Dauphin Island to host drone demo

MOBILE, Ala. -- Dauphin Island’s airport will be used by the Navy for a project to demonstrate the use of drones to survey littoral areas. The Mobile County Commission in mid-March approved a memorandum of understanding with the Raspet Flight Research Laboratory of Mississippi State University, which is working with the Naval Meteorological and Oceanographic Command at Stennis Space Center, Miss., on the project. The demonstration will use an Outlaw SeaHunter equipped with LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) system to measure water depth in coastal areas that are too shallow for survey vessels. The demonstration will be held from mid-May to early June. (Source: al.com, 03/30/17) Manned aircraft equipped with LIDAR are currently used to survey coastal areas.

Contract: QuantaDyn, $27M

QuantaDyn Corp., Ashburn, Va., has been awarded a $27,000,000 modification (P00016) to previously awarded contract FA8621-16-C-6396 for the Joint Terminal Control Training and Rehearsal System (JTC TRS). Contractor will provide an additional quantity of 23 JTC TRS production devices. Work will be performed at Ft. Riley, Kan.; Ft. Campbell, Ky.; Ft. Wainwright, Alaska; Wheeler Army Air Field, Hawaii; Ft Stewart, Ga.; Einsiedlerhof, Germany; Vilseck, Germany; Ft Irwin, Calif.; Ft. Polk, La.; Hurlburt Field, Fla.; Nellis Air Force Base, Nev.; Ft. Carson, Colo.; Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash.; Ft Hood, Texas; Pope Army Air Field, N.C.; Ft. Bragg, N.C.; Mildenhall, United Kingdom; Cannon AFB, N.M.; and Kadena Air Base, Japan. Work is expected to be complete by May 31, 2018. Fiscal 2016 other procurement; and fiscal 2017 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $26,397,417 are being obligated at the time of award. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 03/31/17)

Contract: ULS, $270.4M

United Launch Services LLC, Centennial, Colo., has been awarded a $270,414,224 modification (P00161) to previously awarded contract FA8811-13-C-0003 for launch vehicle production services (LVPS). Contractor will provide LVPS in support of the launch vehicle configuration of a Delta IV Heavy and transportation. This modification adds a pre‐priced contract line item for the Delta IV Heavy LV configuration. Work will be performed at Centennial; Decatur, Ala.; and Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., and is expected to be complete by Dec. 29, 2020. Space and Missile Systems Center, Los Angeles Air Force Base, Calif., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 03/31/17) Gulf Coast note: The Delta IV uses RS-68 engines assembled and tested at Stennis Space Center, Miss.

Contract: Electron Metrology, $10.5M

Electronic Metrology Laboratory LLC, Franklin, Tenn., is being awarded a $10,518,527 modification under a previously awarded indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract (N69450-14-D-8000) to exercise Option 3 for base operations support services at Naval Air Station Whiting Field, Fla., and outlying fields. The work to be performed provides for all management, supervision, labor, equipment, materials, supplies, and tools necessary to perform facilities management, facilities investment, facility maintenance services (non-family housing), pest control, utility plant and distribution system operations and maintenance (chiller, electrical, gas, wastewater, steam and water), managed safety services, and base support vehicles and equipment. After award of this option, the total cumulative contract value will be $29,317,959. Work will be performed in Milton, Fla. (80 percent); and outlying fields (20 percent), and work is expected to be completed March 2018. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Southeast, Jacksonville, Fla., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 03/31/17)

Contract: SOLPAC, $15.6M

SOLPAC Construction, doing business as Soltek Pacific Construction Inc., San Diego, Calif., is being awarded $15,588,300 for firm-fixed-price task order 0005 under a previously awarded, multiple award construction contract (N62473-15-D-2426) for construction of an F-35C engine repair facility at Naval Air Station Lemoore. The project includes reinforced concrete masonry unit walls, built-up roof, and pile foundation. Built-in equipment includes bridge cranes and support rails, stacker storage system, and elevator. The project also includes facility paving and site improvements, utilities, and environmental mitigation features. The task order also contains one planned modification, which if exercised would increase cumulative task order value to $16,806,300. Work will be performed in Lemoore, Calif., and is expected to be completed by June 2018. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Southwest, San Diego, is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 03/31/17) Gulf Coast note: Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is home of the F-35 integrated training center.

Contract: Lockheed, $581.8M

Lockheed Martin Corp., Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., Fort Worth, Texas, is being awarded a not-to-exceed $581,798,359 firm-fixed-price delivery order (0132) against a previously issued basic ordering agreement (N00019-14-G-0020). This modification provides for air vehicle initial spares to include F-35 common spares; F-35A, F-35B and F-35C unique spares, and aloft spares packages/deployment spares packages and reprogramming lab spares required to support the air vehicle delivery schedule for the Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps, non-Department of Defense (DoD) participants, and foreign military sales customers. Work will be performed in Fort Worth, Texas (24.4 percent); El Segundo, Calif. (9 percent); Owego, N.Y. (8.6 percent); Samlesbury, United Kingdom (7.2 percent); Cheltenham, United Kingdom (6.2 percent); Nashua, N.H. (5.8 percent); Torrance, Calif. (5.5 percent); Orlando, Fla. (4.9 percent); Cedar Rapids, Iowa (3.7 percent); San Diego, Calif. (3.6 percent); Phoenix, Ariz. (3.1 percent); Melbourne, Fla. (3 percent); Irvine, Calif. (2.5 percent); North Amityville, N.Y. (2.4 percent); Windsor Locks, Conn. (2.2 percent); Baltimore, Md. (2.2 percent); Papendrect, Netherlands (1.9 percent); Rolling Meadows, Ill. (1.8 percent); and Alpharetta, Ga. (1.8 percent), and is expected to be completed in April 2021. This delivery order combines purchases for the Air Force (32.7 percent); Navy (4.9 percent); Marine Corps (20.3 percent); non-DoD participants (35.9 percent); and foreign military sales (14.3 percent). The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 03/31/17) Gulf Coast note: Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is home of the F-35 integrated training center.

Goal: Fly different plane each week

PENSACOLA, Fla. -- Navy Lt. Ryan Rankin, a Naval Air Station Pensacola instructor pilot, has set out to fly a different plane for every week of 2017. "I feel drawn to it. It is a feeling that I cannot describe. When I don't fly for a while, I miss it," said Rankin, 33, who is taking advantage of shore duty and using his military leave time to reach his goal of flying 52 different planes before the end of the year. A network of vintage aircraft enthusiasts is helping him find the various aircraft. (Source: Pensacola News Journal, 03/30/17)

Threats to SLS schedule

Delays in the development of Orion's European-built service module, and damage to NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans from a tornado in February are the key schedule risks for the first Space Launch System mission. The schedule for the launch of Exploration Mission 1 (EM-1), currently planned for late 2018, remains uncertain regardless of the technical issues as NASA studies the possibility of putting a crew on the flight, which would likely delay it by up to a year. Bill Hill, deputy associate administrator for exploration systems development, told the NASA Advisory Council's Human Exploration and Operations Committee the module and tornado damage issues are running "kind of neck and neck." (Source: SpaceNews, 03/30/17)

SpaceX marks a key first

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In a significant first, SpaceX successfully launched and then retrieved its first recycled rocket Thursday. It was the first time SpaceX tried to fly a booster that had been used in a previous mission. The Falcon 9 core landed on the bull's-eye of the ocean platform following liftoff with a broadcasting satellite for the SES company of Luxembourg. Founder Elon Musk foresees dozens if not hundreds of repeat flights for a booster and rocket turnarounds of as little as 24 hours, perhaps by next year. This first stage landed on an ocean platform almost exactly a year ago after a space station launch for NASA. SpaceX refurbished and tested the 15-story booster, still sporting its nine original engines. It nailed another vertical landing at sea Thursday once it was finished boosting the satellite. (Sources: multiple, including AP via ABCNews, 03/31/17, NPR, 03/30/17) Gulf Coast note: SpaceX is using Stennis Space Center, Miss., to develop Raptor, its next-generation engine.

Leonardo picks Alabama

If Leonardo wins the T-X competition with its T-100 trainer, the company will build the aircraft in Alabama, officials said Thursday. The Italian aerospace company plans to build an assembly center at Moton Field in Tuskegee if awarded the T-X contract. Upward of $200 million will be spent on construction including buildings, infrastructure and equipment, according to a joint news release from the governor's office and Leonardo. Leonardo had initially planned to assemble the trainers, based on the Alenia Aermacchi M-346, in Meridian, Miss., when it was partnered with Raytheon. That ended when the partnership came apart. The Alabama plant will perform structural sub-assembly, integration, finala assembly and conduct research and testing at the site, according to the release. Leonardo would lease a new facility built by a public-private partnership; the total investment in buildings, infrastructure and equipment would exceed $200 million. Plans call for creating 750 jobs over 10 years. (Source: multiple, including Defense News, Aviation International News, 03/30/17) Previous

Contract: Lockheed, $95.8M

Lockheed Martin Corp., Fort Worth, Texas, is being awarded $95,773,177 for modification P00012 to a previously awarded fixed-price-incentive-firm contract (N00019-16-C-0004) to provide technical and logistics services, training, maintenance and repair services, and supply chain management in support of F-35 joint strike fighter for a non-Department of Defense participant. Work will be performed outside the U.S. (80 percent); Orlando, Fla. (10 percent); and Fort Worth, Texas (10 percent), and is expected to be completed in November 2020. Non-Department of Defense funding in the amount of $95,773,177 is being 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, 03/30/17) Gulf Coast note: Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is home of the F-35 integrated training center.

Contract: Boeing, $15M

The Boeing Co., St. Louis, Mo., has been awarded a $15,000,000 modification (P00005) to previously awarded contract FA8681‐14‐D‐0028 for Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) technical support and aircraft integration. Contractor will provide JDAM support for studies and analysis; product improvement; upgrades; integration including, but not limited to, software integration, aircraft integration; associated hardware and testing. Work will be performed at St. Louis and is expected to be complete by March 31, 2019. No funds 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, 03/30/17)

Contract: L-3 Vertex, $16.1M

L-3 Communications Vertex Aerospace LLC, Madison, Miss., is being awarded a $16,109,145 firm-fixed-price, cost-reimbursable, indefinite-delivery requirements contract for maintenance, repair, and logistics support for the Chief of Naval Air Training aircraft’s intermediate maintenance. Support to be provided includes labor, equipment, tools, services, and direct and indirect material. Work will be performed at Naval Air Station Pensacola, Fla. (60 percent); and Corpus Christi, Texas (40 percent), and is expected to be completed in September 2022. No funds are being obligated at time of award; funds will be obligated against individual task orders as they are issued. This contract was competitively procured via an electronic proposal; one offer was received. The Naval Air Warfare Center Training Systems Division, Orlando, Fla., is the contracting activity (N61340-17-D-0005). (Source: DoD, 03/29/17)

Contract: RT&T, $11.7M

Reliance Test & Technology, Fort Walton Beach, Fla., has been awarded an $11,725,589 modification (P00011) to previously awarded contract FA2486-16-C-0002 for Eglin operation and maintenance support service. This modification increases government provided values of cost reimbursable items supporting the National Radar Test Facility. Work will be performed at Holloman Air Force Base, N.M., and is expected to be complete by Sept. 30, 2026. Fiscal 2017 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $7,257,273 are being obligated at the time of award. Air Force Test Center, Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 03/28/17)

Contract: Rolls-Royce, $106.9M

Rolls-Royce Corp., Indianapolis, Ind., is being awarded $106,898,882 for modification P00007 to a previously awarded firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery, requirements contract (N00019-14-D-0016) to provide intermediate, depot-level maintenance and related logistics support for approximately 209 in-service T-45 F405-RR-401 Adour engines. Work will be performed at Naval Air Station (NAS) Kingsville, Texas (46 percent); NAS Meridian, Miss. (42 percent); NAS Pensacola, Fla. (11 percent); and NAS Patuxent River, Md. (1 percent), and is expected to be completed in March 2018. No funds will be obligated at time of award; funds will be obligated on individual delivery orders as they are issued. The Naval Air Warfare Center Training Systems Division, Orlando, Fla., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 03/28/17)

Contract: Rockwell, $142.4M

Rockwell Collins, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, is being awarded a $142,356,338 cost-plus-incentive-fee, fixed-price-incentive, firm-fixed-price contract for procurement of the Tactical Combat Training System Increment II (TCTS Inc II) environment improvement of the air combat training with rangeless air combat and secure air-to-air and air-to-ground data link. This contract will include participant subsystems; ground subsystems; remote range units; peculiar support equipment; enhanced threats; platform interfaces; an internal rack-mounted subsystem capability for fixed wing and rotary aircraft; and an internal subsystem for the Joint Strike Fighter. Work will be done in Cedar Rapids (65 percent); Fort Walton Beach, Fla. (20 percent); Richardson, Texas (10 percent); and various locations within the continental U.S. (5 percent), and is expected to be completed in November 2022. Fiscal 2017 research, development, testing and evaluation (Navy) funds in the amount of $8,318,444 will be obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current year. This contract was competitively procured via an electronic request for proposals, with two offers received. The Naval Air Warfare Center Training Systems Division, Orlando, Fla., is the contracting activity (N61340-17-C-0007). (Source: DoD, 03/28/17)

Continental plans $60M upgrade

MOBILE, Ala. -- Continental Motors will spend more than $60 million on a new facility at the Mobile Aeroplex, the company announced Monday. The plan is not expected to have an impact on the size of the Mobile-area workforce, currently just over 400 employees in Mobile and around 30 in Fairhope. President and CEO Rhett Ross said groundbreaking on the 225,000-square foot facility will be this summer at the intersection of Broad Street and Michigan Avenue. It will be fully operational by the end of 2019. Continental and parent company AVIC International Holding Corp., of China, will spend up to $30 million developing the new site, and about $40 milllion on new manufacturing equipment for the building, which also will house the global business headquarters. Continental, which makes piston and turbine engines for light, general aviation aircraft, looked at other sites before deciding to stay in Mobile. It currently has operations at 11 buildings at its 44-acre campus. It will retain one of those buildings. (Source: al.com, 03/27/17)

SBIRS transmitting images

From its final orbit location 22,000 miles above the equator, the third Lockheed Martin-built Space Based Infrared System (SBIRS) satellite recently sent its first images back to Earth. The satellite was launched on Jan. 20 aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket and is the third in a series of Geosynchronous Earth Orbit (GEO) satellites that the U.S. Air Force uses to provide faster and more accurate missile warning data to the nation and its allies. The satellite reached orbit, where it successfully completed deployments of its sun-tracking solar arrays, antenna wing assemblies and light shade. The next satellite in the series will undergo final assembly, integration and test at Lockheed Martin's satellite production facility in Sunnyvale, Calif., prior to its launch planned for later this year. (Source: Spacewar.com, 03/27/17) Gulf Coast note: The satellite's core propulsion system and thermal blankets are integrated by Lockheed Martin at Stennis Space Center, Miss.

B-25 will honor Raiders

NAVAL AIR STATION PENSACOLA, Fla. – The National Naval Aviation Museum is paying tribute to the Doolittle Raiders by refurbishing a B-25 B Mitchell bomber as a replica of the one flown by Lt. Col. Jimmy Doolittle. Sixteen Army bombers with 80 airmen flew off the carrier to hit Japan four months after the attack on Pearl Harbor, providing a needed boost to U.S. morale. They trained at nearby Eglin Air Force Base. The bomber will go on display outside the museum's Blue Angels Atrium on April 18 to mark the 75th anniversary of the raid. (Source: Pensacola News Journal, 03/27/17)

Science on a sphere

The sphere shows weather patterns.
U.S. Air Force photo

KEESLER AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. -- In a completely black room at the 335th Training Squadron's Weather Training Complex, a 48-inch carbon fiber globe hangs, suspended from the ceiling with projectors pointing at it from each corner. Welcome to Science on a Sphere, the Department of Defense's newest weather training aid. It uses computers with high-end graphic cards and video projectors to display data onto the globe. Developed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration as an education tool, it helps illustrate earth weather science through animations of atmospheric storms, climate change and ocean temperatures. The globe doesn't move, but gives that illusion. Instructors for Weather Initial Skills and Weather Officer Courses will use the system as a tool to help students gain an enhanced understanding of fundamental atmospheric and oceanographic processes. (Source: 81st Training Wing, 03/23/17)