not,” Picou said. “It’s kind of our turn.” (Source: Acadiana Advocate, 11/06/17) The airport in Lafayette, site of a Bell Helicopter facility, is along Interstate 10 west of New Orleans.

Contract: Raytheon, $17.3M

Raytheon Co. Missile Systems Division, Tucson, Ariz., was awarded a $17,255,491 modification (P00009) to a previously awarded contract (FA8675-15-C-0004) for High-Speed Anti-Radiation Missile Targeting System (HTS) contractor logistics support (CLS) services. The contract modification provides for HTS pod CLS depot repairs and sustainment activities. Work will be performed in Tucson, with an estimated completion date of Nov. 30, 2018. Fiscal year 2018 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $12,825,015 are being obligated at time of award. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 11/06/17)

Flying Jennies ready again

C-130J over Keesler Nov. 3
U.S. Air Force photo by Shelton Sherrill

KEESLER AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. – The 815th Airlift Squadron on Friday completed its quest to reach full operational capability, four years after the squadron’s future was uncertain. The squadron and its C-130J Flying Jennies are again ready to deploy and provide combat-ready airmen for airlift mission, said Lt. Col. Stuart Rubio, 815th AS commander. As part of the National Defense Authorization Act of 2013, the Air Force announced plans to transfer 10 of the Air Force Reserve 403rd Wing's C-130J aircraft. But two years later the Secretary of the Air Force reversed that recommendation, beginning the programming and budgeting work to restore personnel and mission capability at Keesler. The squadron trains weekly for this mission, and in honor of the squadron reaching FOC status they did just that Friday and flew a three-ship formation. During the low-level tactical flight, they practiced airdrops, flew with night vision goggles and performed other tasks to prepare for missions in a deployed location, said Rubio. (Source: 403rd Wing Public Affairs, 11/05/17) The initial plan was to deactivate the 815th and move the aircraft to North Carolina, then later the relocation site was Arkansas. Previous: Keesler to lose planes, squadron; Move of Keesler C-130Js delayed; 815th remains at Keesler for now.

College gets new student center

LAKE CHARLES, La. -- SOWELA Technical Community College showcased its newest addition Thursday, the Sycamore Student Center. SOWELA also introduced its newly restored Boeing 727 instructional jet. The aircraft will be used to give hands-on training to students in various aviation programs. The new student center provides a number of services to students, including admissions, financial aid, enrollment and testing. (Source: KPLC-TV, 11/02/17) The center near Chennault International Airport along the Interstate 10 corridor in Southwest Louisiana trains about 130 aviation-related students every year.

Training exercise slated

KEESLER AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. -- Residents of Biloxi and Keesler Air Force Base may hear an increase in noise this weekend due to a training exercise. The Air Force Reserve's 403rd Wing will hold the exercise on Saturday from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. during the Unit Training Assembly. Sirens, alarms and loudspeaker announcements will be used to simulate realistic environments for personnel. Trainees will practice self-aid and buddy care, chemical warfare detection, and the ability to survive and operate in a deployed environment. (Source: WLOX-TV, 11/01/17)

PNS sets record; gets new route

PENSACOLA, Fla. -- Pensacola International Airport (PNS) reaches a new all-time high serving 1,668,897 passengers during fiscal year 2017 (October 1, 2016 – September 30, 2017). That’s the highest count in a decade. A year before the Great Recession, the airport’s last passenger record was in FY07 when the airport served a total of 1,660,545 passengers. In addition to the record, PNS announced a second daily non-stop flight to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) aboard American Airlines will be added to the flight schedule in the spring. Beginning April 3, 2018, passengers will have the option of booking a morning nonstop flight to DCA, in addition to the current afternoon non-stop flight. (Source: City of Pensacola, 11/03/17)

NASA opportunities discussed

MOBILE, Ala. -- Dozens of interested business representatives gathered at a NASA Business Forum that offered a chance to hear from experts involved in the business of space. Officials from Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Stennis Space Center and NASA Shared Services in South Mississippi, as well as representatives from prime contractors attended the event. The message: NASA is committed to handing out hundreds of millions of dollars to small businesses every year, either through direct contracts or as subcontractors to the primes. (Source: al.com, 11/02/17) The forum was at the Renaissance Mobile Riverview Plaza Hotel. Related story, "The technology goldmine in our midst," Gulf Coast Aerospace Corridor Newsletter, February 2017, p. 3-4

MAF adding tenant, jobs

NEW ORLEANS -- A new tenant is moving in and another expanding at Michoud Assembly Facility (MAF) in east New Orleans. The changes will add 45 new jobs. Gov. John Bel Edwards and NASA Marshall Space Flight Center Director Todd May joined local and state officials Wednesday to announce the jobs and provide an update on the latest at MAF. In addition to the new jobs, state leaders announced plans for an aerospace program at nearby Nunez Community College to train students for careers at Michoud and other regional employers. Also, Sinter Metal Technologies, a global supplier of metal and ceramic parts that is based in Liechtenstein, announced Wednesday it will move some of its operations to MAF. The company intends to invest $5 million in a new sintering facility at Michoud to bond powder-based metals, material that will be used to make strong precision parts. The plan will create 15 jobs at an average salary of $55,000 a year. In addition, Advanced Cutting Solutions, which specializes in kit-cutting tough materials like fiberglass, Kevlar and dry carbon, also said it is expanding its presence at the facility, adding 30 new jobs at an average salary of $40,000 a year. (Source: nola.com, 11/01/17)

AF awards F-35 programmers

EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. – The 53rd Wing’s 513th Electronic Warfare Squadron was awarded on Oct. 25 the Outstanding Scientist/Engineer Team of 2017 for their work on the F-35A Initial Operational Capability delivery at Eglin Air Force Base. This Air Force Science, Technology, Engineering and Math annual award recognizes the efforts and achievements of scientists and engineers who make significant contributions to technology and engineering. For the last seven years, 513th EWS airmen and sailors of the F-35’s U.S. Reprogramming Laboratory have been doing just that. Supercomputers, referred to as sensor fusion, make up the F-35’s brain. That brain provides the fighter with unique capabilities, making it more lethal, survivable and adaptable than any fighter aircraft on Earth, according to the Secretary of Air Force Public Affairs. However, without 513th EWS personnel inputting critical mission data into the F-35, sensor fusion wouldn’t work as intended. The aircraft wouldn’t know what threats to search for or when. In the electronic warfare world, engineers refer to this ability to understand the world, the ability to sift through stimuli and make informed decisions about how to react, as mission data software. This software helps compile countless pieces of information about the environment the F-35 will fly into. It also creates within the F-35’s brain the means of deciphering that environment. The men and women of the 513th EWS program this essential mission data software, thus teaching the F-35 how to distinguish between stimuli and making it efficient, intelligent and lethal. (Source: 53rd Wing Public Affairs, 11/01/17) Background story, "Putting the fight in the F-35," Gulf Coast Aerospace Corridor Newsletter, April 2015, p. 1-2.

New air service at VPS

EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. – In May, travel between Okaloosa County and the nation’s capital will be easier for hundreds of military contractors and active duty personnel. The first non-stop American Airlines flights between Destin-Fort Walton Beach Airport (VPS) and Washington D.C.’s Ronald Reagan National Airport will take off 11:05 a.m. May 4, according to a news release from the county. An earlier flight is scheduled to depart Washington D.C. at 8:45 a.m. the same day, with arrival in Okaloosa County expected at 10:07 a.m., the release said. The two flights will run daily. (Source: Northwest Florida Daily News, 11/01/17) The airport is located at Eglin Air Force Base.

Contract: UTC, $19.3M

United Technologies Corp., Pratt & Whitney Military Engines, East Hartford, Conn., is being awarded a $19,266,207 modification to a previously awarded cost-plus-incentive-fee and fixed-price-incentive-firm-target contract (N00019-15-C-0004). This modification provides for procurement of extra-long-lead items in support of the low-rate initial production Lot XII F-35 Lightning II joint strike fighter aircraft production. The extra-long-lead items include group hardware supporting the Lot XII delivery of conventional take-off and landing propulsion systems for the Air Force, Navy, non-Department of Defense (non-DoD) participants, and foreign military sales (FMS) customers, as well as group hardware supporting the Lot XII delivery of short take-off and vertical landing propulsion systems for the Marine Corps. Work will be performed in East Hartford (67 percent); Indianapolis, Ind. (26.5 percent); and Bristol, United Kingdom (6.5 percent), and is expected to be completed in November 2019. Fiscal 2017 aircraft procurement (Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps), non-DoD participant, and FMS funds in the amount of $19,266,207, are being obligated on this award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract combines purchases for the Marine Corps (88.04 percent); non-DoD participants (9.86 percent); Air Force (1.49 percent); FMS (0.41 percent) under the Foreign Military Sales Program; and Navy d.0 percent). The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md, is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 11/01/17) Gulf Coast note: Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is home of the F-35 integrated training center.

Contract: Multiple, $8.3B

Numerous companies, including UTS Systems LLC, Fort Walton Beach, Fla. (W911QY-18-D-0161), will share in an $8,276,161,000 hybrid (cost, cost-plus-fixed-fee, cost-plus-incentive-fee, firm-fixed-price, fixed-price-incentive, and fixed-price-redetermination) contract for Joint Enterprise Research, Development, Acquisition and Production and Procurement program to support research and development of chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and high-yield explosives defense systems, capabilities, equipment, supplies and material. Bids were solicited via the Internet with 178 received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of Oct. 3, 2027. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Natick, Massachusetts, is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 11/01/17)

Eglin conducting tests

EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. – The 53rd Weapons Evaluation Group is conducting operations from Nov. 1-3 and Nov. 6-8 in the Gulf of Mexico and Choctawhatchee Bay as part of a Weapon System Evaluation Program. Between 8 a.m. and noon jets will be releasing munitions about 20 miles south of Destin in the Gulf of Mexico. The test are being conducted within a cleared safety range. Between 1-5 p.m., about 30 boats traveling in formation will transverse between the Mid-Bay Bridge and the U.S. Highway 331 Bridge, including 10-to-20 miles south of Destin in the Gulf of Mexico, according to base officials. The boat formation will be used as visual targets by military aircraft flying over the area. Some boats will have fake deck guns and rocket launcher tubes, but no live weapons or ammunition will be involved. The boats also will be using marine flares as visual markers. (Source: News Herald, 10/27/17)