NASA awards contract

NASA has awarded a contract to National Instruments Corporation of Austin, Texas, to provide system design software and measurement and control systems hardware while consolidating the procurement of agency end-user software licenses. This contract is an indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity contract with provisions for firm-fixed delivery/task orders, which consists of a one-year base period and four one-year options. The period of performance will begin Sept. 30, 2015, with a potential end date of Sept. 27, 2020 and total value of $37.7 million. The contract will be administered by the Enterprise License Management Team at the NASA Shared Services Center (NSSC) at Stennis Space Center, Miss. The NSSC performs select business activities for all NASA centers. (Source: NASA/NSSC, 09/30/15)

Contract: Lockheed, $28.8M

Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., Fort Worth, Texas, is being awarded a $28,777,974 modification to a previously awarded cost-plus-incentive-fee contract (N00019-15-C-0031) to upgrade the low-rate initial production Autonomic Logistics Operating Unit and all fielded Autonomic Logistics Design Development (ALIS) systems to ALIS software release 2.0.2 in support of the F-35 aircraft. Work will be performed in Orlando, Fla. (50 percent); Fort Worth, Texas (10 percent); Portsmouth, United Kingdom (5 percent); Willliamtown, Australia (5 percent); Nevatim, Israel (5 percent); Glendale, Ariz. (4 percent); Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. (3 percent); Cameri Air Base, Italy (2.5 percent); Amendola Air Base, Italy (2.5 percent); Yuma, Ariz. (2 percent); Ogden, Utah (2 percent); Valparaiso, Fla. (2 percent); Beaufort, S.C. (1.5 percent); Las Vegas, Nev. ( 1.5 percent); Havelock, N.C. (1 percent); Norfolk, Va. (1 percent); San Diego, Calif. (1 percent), and Salt Lake City, Utah (1 percent), and is expected to be completed in December 2017. This order combines purchases for the Air Force ($12,164,704); Marine Corps ($6,236,157); Navy ($3,365,675); non-U.S. Department of Defense participants ($5,874,056); and foreign military sales customers ($1,137,382). The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 09/30/15)

Contract: Pettibone, $48.9M

Pettibone Concrete Construction Inc., Panama City, Fla., has been awarded a $48,885,013 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for Tyndall Air Force Base airfield civil works. Contractor will provide all management, supervision, labor, materials, equipment, and incidentals required for maintenance, repair and minor construction of airfield pavement and asphalt, including but not limited to grading of subgrade and base course; and resurfacing, full depth reconstruction. Work will be performed at Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla., and is expected to be complete by Sept. 29, 2020. The 325th Contracting Squadron, Tyndall Air Force Base, is the contracting activity (FA4819-15-D-0002). (Source: DoD, 09/30/15)

Contract: Raytheon, $50M

Raytheon Missile Systems, Tucson, Ariz., has been awarded a $50,000,000 cost-plus-fixed-fee, cost-plus-incentive-fee, firm-fixed-price, fixed-price-incentive-firm, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for support to the Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missile AIM-120D system improvement program. Contractor will provide candidate studies/analyses and risk reduction efforts, laboratory and modeling and simulation improvements, and delivery of performance capability assessments as needed in support of the AMRAAM AIM-120D SIP. Work will be performed at Tucson and is expected to be complete by Sept. 30, 2022. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is the contracting activity (FA8675-15-D-0135). (Source: DoD, 09/30/15)

Contract: Lockheed, $20.6M

Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., Fort Worth, Texas, is being awarded a $20,646,148 modification to a previously awarded cost-plus-incentive-fee contract (N00019-12-C-0004) to provide additional funding for concurrency related changes to the F-35 aircraft and the supporting subsystems for the Navy/Marine Corps and Air Force. Work will be performed in Fort Worth, Texas (95 percent); Marietta, Ga. (3 percent); and Palmdale, Calif. (2 percent), and is expected to be completed in December 2018. This modification combines purchase for the Navy/Marine Corps (75 percent), and the Air Force (25 percent). The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 09/29/15) Gulf Coast note: Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is home of the F-35 integrated training center.

Contract: Flight Safety Int., $35M

Flight Safety International Inc., Marine Air Terminal, LaGuardia Airport, Flushing, N.Y., was awarded a $35,094,752 modification (P00157) to contract W9124G-04-C-0037 for an extension of the existing contract for fixed-wing flight training services. Work will be performed at Ft. Rucker, Ala., with an estimated completion date of Sept. 30, 2016. Fiscal 2015 operations and maintenance (Army) funds in the amount of $35,094,752 were obligated at the time of the award. Army Contracting Command, Ft. Rucker, is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 09/29/15)

Airbus still has tanker dream

Could military tankers for the U.S. Air Force eventually be built in Mobile, Ala.? Allan McArtor, Airbus Group CEO, told National Defense magazine that if a future competition required that military tankers be built domestically, Airbus would expand its facilities in Alabama to compete. "That is our industrial home. If we had an opportunity to bid on a tanker program, that is where it would be," he said. Airbus competed against Boeing to build tankers to the Air Force. Airbus won initially, but Boeing protested and eventually won. McArtor is convinced the Air Force would consider buying an Airbus tanker to supplement the Boeing 767-based KC-46A fleet. The opening of a U.S. manufacturing plant in Alabama is a milestone, McArtor says, and while the plant is for commercial planes, it's still a boost to Airbus’ marketing efforts at the Pentagon and could be expanded. (Source: National Defense Magazine, 09/26/15)

Contract: L-3 Vertex, $57.2M

L-3 Communications Vertex Aerospace LLC, Madison, Miss., has been awarded a $57,231,214 (P00104) firm-fixed-price contract for logistics support of the T-1A aircraft. Contractor will provide contractor-operated maintained supply, over and above, on-equipment maintenance, and data and field service representatives. Work will be performed at Vance Air Force Base, Okla.; Columbus Air Force Base, Miss.; Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph, Texas; Laughlin Air Force Base, Texas; and Pensacola Naval Air Station, Fla., and is expected to be complete by Sept. 30, 2016. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Tinker Air Force Base, is the contracting activity (FA8106-09-C-0001). (Source: DoD, 09/28/15)

Airbus tells suppliers to cut prices

Airbus is telling suppliers of its A320 family of jetliners to cut prices by at least 10 percent by 2019 in order to make the company's main cash cow more competitive, three people familiar with the matter said. The demand echoes rival Boeing's cost-cutting Partner for Success initiative, which has redrawn the relationship between suppliers and Boeing as the industry gears up for record output. Airbus has told suppliers that the prospect of increased volumes and a longer lifespan for its best-selling jet means it is time to review all options in its supply chain. (Source: Reuters, 09/25/15) Gulf Coast note: Airbus this month opened its newest A320 assembly line in Mobile, Ala.

Contract: Boeing, $36.3M

The Boeing Corp., St. Louis, Mo., has been awarded a not-to-exceed $36,350,863 modification (P00003) on previously awarded contract FA8681-15-C-0050. Contractor will provide research and development leading to the procurement of 60 long delay fuzes and development of an embedded fuze system. Work will be performed at St. Louis, and is expected to be complete by March 31, 2017. Fiscal 2014 research, development, test and evaluation, and ammunition procurement funds in the amount of $13,188,088 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, 09/25/15)

Module for Orion built

Airbus Defense and Space, prime contractor for NASA's Orion space vehicle's European Service Module (ESM), has completed four large titanium tanks for the module. The tanks are the first hardware to be supplied for the Orion space vehicle. The tanks will be transported to Italy, where the structural test model will be assembled before being tested in the United States. The primary goal of these initial tests is to verify whether the structural components can withstand the enormous loads. The next step is to build the engineering model that will be assembled and tested at Airbus Defense and Space in Bremen, Germany. (Source: Space Daily, 09/25/15) Gulf Coast note: Orion is assembled at Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, which is also building the core state of the Space Launch System that will launch Orion; engines for the SLS are tested at Stennis Space Center, Miss.

Airbus tackles supplier issue

Delivery of the first A321 jetliner produced at the company's new plant in Mobile, Ala., is several weeks behind schedule due to problems with a supplier. Still, Airbus said it expects to deliver it on time to JetBlue in the second quarter of 2016. Allan McArtor, chairman and CEO of Airbus Group, said there were issues with jigs and tools, the large structures that hold parts in place, as well as the tools used to join parts. But McArtor notes Airbus has enough flexibility to catch up. A second A321 for American Airlines will be delivered later in 2016. (Source: Global Trade Daily, 09/24/15) The plant, which began production in July, had its inaugural opening Sept. 14. Previous

Contract: L-3 Vertex, $160M

L-3 Communications Vertex Aerospace LLC, Madison, Miss., is being awarded a $160,238,440 modification to a previously awarded indefinite-delivery requirements contract (N00019-14-D-0011) to exercise an option for the organizational, intermediate, and depot level maintenance and logistics services in support of approximately 200 T-45 aircraft based at Naval Air Station (NAS) Meridian, Miss.; NAS Kingsville, Texas; NAS Pensacola, Fla.; and NAS Patuxent River, Md. Logistics services to be provided include sustaining engineering, supply and government property management, and procurement of associated parts and materials. Work will be performed in Kingsville (48 percent); Meridian (44 percent); Pensacola (7 percent); and Patuxent River (1 percent), and is expected to be completed in September 2016. Funds will be obligated on individual delivery orders as they are issued. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 09/22/15)

Contract: Raytheon, $180M

Raytheon Co., Raytheon Missile Systems, Tucson, Ariz., has been awarded an $180,000,000 fixed-price-incentive, firm target, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile program support and annual sustainment. Contractor will provide program support, service life prediction program, and contractor logistics support services. Work will be performed at Tucson and is expected to be complete by Sept. 30, 2020. This contract involves foreign military sales. 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 (FA8675-15-D-0062). (Source: DoD, 09/21/15)

Contract: UTC, $10.6M

United Technologies Corp., Pratt & Whitney, Military Engines, East Hartford, Conn., is being awarded a $10,642,496 modification to a previously awarded cost-plus-incentive-fee contract (N00019-14-C-0026) to retrofit the F-35B F-135 propulsion system for the Navy/Marine Corps and the international partners, including the installation of a redesigned lift fan inter-stage vane. Work will be performed in Indianapolis, Ind., and is expected to be completed in December 2016. This contract combines purchases for the Navy/Marine Corps (98 percent) and the international partners (2 percent). The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 09/18/15)

Tax abatements for MAAS OKd

MOBILE, Ala. -- MAAS Aviation received tax abatements totaling nearly $2.2 million Wednesday for construction of a proposed $13 million second paint facility at Mobile Aeroplex at Brookley. Announced during the Paris Air Show in June 2015, the second paint facility would target third-party original equipment manufacturers; maintenance, repair and overhaul providers; and potential military clients. (Source: Alabama News Center (Alabama Power), 09/17/15) Ireland-based MAAS said in April 2014 that it would break ground on a $13 million paint facility at the Mobile Aeroplex to service Airbus jets. In June at the 2015 Paris Air Show MAAS said it would expand and build a two-bay $39 million facility. That figure included several long-term investment proposals, including the second paint facility.

Contract: Summit, $6.9M

Summit Construction Inc., Santa Rosa Beach, Fla., is being awarded a firm-fixed- price contract (HDEC03-15-C-0001) for the architectural and refrigeration upgrade to the commissary at Fort Myer, Va. The award amount is $6,902,588. The contract is for a 379-day period based on the issuance of the notice to proceed which is expected in October 2015. The contracting activity is the Defense Commissary Agency, Enterprise Acquisition Division, Construction and Design Branch, Joint Base San Antionio Lackland, Texas. (Source: DoD, 09/17/15)

Contract: Noble Supply, $9M

Noble Supply and Logistics, Rockland, Mass., has been awarded a $9,000,000 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for a contractor operated civil engineer supply store. Contractor will provide a simplified method for authorized civil engineer personnel and self-help customers to purchase materials, equipment and supplies including, but not limited to, electrical, plumbing, sheet metal, welding, landscaping, heating/air conditioning/refrigeration/ventilation, pipe fitting and carpentry. These items shall be used for work orders, construction, recurring maintenance and repair and self-help type work. Work will be performed at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., and is expected to be complete by Sept. 30, 2016. Air Force Test Center, Eglin Air Force Base, is the contracting activity (FA2823-16-D-4007). (Source: DoD, 09/17/15)

Contract: Raytheon, $10.8M

Raytheon Co., Missile Systems, Tucson, Ariz., has been awarded a $10,793,422 contract modification (P00018) for the repair of legacy control sections for the High-Speed Anti-Radiation Missile (HARM) missile (AGM-88). Contractor will provide repair of government-furnished parts reused in HARM control section modification production that failed during the acceptance testing. Work will be performed at Tucson and is expected to be complete by April 30, 2017. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is the contracting activity (FA8675-10-C-0011). (Source: DoD, 09/17/15)

Contract: RoboTeam, $25M

RoboTeam, Gaithersburg, Md., has been awarded a $25,000,000 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for an explosive ordnance disposal small robot. Contractor will deliver a robot system with logistics and maintenance support. Work will be performed worldwide as necessary and is expected to be complete by Sept. 16, 2022. The 772nd Enterprise Sourcing Squadron, Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla., is the contracting activity (FA8051-15-D-0009). (Source: DoD, 09/17/15)