December newsletter published

The December issue of the Gulf Coast Aerospace Corridor Newsletter is now available for download. This issue, the last of 2019, takes a look back at the key aviation-related stories that occurred in the Gulf Coast region during the year. There's a separate story that looks forward to what might happen in 2020. (Source: GCAC, 12/17/19)

Contract: Primus, $8.8M

Primus, Beltsville, Md., was awarded an $8,782,763 firm-fixed-price contract for cold and hot aviation refuel and defuel services, personnel, management, parts, supplies, transportation and vehicles/trucks. One bid was solicited via the internet with one bid received. Work will be performed in Daleville, Ala., with an estimated completion date of June 16, 2020. Fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance, Army funds in the amount of $5,000,000 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Mission Installation Contracting Command, Fort Eustis, Va., is the contracting activity (W9124G-20-C-0004). (Source: DoD, 12/13/19)

Contract: Arete Assoc., $17.6M

Arete Associates Inc., Northridge, Calif., is awarded a $17,561,860 firm-fixed-price modification to a previously-awarded contract (N61331-18-D-0012) to exercise Option 2, to provide Coastal Battlefield Reconnaissance and Analysis (COBRA) Block I systems. Work will be performed in Tucson, Ariz. (35%); Destin, Fla. (35%); and Santa Rosa, Calif. (30%), and is expected to be completed by July 2022. No funding will be obligated at time of award. The Naval Surface Warfare Center, Panama City Division, Panama City, Fla., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 12/13/19)

Contract: Lockheed, $18M

Lockheed Martin Corp., Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., Fort Worth, Texas, is awarded an $18,055,674 modification (P00055) to a previously awarded cost-plus-incentive-fee contract (N00019-16-C-0004). This modification provides for the maintenance and operation of the Australia, Canada, United Kingdom Reprogramming Laboratory (ACURL). This effort includes sustainment support for all ACURL systems to include consumables for the F-35 aircraft in support of the governments of Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom. Work will be performed at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., and is expected to be completed in February 2021. Non-U.S. Department of Defense participant funds in the amount of $18,055,674 will be 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, 12/12/19)

Contract: DMR Consult, $9M

DMR Consulting Inc., Panama City Beach, Fla., is awarded an $8,991,202 firm-fixed-price modification to previously awarded contract N61331-19-D-0002 to exercise the option for the depot level repair, overhaul and modification for the MK-105 Magnetic Minesweeping Gear. This option exercise is for depot level repair and maintenance of the MK105 Magnetic Minesweeping Gear. The MK105 Magnetic Influence Minesweeping System, better known as the "sled," is a high-speed catamaran hydrofoil platform, which is towed behind the MH-53E helicopter and is used to sweep magnetic influence mines. Work will be performed in Panama City, Fla., and is expected to be completed by December 2020. The Naval Surface Warfare Center, Panama City Division, Panama City, is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 12/12/19)

Saudi aviation students grounded

The Navy has grounded Saudi military trainees at three bases in Florida in the wake of a deadly shooting Friday at Naval Air Station Pensacola, Fla., by a member of the Saudi Royal Air Force. The suspension of flight training will affect about 300 Saudi students at NAS Pensacola, NAS Whiting Field near Milton and NAS Mayport in Jacksonville. Classroom instructions will continue, and other international students will resume flight training. The safety stand-down was issued pending results of an FBI investigation of the shooting that left three sailors dead and eight others, including two deputies, wounded. Investigators believe Saudi 2nd Lt. Mohammed Saeed Alshamrani, 21, acted alone. He was fatally shot by a deputy. In addition, an Air Force spokeswoman told Reuters an undisclosed number of additional Saudi students have also stopped flying at other U.S. bases. There are 850 Saudi students in the U.S. for military training. (Source: New York Times, Reuters, 12/10/19) Previous

FBI presuming shooting terrorism

The FBI is presuming the fatal shooting Friday of three servicemen at Naval Air Station Pensacola, Fla., was terrorism, but the agency has yet to declare an official motive. In a Sunday afternoon press conference, Rachel L. Rojas, FBI special agent in charge of the Jacksonville division, said federal, state, and local authorities are investigating the attack by Mohammed Saeed Alshamrani, 21, a second lieutenant in the Royal Saudi Air Force. who was training as a naval flight officer at NAS Pensacola. He was killed by a sheriff’s deputy. Authorities are "working with the presumption that this was an act of terrorism,” Rojas said. The main goal now is to see if Ashamrani acted alone or was part of a network. (Source: NBCNews, 12/08/19) The handgun used by Alshamrani was a 9mm Glock bought legally in Florida, according to the FBI. Rojas said during the press conference at Escambia County's Emergency Operations Center that is was purchase lawfully through a process that was open to "not just him, but any foreign national." She did not say when or where it was purchased. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives has information on regulations allowing foreign nationals to buy guns on U.S. soil. (Source: Pensacola News Journal, 12/08/19) Previous

Final NAS shooting victim IDd

PENSACOLA, Fla. - Navy officials on Saturday night released the names of all three aviation students who were shot to death Friday by a gunman at Naval Air Station Pensacola. Two of them, Joshua Kaleb Watson and Mohammed Sameh Hathaim, earlier were identified by their families. The third victim was identified by the Navy as Cameron Scott Walters, 21, of Richmond Hills, Ga. He enlisted Sept. 16 and after basic training reported to Pensacola Nov. 24. All three were students at Naval Aviation Schools Command at NAS. The shooter was shot to death by deputies. (Source: Pensacola News Journal, 12/07/19) Previous

2nd NAS shooting victim IDd

PENSACOLA, Fla. - A 19-year-old who was in Pensacola for flight crew training has been confirmed by a family member as one of the three people killed by a Saudi gunman Friday at Naval Air Station Pensacola. In a phone call with the Pensacola News Journal, Doretha Brady confirmed her grandson, Mohammed Hathaim of St. Petersburg, Fla., was killed in the shooting. The Tampa Bay Times reported that Hathaim joined the Navy after graduating from high school in 2018, and had moved to Pensacola for his training at NAS. He was scheduled to graduate the flight school program on Dec. 19. (Source: Pensacola News Journal, 12/07/19) Previous

Troubling gunman image emerging

The gunman who killed three people at Naval Air Station Pensacola, Fla., on Friday before being killed by deputies hosted a dinner party earlier in the week where he and three others watched videos of mass shootings, a U.S. official told The Associated Press. One of the students who attended aviation student Mohammed Saeed Alshamrani's dinner party videotaped outside the building while the shooting took place, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity after being briefed by federal authorities. Two other Saudi students watched from a car, said the official, adding that 10 Saudi students were being confined to the base Saturday. (Source: AP via Yahoo, 12/07/19) In other reports, barely two hours before Alshamrani went on a shooting spree, tweets purportedly written by him criticized the United States for its support of Israel and for stationing troops at bases in Saudi Arabia. The FBI is working to confirm that tweets came from him. Also, according to SITE Intelligence Group, which monitors online extremism, in social media posts Alshamrani appeared to have quoted slain al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, mastermind of the Sept. 11, 2001 attack. (Sources: Reuters, USAToday, 12/07/19) Previous

Family identifies NAS victim

One of the three victims killed by a Saudi gunman at Naval Air Station Pensacola, Fla., on Friday has been identified by his family. Joshua Kaleb Watson, 23, of Enterprise, Ala., graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis this year and arrived in Pensacola two weeks ago for flight training. In a tribute on Facebook, Adam Watson wrote that his brother saved lives by giving up his own. Watson was shot multiple times but made his way outside to tell first responders where the shooter was. "He died a hero and we are beyond proud but there is a hole in our hearts that can never be filled,” wrote the brother. The assault, which is being investigated as possibly terror-related, ended when a sheriff's deputy killed the gunman, identified as Mohammed Saeed Alshamrani, a second lieutenant in the Saudi Royal Air Force. (Sources: Daily Mail, Reuters, 12/07/19) Previous

Contract: Lockheed, $153.4M

Lockheed Martin Corp., Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., Fort Worth, Texas, is awarded a $153,392,916 cost-plus-fixed-fee modification to a previously-awarded contract (N00019-19-C-0074). This modification procures special tooling and special test equipment required to meet current and future F-35 Lightning II low-rate initial production as well as full-rate production rates. Work will be performed in Rome, Italy (29.9%); Redondo Beach, Calif. (24.4%); Fort Worth, Texas (21.3%); Clearfield, Utah (10.4%); Marietta, Ga. (6.9%); Samlesbury, United Kingdom (3.7%); Papendrecht, Netherlands (0.9%); Irvine, Calif. (0.7%); Williston, Vt. (0.6%); Helena, Mont. (0.5%); Kongsberg, Norway (0.4%); and Amityville, N.Y. (0.3%), and is expected to be completed in December 2023. Fiscal 2018, 2019 and 2020 aircraft procurement (Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps); non-U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) international partners; and Foreign Military Sales (FMS) funds in the amount of $153,392,916 will be obligated at time of award, $39,892,893 of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This modification combines purchases for the Air Force ($55,841,076; 36%); Navy ($51,887,772; 34%); Marine Corps ($22,286,205; 15%); non-U.S DoD international partners ($17,564,488; 11%); and FMS customers ($5,813,375; 4%). The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 12/06/19) Gulf Coast note: Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is home of an F-35 training center.

Contract: BAE, $12.6M

BAE Systems Technology Solutions & Services Inc., Rockville, Md., has been awarded a $12,608,102 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract modification (P00003) to previously-awarded contract FA8109-18-D-0005 to exercise Option Two. The contract modification extends the contract term for an additional 12 months in order to continue providing diminishing manufacturing sources and material shortages support for Air Force and non-Air Force users supporting the Air Force, to proactively reduce mission capability impacts to improve logistics support and weapon system sustainability. This effort will help assure all required parts and materials supporting Air Force-managed weapon systems are available within acceptable production lead times and will reduce the overall cost of ownership of the weapon systems by facilitating economical diminishing manufacturing sources and material shortages resolutions costs, reducing the number of reactive solutions, minimizing any delays in organic depot-level repair, as well as contractor repair and by improving weapon system availability. Work will be performed at Hill Air Force Base, Utah; Robins Air Force Base, Ga.; Tinker Air Force Base, Okla.; and Fort Walton Beach, Fla.; and is expected to be completed by June 20, 2021. The total cumulative face value of the contract is $37,386,305. Fiscal 2020 and 2021 consolidated sustainment activity group engineering funds will be obligated on any individual task orders issued during the option two performance period. The Air Force Sustainment Center, Tinker Air Force Base, Okla., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 12/06/19)

NAS Pensacola shooter IDd

The shooter who was shot to death after he killed three people at Naval Air Station Pensacola Friday has been identified by multiple news outlets as Mohammed Saeed Alshamrani, a second lieutenant in the Saudi Air Force. The foreign aviation student was shot by an Escambia County deputy. Authorities are trying to determine if the morning shooting in a large school complex at the base was terrorism-related. NAS Pensacola is a key training facility for the Navy, and is called the "Cradle of Naval Aviation." Parts of the base look like a college campus, including Building 633 where the shootings occurred. The base is where 60,000 members of the Navy, Marines, Air Force and Coast Guard receive training each year in multiple aviation-related technical fields. Students at the base include a couple hundred from U.S. partner nations, including Saudi Arabia. (Sources: multiple, including AP via Miami Herald, NBC News, ABC7 News, WEAR-TV, 12/06/19) Previous

Aviation academy ground broken

KILN, Miss. - Pearl River Community College (PRCC) broke ground Tuesday on the Phil Bryant Aviation and Aerospace Workforce Academy in Hancock County, across from Stennis International Airport. It's possible thanks to a $2 million grant from the Department of Economic Development Administration (EDA), matched with more than $3.9 million in state and local investments. It's expected to help create 469 jobs, retain 550 jobs, and generate $5 million in private investments. The academy will be an estimated 25,000 square feet that will consist of eight classrooms, five labs, reception area, faculty and staff offices, and more. Part of the complex will be a hangar of some 18,000 square feet and will consist of two classrooms with labs, open hangar area with hands-on lab stations. The facility is expected to be complete in 2021. Students will be able to study welding, precision manufacturing, instrumentation, industrial electronics, and more. (Sources: WLOX, 12/03/19, PRCC, 12/04/19)

Lockheed expanding at SSC

STENNIS SPACE CENTER, Miss. – Lockheed Martin is expanding its operations at NASA's Stennis Space Center (SSC) in Hancock County in a $20.9 million investment that will create 30 jobs. Lockheed Martin's primary activity at SSC is to design and build satellites and spacecraft for government and commercial customers. For the expansion, Lockheed Martin is centralizing select thermal production capabilities to its SSC location and will begin manufacturing products that are key components of all spacecraft currently manufactured by the company. The Mississippi Development Authority is providing assistance for building renovations. The project qualifies for tax abatements under the Hancock County Board of Supervisors’ current incentives program. (Source: Hancock County Port and Harbor Commission, 12/03/19)

NAS Pensacola shooter was Saudi

NAVAL AIR STATION PENSACOLA, Fla. - The shooter who used a handgun to kill three people at Naval Air Station Pensacola has been identified as a Saudi national. He was one of the international students in aviation-related training at the Navy base. His name has not been released, but the FBI is handling the investigation as a possible act of terrorism. NAS Pensacola has had students from partner nations training at the facility for many years. Officials did not say how long he had been training. Building 633, where the shooting occurred, is a multi-story facility that houses schools for a range of aviation technical training courses. (Source: GCAC, 12/06/19) Previous

4 dead in NAS Pensacola shooting

NAVAL AIR STATION PENSACOLA, Fla. - Four people are dead, including the shooter, at Naval Air Station Pensacola. Eleven others were injured and sent to Baptist Hospital and Sacred Heart Hospital. The base is on lockdown. The shooting occurred before 7 a.m. CST at Building 633. The base has 16,000 military and 7,400 civilians and is a key Navy technical training base. It's also home of the Blue Angels flight demonstration team, Barrancas National Cemetery, and the National Naval Aviation Museum. (Sources: multiple, including ABC News, AP via the Ledger, USAToday, 12/06/19) Updated with new information from a news conference that a fourth person died.

United orders 50 A321XLRs

United Airlines has placed a firm order for 50 Airbus A321XLR jetliners as it begins to phase out older models and launches an expansion of transatlantic routes from its key U.S. hubs in Newark/New York and Washington D.C. United plans to take delivery of the first A321XLR in 2024 and expects to begin international service with the aircraft in 2025. The A321XLR is the next evolutionary step in the A320neo/A321neo series of aircraft that meets market demand for an increased range and payload in a single-aisle aircraft. It will allow service from the U.S. East Coast to a much larger selection of European destinations. At the end of October 2019, the A320neo series had accumulated more than 7,000 firm orders from over 110 customers worldwide. (Source: Airbus, 12/04/19) Many of the A321XLRs ordered by United Airlines will likely be built in Mobile, Ala.

Contract: Lockheed, $988.8M

Lockheed Martin Missile and Fire Control, Orlando, Fla., has been awarded a $988,832,126 definitization modification (PZ0010) to previously-awarded contract FA8681-18-C-0021 for Air-Launched Rapid Response Weapon critical design review, test and production readiness support. The contract modification will definitize the contract terms, specifications and price. Work will be performed at Orlando and is expected to be completed Dec. 31, 2022. The total cumulative face value of the contract is $988,832,126. Fiscal 2020 research, development, test and evaluation funds are being obligated in the amount of $23,000,000 at the time of award. The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 12/02/19)