Contract: PRIDE, $13.8M

PRIDE Industries, Roseville, Calif., was awarded a $13,844,609 modification (P00014) to multi-year contract W9124G-13-C-0002 for the Department of Public Works-Base Operations, Fort Rucker, Ala. Fiscal 2014 operations and maintenance, Army funds in the amount of $1,071,008 were obligated at the time of the award. Estimated completion date is Feb. 28, 2015. Work will be performed at Fort Rucker. Army Contracting Command, Fort Rucker, is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 02/28/14)

Southeast now hot for aerospace

Aerospace supply chains are morphing. In the past decade it appeared the future of original equipment manufacturing was in low-cost countries. But labor costs increased in those countries, and new technologies made it all less labor-intensive. Today the hottest new aerospace cluster is not in China, but the U.S. Southeast. Boeing, Embraer, Airbus, Rolls-Royce and Airbus Helicopters have or will have established final assembly facilities in the region, and dozens of sub-tier suppliers are following suit. An opinion piece. (Source: Aviation Week and Space Technology, 02/24/14)

Final JSF SEIS released

EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. -- The Air Force has released a Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement that analyzes the environmental impacts associated with where the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter aircraft will beddown on the Eglin Reservation and how they might be operated. The Final SEIS contains analyses of operational alternatives and presents mitigations for the F-35 aircraft at Eglin under the February 2009 Record of Decision. (Source: Eglin Air Force Base, 02/27/14) Documents page; PDF of SEIS

Air Warfare Center gets new leader

DUKE FIELD, Fla. -- Col. David Tabor is the new commander of the Air Force Special Operations Air Warfare Center. He took over in a ceremony Thursday, earlier than planned. The center, which has about 1,000 employees, trains and equips all special operations airmen. The center is headquartered at Hurlburt Field, but has units at Duke, Cannon Air Force Base, N.M., and Robins Air Force Base, Ga. Air Force Brig. Gen. Jon Weeks, the previous commander, was fired last month amid allegations that he had an inappropriate personal relationship. (Source: Northwest Florida Daily News, 02/27/14) Previous

Lockheed expands in Troy

TROY, Ala. -- Lockheed Martin broke ground today for its Pike County Operations' Long Range Strike Systems cruise missile production annex in Troy. The planned 62,000 square-foot annex will expand the existing 92,000-square-foot manufacturing facility where the Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile (JASSM) is produced. The facility also produced test missiles for the Long Range Anti-Ship Missile (LRASM) development program. Construction is set for completion by first quarter 2015. The expansion, a response to an increased demand, is expected to increase employment by about 10 percent over the next few years. The facility employs some 300 full-time employees and over 100 contractors. (Source: Lockheed Martin, 02/27/14) Troy is between Montgomery and Dothan, Ala.

Contract: Lockheed, $10.2M

Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control, Orlando, Fla., has been awarded a $10,185,912 cost-plus-fixed-fee modification (P00017) for an existing contract (FA8682-12-C-0006) for Joint Air-to-Surface Strategic Missile anti-jam GPS receiver - Selective Availability Anti-Spoofing Module Version 3 (JAGR-S V3) for development of the JAGR-S V3 and options for V3 Qualification Failure Review Board (FRB), V3 Flight Test FRB, and for the Transit Case Assembly. Work will be performed at Orlando, Fla., and Troy, Ala., and is expected to be completed by Dec. 31, 2016. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center/EBJK, Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 02/26/14)

Airbus to raise A320 rate

Airbus will increase production of its best-selling single-aisle aircraft family to 46 a month in Q2 2016, up from the current rate 42. The new higher production rate will be achieved gradually, with an intermediate step at 44 aircraft per month in Q1 2016. Over the past five years, Airbus has steadily increased A320 family production, going from rate 36 at the end of 2010 to rate 38 in August 2011, then up to rate 40 in Q1 2012 to reach 42 per month in Q4 of the same year. (Source: Airbus, 02/26/14) Previous: Plant ups A320 output; Airbus ups demand forecast. Gulf Coast note: Airbus will produce A320s in its Mobile, Ala., final assembly line beginning in 2016. It will be the company's fourth A320 assembly line.

Okaloosa EDC gets grant

The Economic Development Council of Okaloosa County received a $195,000 grant from the Florida Defense Support Task Force to research, support and expand partnerships between Eglin Air Force Base and local governments in the tri-county area. The grant's 12-month scope of work will be overseen by a newly created Community Partnership Initiative committee. As military installations plan for the fiscal impact of a shrinking Department of Defense budget, bases are being encouraged to engage in innovative community partnerships designed to lessen operational costs while also benefiting the installation’s host community. (Source: Northwest Florida Daily News, 02/25/14)

Most at meeting favor project

PENSACOLA, Fla. -- Despite some mild concerns about noise, for the most part the conversations at a public meeting Tuesday were all about jobs and the positive economic impact ST Aerospace would have on the local economy. Pensacola is hammering out details with the Singapore-based company to bring a 300-employee maintenance facility to Pensacola International Airport. ST executives attended the meeting, including Joseph Ng, president of ST’s operation in Mobile, Ala. Ng said he hoped ST could begin servicing commercial jetliners by the first quarter of 2016. He said most jobs would be paying in a range between $30,000 and $58,000 annually. (Source: Pensacola News Journal, 02/25/14) Previous

Exelis gets MK-105 contract

Exelis has received a contract valued at more than $13 million to provide the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane, Ind., with depot level repair, maintenance and modifications for two mine defense systems currently fielded with the U.S. Navy. The Exelis MK-105 Minesweeping System and Airborne Mine Neutralization System is used for high-speed airborne mine countermeasures. The MH-53E Sea Dragon helicopter tows the MK-105 through the water to detonate mines. Work under this contract will be performed in Panama City, Fla., and is expected to be completed by December 2014. (Source: BusinessWire, 02/24/14)

BAE gets space radar extension

FORT WALTON BEACH, Fla. -- The U.S. Air Force Space Command awarded BAE Systems a three-year contract extension to continue maintaining space radars used for missile warning and space surveillance operations. The company provides a range of services, including around-the-clock operations and maintenance. The award is a continuation of work that BAE Systems has been done since 2007, and raises the cumulative value of the contract to about $540 million. The Solid State Phased Array Radar System (SSPARS) is a network of radars that tracks more than 16,000 objects orbiting Earth. The radar system identifies various man-made objects in space, and also tracks objects that may enter the atmosphere, information vital to air missile defense operations and to protecting against submarine-launched ballistic missiles. SSPARS is capable of about 40,000 space observations daily. (Source: BusinessWire, 02/24/14)

Budget a win for special ops, cyber

The nearly half-trillion dollar defense budget proposed by Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel calls for a smaller Army and elimination of the A-10 attack jets, but it strengthens Special Operations and cyberwarfare capabilities. The special operations force would increase nearly 6 percent. The budget does sustains money for the F-35 fighter and retires the U-2 spy plane in favor of the unmanned Global Hawks. The propsed budget, which has the endorsement of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, is subject to Congressional approval. (Sources: multiple, including New York Times, Wall Street Journal, 02/24/14) Gulf Coast note: Hurlburt Field, Fla., is home of Air Force Special Operations, Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is home of the 7th Special Forces Group and Navy Special Warfare personnel, including SEALS, train at Stennis Space Center, Miss.; Keesler Air Force Base, Miss., and Hurlburt Field both have cybersecurity training. Corry Station in Pensacola, Fla., is home of the Navy's Center for Information Dominance; Global Hawks are built in part in Moss Point, Miss.; Eglin AFB is home of the F-35 training center.

Contract: Raytheon, $20M

Raytheon Co. Missile Systems, Tucson Ariz., has been awarded a $20,000,000 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for support of requirements associated with performance of the AMRAAM Aircraft Integration, aircraft operational testing related activities and flight test support. The primary objective of this effort is to provide the necessary aircraft lab, flight test, flight clearance and simulation support during all aircraft integration efforts. Additionally, it covers the required effort to maintain or repair assets or support equipment needed for direct support to aircraft integration related efforts. This effort includes all necessary troubleshooting, failure analysis or other activities required to understand anomalies or failures that occur during aircraft or AMRAAM missile OT related activities as well as provide needed support during these OT related activities. Work will be performed at Fort Worth, Texas; Eglin Air Force Base, Fla.,; Hill AFB, Utah; Edwards AFB, Calif.; Nellis AFB, Nev.; White Sands Missile Range, N.M.: China Lake/Point Mugu, Calif.; St. Louis, Mo.; Seattle, Wash.: Baltimore, Md., and Tucson, Ariz., and is expected to be completed by September 2019. Fiscal 2013 and 2014 research and development funds totaling $3,062,736 will be obligated for five task orders (TO 0001 Simulation Support, TO 0002 Integration Support, TO 0003 Flight Clearances, TO 0004 Tech Support and TO 0005 Management/Financial Support) at time of award. This award is the result of a sole-source acquisition. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center/EBA, Eglin AFB, Fla., is the contracting activity (FA8675-14-D-0009). (Source: DoD, 02/24/14)

Plant ups A320 output

TIANJIN, China -- The Airbus A320 final assembly line in China delivered 46 aircraft last year, an increase of about 25 percent over 2012. The plant’s general manager said the company is evaluating the possibility of producing two more aircraft this year. The facility in Tianjin, which is the third Airbus final assembly line in the world after Toulouse in France and Hamburg in Germany, assembled its first aircraft in May 2009. The produces the A319 and A320 for the Chinese market. Each plane takes 45 to 50 days to assemble. (Source: The Star, 02/24/14) Gulf Coast note: Airbus is building its fourth A320 assembly line in Mobile, Ala.

ST Aerospace topic of meeting

PENSACOLA, Fla. – A public meeting will be held Tuesday about a project that promises to bring 300 aerospace jobs to Pensacola. The meeting about the project to establish an ST Aerospace maintenance facility at Pensacola International Airport will gauge public reaction to the project. Talks with the Singapore-based company are continuing and the city and county are hammering out details on their share of incentives. What remains is getting a sense of what residents who live nearby think of the project. The company already has a major operation at Mobile Aeroplex in Brookley, Ala., not far from where Airbus is building a final assembly line. (Source: Pensacola News Journal, 02/23/14) Previous

Airbus' humanoid robots

A two-armed humanoid robot helps worker.
Airbus photo

The Airbus Puerto Real plant in Cádiz, Spain, is leading a project to expand the automation of its assembly processes with the use of two-arm humanoid robots for repetitive tasks. The project, called FUTURASSY, could be used across other Airbus sites. One of the research areas is called the "Collaborative Robots" project, which explores the use of two-arm humanoid robots designed to work in the same environment as human operators, sharing tools and production resources. The first robotic unit acquired by Airbus arrived in Puerto Real from its manufacturers, Kawada in Japan, last week and will be integrated at the A380 rudder spar assembly station, where riveting will be shared between human assemblers and the robot. (Source: Airbus, 02/20/14) Gulf Coast note: Airbus is building its newest assembly plant in Mobile, Ala.

Orion test hits snag

The first full joint testing between NASA and the Navy of Orion recovery procedures off the coast of California was suspended last week after the team experienced issues with handling lines securing a test version of Orion inside the well deck of the USS San Diego. Orion, part of NASA's ambitious Space Launch System project, will take astronauts deeper into space than ever before. An unmanned test from Kennedy Space Center, Fla., is set for September 2014. (Source: NASA, 02/21/14) Gulf Coast note: Orion is built at Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans; rocket engines for the Space Launch System, the primary launch vehicle, will be tested at Stennis Space Center, Miss.; the launch vehicle for Exploration Flight Test-1 will be a Delta IV, built by United Launch Alliance, which uses Aerojet Rocketdyne RS-68 engines tested at Stennis Space Center.

Kuwait Airways firms up order

The national airline of Kuwait has ordered 25 aircraft including 10 A350-900 and 15 A320neo family aircraft as part of the airlines’ fleet renewal strategy. Kuwait Airways already operates three A320, three A310, five A300 and four A340 Family aircraft. The A320neo is offered as an option for the A320 family and incorporates more efficient engines and large "sharklet" wing tip devices, which together will deliver up to 15 percent in fuel savings. (Source: Airbus, 02/20/14) Gulf Coast note: Airbus is building an A320 final assembly line in Mobile, Ala.

Union eyes organizing Airbus plant

A major aerospace union said it isn't put off by the UAW's failure to organize Volkswagen in Tennessee, according to The Street. Indeed, the International Association of Machinists will seek to organize the Airbus final assembly line being built in Mobile, Ala., and also plans to try again at the Boeing plant in Charleston, S.C. Tom Buffenbarger, president of the IAM, said in an interview with The Street that he thinks the union has a fair chance at pulling it off. No timetable has been set to organize in Mobile, but Airbus spokeswoman Maryann Greczyn said the company "continues to stand by the philosophy that our current and future employees have and will have the right to choose representation if they desire to do so." The A320 plant at Mobile Aeroplex at Brookley will open in 2015 and deliver its first aircraft in 2016. It will eventually have 1,000 workers. (Source: TheStreet, 02/21/14) The U.S. average for union membership is 11.3 percent. In Alabama it's 10.7 percent, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Alabama's rate is higher than any of its neighboring states.

Souping up a supercomputer

STENNIS SPACE CENTER, Miss. -- The U.S. Navy DoD Supercomputing Resource Center, one of the top 20 supercomputing sites in the world, is adding more computer power. Starting in August, the new $21.8-million computers from Cray Inc. will be put to work performing large-scale scientific calculations for Department of Defense researchers around the county. The Navy DSRC is one of five supercomputing centers established by the DoD and has 55 employees. A portion of its workload is running mathematical models of the world’s oceans each day to keep the Navy's fleet operating safely. (Source: Mississippi Business Journal, 02/21/14)