Larger Fire Scout takes flight

POINT MUGU, Calif. -- The Navy's newest variant of the Fire Scout unmanned helicopter completed its first day of flying Thursday at Naval Base Ventura County at Point Mugu. At 12:05 p.m. PDT the MQ-8C Fire Scout, built by Northrop Grumman, flew for seven minutes in restricted airspace to validate the autonomous control systems. The second flight that took off at 2:39 p.m. was also flown in a pattern around the airfield, reaching an altitude of 500 feet. The MQ-8C upgrade, based on a Bell 407 airframe, will eventually replace the MQ-8B, based on a Schweizer airframe (now Sikorsky). The MQ-8B is currently operating aboard USS Samuel B. Roberts. The MQ-8C is larger, has a range of 150 nautical miles and a payload capacity of more than 700 pounds. (Source: NNS, 10/31/13) Gulf Coast note: The MQ-8B is built in part in Moss Point, Miss., where work also will be done on the MQ-8C.

Contract: Lockheed, $422M

Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., Fort Worth, Texas, is being awarded a $422,063,723 modification with cost-plus-incentive-fee line items to a previously awarded advance acquisition contract (N00019-12-C-0004) for recurring sustainment support for F-35 aircraft. Sustainment support to be provided includes 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; El Segundo, Calif.; Warton, United Kingdom; Orlando, Fla.; Nashua, N.H.; and Baltimore, Md., and is expected to be completed in October 2014. This contract combines purchases for the U.S. Air Force (44.6 percent), U.S. Marine Corps (29.7 percent), the U.S. Navy (15.8 percent); and the governments of the United Kingdom (4.3 percent); the Netherlands (2 percent); Australia (1.2 percent); Turkey (.7 percent); Italy (.6 percent); Canada (.5 percent); Norway (.4 percent); and Denmark (.2 percent). The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 10/31/13) Gulf Coast note: Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is home of the F-35 training center.

Airline having good launch

DESTIN, Fla. -- Southern Airways Express' flights to the Destin Airport the past five months have been popular enough that the Memphis-based startup will make Destin a cornerstone of its service next year. The airline started offering direct flights between Destin and Memphis, Tenn., Oxford, Miss., Birmingham, Ala., and New Orleans in May. It also serves Panama City. Keith Sisson, chief operating officer for Southern Airways Express, said the flights to and from Destin have been its most popular and have outpaced the forecast. Southern Airways uses nine-seat turboprop Cessna Caravans with luxury executive-style seating for all its flights. (Source: Northwest Florida Daily News, 10/31/13)

777X decision a blow to Seattle

Boeing will place a significant amount of design work for the new 777X jetliner in five U.S. cities and Moscow, but no decision has been made about using its Seattle area facilities where the current 777 was designed and is being built. "It has been decided that much of the detailed design will be carried out by Boeing engineering teams in Charleston (South Carolina), Huntsville (Alabama), Long Beach (California), Philadelphia and St. Louis," Boeing told employees in an internal memo obtained by Reuters and confirmed by Boeing. The Boeing design center in Moscow will also do some of the work. However, at this time, no decisions have been made about 777X design or build in Puget Sound (Seattle area)," the memo said. Washington state Gov. Jay Inslee called Boeing's decision "disappointing" and vowed to "compete boldly and aggressively to win this work." (Source: Reuters, AFP via Yahoo, 10/30/13) Previous

Airbus offers wingtip retrofit

Close-up of A320 sharklet.
Airbus photo

Airbus plans to offer to retrofit fuel-saving wingtips on older versions of its A320 jets beginning in 2015. The upward-slanted wingtips, which Airbus calls sharklets, have become an increasingly common sight. By bending wingtips, planemakers can reduce drag and create more lift, reducing the consumption of fuel. Airbus says the wingtips cut fuel costs by up to 4 percent and increase range by up to 185 kilometers. Airbus is matching Boeing in making the wingtips available on older models as an option. Boeing also has an open-jawed design for the 737 MAX, where the wingtip is split at the end and angled both upwards and downwards. (Sources: Airbus, Reuters, 10/29/13) Gulf Coast note: Airbus is building an A320 final assembly line in Mobile, Ala., that will produce its first A320 in 2016.

FAL training begins for hirees

MOBILE, Ala. -- The first 10 manufacturing-related employees hired for the Airbus final assembly line in Mobile reported this week for orientation. The group includes six manufacturing engineers, three station managers and a quality conformance manager. Four are from Mobile and Baldwin counties. Classroom training begins the first full week of November, and local training will last two months before the group goes to the final assembly line in Hamburg, Germany, for hands-on training that could last as many as nine months. The $600 million A320 FAL will employ 1,000 and the first plane will come off the line in 2016. (Source: al.com, WLOX-TV, 10/30/13)

F-35 drops guided bomb

An F-35 dropped a 500-pound guided bomb this week, hitting a tank at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. The F-35B released the laser-guided GBU-12 Paveway II from its internal weapons bay while flying at around 25,000 feet. The Pentagon's top arms buyer this week said the F-35 program had made sufficient progress to budget for higher production in fiscal year 2015. (Source: Reuters, 10/30/13) Gulf Coast note: Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is home of the F-35 training center. Previous: F-35 has missile launch milestone; F-35 drops 2,000-pounder; F-35 drops AIM-120; F-35 has external weapons test

Airport celebrates Southwest

PENSACOLA, Fla. – Pensacola International Airport is holding a formal inaugural party Monday to mark Southwest Airlines' new daily, nonstop service to Nashville, Tenn., and Houston. The first flight arrives Sunday from Nashville. The airport had courted Southwest for years, and got the airline when Southwest bought AirTran, which had been serving PNS. Southwest chose to keep the Pensacola service. (Source: GCAC, 10/30/13) Previous: Southwest announces flights; Pensacola getting Southwest; Panama City airport gets Southwest

Oldest CV-22 retiring

HURLBURT FIELD, Fla. -- The oldest CV-22 tilt-rotor aircraft in the Air Force inventory will conduct its last test flight with the 413th Flight Test Squadron on Thursday. The Additional Test Asset CV-22 has been used to test every major upgrade and modification of the CV-22 fleet. After the sortie the tilt-rotor will become a display piece at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. The first operational CV-22 was delivered to the 1st Special Operations Wing at Hurlburt in January 2007. (Source: 1st Special Operations Wing, 10/29/13)

Orion avionics fired up

Avionics installed in Orion at Kennedy.
Lockheed Martin photo

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- NASA's deep space craft, Orion, has been powered on for the first time in a major milestone in the final year of preparations for flight. Orion's avionics system was installed on the crew module and powered up for a series of systems tests last week. Preliminary data indicate Orion's vehicle management computer, as well as its innovative power and data distribution system -- which use state-of-the-art networking capabilities -- performed as expected. All of Orion's avionics systems will be put to the test during its first mission, Exploration Flight Test-1(EFT-1), targeted to launch in the fall of 2014. (Source: NASA, Lockheed Martin, 10/28/13) Gulf Coast note: Orion is built in part at Michoud Assembly Facility, New Orleans.

919th SOW leader picked

DUKE FIELD, Fla. -- The Air Force Reserve selected Col. James Phillips to take command of the 919th Special Operations Wing. Phillips, previously the 919th Special Operations Group commander, takes charge Dec. 7. He succeeds Col. Anthony Comtois, who left in September to become commander of the Joint Special Operations Air Component for Special Operations Command Africa. Phillips separated from active duty in 1999 and entered the Air Force Reserve in the 711th Special Operations Squadron at Duke Field, flying the MC-130E. He participated in Operations Desert Shield, Desert Storm, Southern Watch, Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom. (Source: Northwest Florida Daily News, 10/28/13)

10,000th in A320 family ordered

JetBlue Airways has placed a new order for 35 A320 family aircraft, specifically 15 A321ceo (current engine option) and 20 A321neo (new engine option) aircraft. The airline has opted to upsize 8 A320ceo and 10 A320neo aircraft on backlog to 8 A321ceo and 10 A321neo, respectively. This marks the 10,000th order for an Airbus A320 family aircraft. Launch in the 1984, the A320 family has evolved with the latest innovations being the A320neo and the sharklets fuel saving wing tip devices. JetBlue will be the first airline in the world to take delivery of an aircraft from Airbus’ newest assembly facility under construction in Mobile, Ala. The facility will create 1,000 new jobs in the U.S. Gulf Coast region, and is part of the strategy to meet the growing needs of customers in the United States. Deliveries at the Mobile facility will begin in 2016. Airbus anticipates the facility will produce between 40 and 50 aircraft per year by 2018. (Source: Airbus, 10/29/13)

Crew abort test reviewed

Space Exploration Technologies, or SpaceX, recently laid out its plan to NASA to demonstrate the Dragon spacecraft's ability to carry astronauts to safety in the event of an in-flight emergency. In the test, which will take place along Florida's space coast next summer, a Dragon spacecraft will launch on a Falcon 9 rocket and an abort command will be issued about 73 seconds into the flight, when it’s flying through the area of maximum dynamic pressure. The test spacecraft will be retrieved from splashdown and returned to Port Canaveral by barge so data can be incorporated into the system's design. SpaceX is one of three companies working under NASA's Commercial Crew Integrated Capability initiative to develop spaceflight capabilities that eventually could provide launch services to transport NASA astronauts to the International Space Station from U.S. soil. SpaceX has already flown successful cargo missions to the ISS. (Source: Space Travel, 10/28/13) Gulf Coast note: SpaceX will test its developing Raptor engine at Stennis Space Center, Miss., beginning in 2014. Previous

Dream Chaser has landing snafu

Sierra Nevada's prototype Dream Chaser spacecraft had its first free-flight test Saturday, but sustained damage when its landing gear failed to deploy properly while landing at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. The spacecraft, which looks like NASA's space shuttle, was unmanned during the test. It was released from an air-crane helicopter at 12,000 feet and adhered to the design flight trajectory throughout the flight profile. The landing gear in the test flight was adapted from an F-5E fighter, but future versions will use a different design. Sierra Nevada is one of the commercial companies contracted by NASA to develop spacecraft to bring supplies and personnel to the International Space Station. (Sources: NBC News, 10/27/13, Space Travel, 10/28/13) Gulf Coast note: Sierra Nevada contracted with Lockheed Martin to assemble the composite structure for the first space-bound Dream Chaser at NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans.

96 TW tests new warhead

A hypersonic Kinetic Energy Projectile, an advanced conventional precision effects warhead, was successfully tested at Holloman Air Force Base, N.M., according to the Pentagon. The 846th Test Squadron, a geographically separated unit of the 96th Test Wing at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., conducted the high-speed sled test of the precision weapon. During the test, the sled train exceeded 3,500 feet-per-second greater than Mach 3 or three times the speed of sound. Susan Hurd, special assistant to the director of strategic warfare, called the test a significant technology development advancement. She said the test was "critical" in order to subject the warhead to the "dynamic environment it would see in flight." Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory was responsible for the design and development of the warhead itself, while the event was managed by the U.S Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center. (Source: American Forces Press Service, 10/28/13) Previous

Eglin has first STOVL mission

F-35B in first STOVL mission.
Air Force photo

EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. – Marine Fighter Attack Training Squadron-501 completed its first short take-off and vertical landing mission in an F-35B at Eglin Air Force Base last week. Maj. Brendan M. Walsh flew the hour-long mission where the aircraft remained in the STOVL configuration the entire flight. The aircraft flew pattern procedures around the base before gliding in, stopping in mid-air about 100 feet off the Eglin runway, performing a stationary right turn and slowly lowered to the ground on Oct. 24. Walsh is the only pilot at Eglin qualified to fly in the STOVL configuration, but he said the flight paved the way to locally train F-35B instructors and new students in STOVL operations. Walsh qualified in vertical landing operations six months ago at Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, Ariz. Eglin is home of the F-35 training center. Pilots and maintainers train on all three variants of the F-35. (Source: Team Eglin Public Affairs, 10/28/13) Previous: Marine F-35 to start local flights; UK F-35 now at Eglin; UK student pilot flies F-35

Command restructure complete

WRGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio -- Gen. Janet Wolfenbarger, commander of Air Force Materiel Command, announced earlier this week the full operational capability of the command's five-center system. Prior to the reorganization, AFMC was made up of 12 centers. The reduction to five centers netted an immediate operating efficiency through reduced overhead of more than $109 million per year. The command's five centers are the Air Force Research Laboratory and the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, both headquartered at Wright-Patterson AFB; Air Force Test Center at Edwards AFB, Calif.; Air Force Sustainment Center at Tinker, AFB, Okla.; and the Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center at Kirtland AFB, N.M. The Armament Directorate at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., falls under the AFLCMC, and the 96th Test Wing at Eglin reports to the AFTC. (Source: Air Force Materiel Command Public Affairs, 10/22/13)

Airport eyes crosswind runway

PANAMA CITY, Fla. – Officials at Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport in West Bay envision having a $17 million crosswind runway constructed by 2017. The board Wednesday accepted a $5.5 million grant from the Florida Department of Transportation. Airport Director Parker McClellan called the grant the first step towards getting funding line up. A crosswind runway is needed to provide better wind coverage for smaller aircraft. The airport’s current runway does not meet the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) wind coverage requirement for smaller general aviation aircraft. (Source: News Herald, 10/23/13)

Comau to provide Airbus FAL

Airbus chose Italy's Comau Aerospace to supply the aircraft main assembly and test stations for the A320 plant being built at Brookley Aeroplex in Mobile, Ala. The $600 million final assembly line will produce A319, A320 and A321 aircraft. Comau Aerospace will provide all jigs and tooling for the Mobile plant, and plans to open an integration center near the plant that will offer full project support. Comau, a subsidiary of the diversified manufacturer Fiat Group, was founded in 1973. It makes automation systems for the aerospace and automotive industries and operates in 23 locations in 13 countries. Headquartered in Turin, Italy, its North American operation is in Southfield, Mich. (Source: PRNewswire, 10/24/13)

Bolden visits SSC

STENNIS SPACE CENTER, Miss. -- NASA Administrator Charles Bolden was at Stennis Space Center Wednesday to welcome employees back to work after the U.S. government shutdown. Bolden held separate meetings with SSC and NASA Shared Services Center workers. He also toured the B-2 Test Stand, which is being prepared to test the core stage of NASA's new Space Launch System, which will carry humans deeper into space than ever before. Stennis employees returned to work Oct. 17 following a 16-day furlough. (Source: NASA/SSC, 10/24/13)