Week in review (12/21 to 12/27)

News of interest to the Gulf Coast aerospace corridor during the week included Lockheed Martin meeting its target delivery number for F-35s; Airbus delivering its first A350 XWB; certification of a Pratt and Whitney engine for the A320neo; launch of an Air Force study of test ranges; and the MQ-8C Fire Scout getting its sea legs.

Here's your week in review:


F-35
Lockheed Martin met its 2014 target of delivering 36 F-35 fighters, according to DoD's F-35 program office. The U.S. accepted the last of the 36 jets early in the week. It was the first carrier-variant built for the Marine Corps.

Lockheed Martin, which is building three F-35 variants, has delivered 109 operational F-35s to the U.S. and partner-nations since 2001. Eight other countries that helped fund its development are Canada, Britain, Australia, Italy, Turkey, Norway, the Netherlands and Denmark. Israel, South Korea and Japan have also placed orders.

The first Marine F-35C will be assigned to the Navy's VFA-101 "Grim Reapers" squadron of the 33rd Fighter Wing at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. After delivery, it will be used for maintenance and pilot training at Eglin. (Post)


Airbus/engines
The first A350 XWB has been delivered to Qatar Airways. The jetliner is powered by Rolls-Royce Trent XWB engines. More than 1,500 engines have already been sold to 40 customers. Trent engines, including the XWB, are tested at Stennis Space Center, Miss. (Post)

Pratt and Whitney's engine for the Airbus A320neo family of jetliners, scheduled to enter service in late 2015, has been certified by the Federal Aviation Administration. The engine powered the A320neo when it took its maiden test flight in September. Airbus has more than 3,300 orders for the A320neo family as of November, according to the company. The newest A320 final assembly line in Mobile, Ala., will open in 2015. (Post)


Bases
The Air Force has launched a major study into the future of its test ranges. Steven Pennington, director of Bases, Ranges, and Airspace for the Air Force, said the focus of the review is finding how much operational infrastructure is needed to enable current and future readiness.

Pennington made clear that big ranges, such as Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., and Eglin Air Force Bases, Fla., won't be going anywhere and remain vital for composite force training and testing of high-tech jets such as the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. Part of the need for the new infrastructure is the increasingly advanced technology being fielded by the service, like the F-35. Eglin is where the Air Force develops and tests air-delivered weapons systems and it’s also home of the F-35 integrated training center. (Post)

While on the subject of Eglin, according to a Government Accountability Office report released Dec. 16, the Defense Department doesn't know whether its hundreds of testing and training ranges in the U.S. are vulnerable to spying by foreign entities doing business near those properties.

According to Stars and Stripes, the report says the Pentagon hasn't done a risk assessment, nor has it determined which ranges are the most critical to protect. The Army, Air Force, Marines and Navy operate 450 test and training ranges on U.S. soil, used for air-to-air and ground-to-air missile launches, live-fire artillery, armor and small-arms training, and ship and submarine maneuvers.

For its report, GAO interviewed officials from Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., Nellis AFB, Nev., Naval Air Station Fallon, Nev.; and the Army’s White Sands Missile Range, N.M. The sites were chosen because they represent three of the services and are located near federally managed lands on which foreign encroachment has been a concern. GAO recommended DoD determine vulnerability, critical need and threat exposure of each of the ranges. (Story)

The Gulf Coast region has multiple test and training ranges, including the vast ranges of the Gulf of Mexico. Naval aviators are trained in this region, along with F-35 and F-22 pilots. It’s also home of the Combat Readiness Training Center in Gulfport, Miss., Camp Shelby near Hattiesburg, Miss., and Navy and NASA test and training activities at Stennis Space Center, Miss.

-- At Hurlburt Field, Fla., an AC-130H Spectre gunship named "Wicked Wanda" took her last flight Dec. 19 and is scheduled to officially retire in 2015. The gunship, Tail Number 6575, has deployed in nearly every conflict the U.S. has been involved in, officially and unofficially, since the end of the Vietnam War. Eventually the plane with a 43-year combat history will be displayed in the Hurlburt Field Air Park. (Post)


Unmanned
For the first time ever, Northrop Grumman's MQ-8C Fire Scout unmanned helicopter flew off a Navy ship, the guided-missile destroyer USS Jason Dunham (DDG 109). It happened this month off the Virginia coast.

After more than a year of land-based testing at Point Mugu, Calif., the MQ-8C performed 22 takeoffs and 22 landings while being controlled from the ship's ground control station. The MQ-8C, which uses a Bell 407 airframe, is a larger version of the MQ-8B Fire Scout, which uses a Schweizer helicopter airframe. The B variant has tested aboard ships on numerous occasions.

Final assembly for both variants is done in Moss Point, Miss. (Post)


Suppliers
United Technologies Aerospace Systems was recognized as a Gold Tier supplier for the Defense Department's Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) as part of DoD’s Superior Supplier Incentive Program.

UTC Aerospace Systems currently has spare parts contracts with the DLA that span across all of UTC Aerospace Systems' segments, including actuation and propeller systems, nacelle systems, air management systems, electric systems, ejection seats, sensing systems, landing gear, engine systems, sensor systems, and wheels and brakes.

UTC's Aerospace System's aerostructures business unit at Foley, Ala., designs, builds and supports nacelle systems for commercial and military aircraft. The Foley site houses original equipment work as well as the Alabama Service Center, a maintenance, repair and overhaul site for nacelle components. (Post)


Contracts
Pratt and Whitney, East Hartford, Conn., was awarded a $270.5 million contract modification for F119 engine sustainment. Some of the work will be done at Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla. and is expected to be completed by Dec. 31, 2015. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity. … Raytheon Co., Tucson, Ariz., was awarded a $491.5 million contract for Advanced Medium Range Air to Air Missile (AMRAAM) production Lot 28. Contractor will provide AMRAAM missiles and other AMRAAM system items. This contract involves foreign military sales to Korea, Oman, Singapore, and Thailand. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is the contracting activity. … Raytheon Missile Systems, Tucson, Ariz., was awarded a $21.9 million contract for advanced medium range air to air missile (AMRAAM) technical support. Contractor will provide technical services and analysis supporting the AMRAAM weapon system. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is the contracting activity.

Week in review (12/14 to 12/20)

It's amusing to watch everyone fall over themselves to criticize NASA and Congress over the A-3 test stand at Stennis Space Center, Miss. When it comes to government spending, this isn't much money. And besides, a valid argument can be made that the true waste would have been if it hadn't been finished.

Let me recap. It was in January of 2014 that Bloomberg News first reported that the $350 million A-3 test stand would be completed then mothballed for lack of a mission. The stand was designed to test the J-2X engine's performance at high altitudes, but that need ended when the Bush Administration's Constellation program was killed by the Obama Administration in 2010.

At the time of the Bloomberg story, $292 million had already been spent to build the stand at NASA's primary rocket engine test facility, and it would take another $57 million to finish it up. At that time, the Bloomberg story said it would cost some $850,000 per year to keep it mothballed. The thinking was it made sense to finish it since a new administration or a private company planning missions beyond supplying the International Space Station might eventually use it.

Nearly a year later, as part of a series, the Washington Post wrote about the stand as an example of NASA's "drift," or what happens when a government entity has no clear mission. ABC News also had a story about it in its nightly newscast (Post). Not surprisingly, some newspapers wrote editorials criticizing the wasted tax dollars.

But in the bigger picture of government spending, the $350 million price tag for the stand and $700,000 maintenance cost (yes, it's lower than the original figure cited by Bloomberg) is not much for something that could be used in the future. The federal government spends something like $400 million an hour or $10 billion a day on a wide range of programs. Need a specific? In September the government spent $10 million a day in the air war against ISIS. And that's small compared to the $212 million per day spent in fiscal 2013 in Operation Enduring Freedom. I'm not at all saying that money was wasted, just pointing out how much money this government burns through on a regular basis.

I'm sure some of you still think that this is a clear waste, and that waste should be stopped whereever we see it. But you could also look at this as an investment in the future. With so many private companies getting into space exploration, this is a one-of-a-kind asset that could eventually be used by one of them. And there's also a chance a new administration might launch a program that would require testing an engine in the vacuum of space.

I'd rather see my tax dollars used that way than to see money go down the drain.


F-35
The Netherlands will sign a contract in April 2015 for an initial eight F-35 fighters of the total of 37 it’s planning to buy. The first aircraft is expected to enter service in 2019, with full operational capability expected in 2024. The Dutch Ministry of Defence said the intended contract will stay within the stated total budget of $5.6 billion. Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is home of the F-35 integrated training center. (Post)

-- Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., Fort Worth, Texas, was awarded a $34.9 million contract modification for management of deployable spares packages for F-35 Low Rate Initial Production Lot VI aircraft. The modification combines purchases for the Air Force, Marines, Navy and the international partners. Four percent of the work will be done in Valparaiso, Fla., just outside Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. Other work sites are Texas, Utah, South Carolina, Arizona, North Carolina, California and Nevada and is expected to be completed in March 2016. (Post)

-- Pratt and Whitney Military Engines, East Hartford, Conn., was awarded a $47.2 million modification to a previously awarded contract. The modification is for sustainment efforts and operations and maintenance services in support of Low Rate Initial Production Lot VIII F135 propulsion systems, including repair of repairables and replenishment spares. Work will be done in Connecticut, Indiana and Oklahoma and is expected to be completed in November 2015. The contract combines purchase for the Air Force, Navvy and international partners. (Post)


Unmanned
Northrop Grumman was awarded a $657.4 million contract for four RQ-4B Global Hawk unmanned aircraft for the Republic of Korea. The contract includes two spare engines, and the applicable Ground Control Environment elements. Work will be performed at San Diego, Calif., and is expected to be complete by June 28, 2019. Center fuselage work on Global Hawks is done in Moss Point, Miss. (Post)


Airbus
Rolls-Royce was selected by AirAsia X to power 10 Airbus A330ceo and 55 Airbus
A330neo aircraft with engines. The A330ceos will be powered by the Trent 700 and the A330neos will be powered by the Trent 7000 engine. It's the largest order for the Trent 7000 engine since it was launched earlier this year. Trent engines are tested at the Rolls-Royce outdoor test facility at Stennis Space Center, Miss. (Post)

-- Three Frenchmen have created a titanium seat that could save airlines millions and cram
more seats into jetliners. The seat, which consists of 30 parts and is "pre-reclined" by 18
degrees, is designed for use in the Boeing 737 and Airbus A320 family of aircraft. The new seat is three times lighter than the light-weight Recaro seat. Airbus is building an A320 final assembly line in Mobile, Ala., that will open in 2015. (Post)


Bases
Col. William West, commander of the 1st Special Operations Wing and the installation commander at Hurlburt, will hand over command of the wing to Col. Sean Farrell, current commander of the 27th Special Operations Group at Cannon Air Force Base, N.M. The change of command is Jan. 6. (Post)


Contract
Utilis USA, Fort Walton Beach, Fla., was awarded a maximum $200 million contract for commercial shelters. This is a one-year base contract with three one-year option periods. Using military services are Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps. Type of appropriation is fiscal year 2015 defense working capital funds.

Week in review (12/7 to 12/13)

News items about the F-35 during the past week showed just how much the Lockheed Martin fighter is the product of an international effort. Not only is the jet important to Northwest Florida, where Eglin Air Force Base is home to the F-35 integrated training center, but to allies who invested money in the project.

First, Congress agreed during the week to provide $554.2 billion in funding for the military in fiscal 2015 that includes $224 million for two additional F-35A fighters for the Air Force and $255 million for two additional Navy F-35Cs. The measure funds a total of 38 F-35 fighters, nine more than in FY-14. (Post)

-- Italy and Turkey were chosen by the Pentagon to provide initial heavy maintenance of F-35 fighters in Europe starting in 2018. That paves the way for billions of dollars of work by companies in those countries and several others in coming years. Italy will provide initial heavy maintenance, with Britain providing backup airframe maintenance. Heavy maintenance on the F135 engine will be done in Turkey, but Norway and the Netherlands will also set up sites in a few years. (Post)

Meanwhile, Italy is preparing for the rollout of its first F-35A from the final assembly and checkout facility at Cameri Air Base in northern Italy. The first aircraft is scheduled to come off the line by March 2015. Italy invested about $1 billion in building the facility, which began operations last year. The original plan called for about 250 planes, 113 for Italy and 85 for the Netherlands, to be built at the plant. But the final number is up in the air. Cameri is also the site of Italy’s hub for Eurofighter Typhoon and Tornado work. (Post)

-- Northrop Grumman earlier this month completed the center fuselage for the first F-35 to be ordered by Norway, a conventional takeoff and landing variant designated AM-1. Northrop Grumman designed and produces the center fuselage for all three F-35 variants. The AM-1 center fuselage is the first of 52 fuselages that will be produce for Norway. Lockheed Martin will perform final assembly and checkout of the Norwegian F-35s in Fort Worth, Texas. (Post)

-- In a story out of Canada, a report says the F-35 has no clear edge over three other jet fighters Canada is considering to replace its fleet. The F-35, Eurofighter Typhoon, Dassault Rafale and Boeing Super Hornet are all able of accomplish missions envisioned by Canadian military leaders. The only exception would be going to war with another state. Canada is one of the original nine partner nation in the F-35 program and for now still intends to buy 65 F-35s beginning in 2020. (Post)

-- Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., Fort Worth, Texas, was awarded a $169.3 million modification to a previously awarded contract to provide Depot Phase I-IV services to support Low Rate Initial Production Lot VII F-35 aircraft for the Air Force, Marine Corps, Navy and international partners. Work will be done in New York, Texas, New Hampshire, California, Iowa, Florida, Michigan and the United Kingdom, and is expected to be completed in June 2018. This contract combines purchases for the U.S. Air Force (47 percent), the U.S. Navy (33 percent); U.S. Marine Corps (14 percent); and international partners (6 percent). (Post)


Airports/bases
Capt. Todd Bahlau will take over next week as commanding officer of Naval Air Station Whiting Field, Fla. He takes over from Capt. Matthew Coughlin, who is retiring. Bahlau is a U.S. Naval Academy graduate and aviator who comes to Northwest Florida from duty with the U.S. Strategic Command at Offutt Air Force Base, Neb. (Post)

-- The Navy's Blue Angels flight demonstration team announced updates to its 2015 Air Show season and the release of the 2016 schedule. The team will perform 65 shows at 35 locations in 2015, and 69 shows at 36 locations in 2016. The team is based at Naval Air Station Pensacola, Fla. (Post)

-- The Boeing 747 that's known as Air Force One when it's carrying the president spent a portion of last weekend at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., undergoing recertification testing. The plane recently completed a year-long maintenance cycle and is being tested before its return to service. (Post)

-- Northwest Florida Regional Airport is considering changing its name to Destin-Fort Walton Beach International Airport. The Department of Airports plans to ask Okaloosa County Board of Commissioners to consider the name change during a January meeting. (Post)

-- A U.S. Coast Guard Air Station New Orleans MH-65 Dolphin helicopter and aircrew rescued a man from a life raft 30 miles south of Venice, La., during the week. His vessel hit an unknown object and he had to use his life raft. (Post)


Unmanned
For the first time Fire Scouts unmanned helicopters will be at sea on four ships at the same time. Two East Coast-based frigates are deployed, each with four MQ-8B models. The LCS Forth Worth recently left San Diego for a planned 16-month deployment with a hybrid aviation detachment of one MQ-8B and one MH-60R Seahawk manned helicopter. Early this month the California-based Coast Guard National Security Cutter Bertholf got underway carrying two Fire Scouts, a first for an NSC. Finishing work on Fire Scouts is done in Moss Point, Miss. (Post)


Newsletter
I hope you had a chance to download the recent aerospace newsletter. We had four feature stories about aerospace activities in this region. One article was about aerospace activities in Northwest Florida's smaller, rural counties (Post), and another story about Continental Motors of Mobile, Ala. (Post) We also had an article about Marianna Airmotive, in Cantonment north of Pensacola, (Post), and a story about a new FAA-approved asphalt that’s more durable, stronger and fuel resistant is making some inroads at airports. (Post)


Contracts
Reliable Contracting Group LLC, Louisville, Ky., was awarded an $8.4 million contract with options for replacing the fuel pipeline at Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla., with an estimated completion date of March 21, 2014. The Army Corps of Engineers, Mobile, Ala., is the contracting activity. … Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Sunnyvale, Calif., was awarded a $12.5 million modification to previously awarded contract for the Advanced Extremely High Frequency system. Contractor will provide protected key management architecture (KMA) for installation, integration and factory test of the replacement KMA system with the existing AEHF control and space segments. Lockheed Martin does a portion of the work on the AEHF system at Stennis Space Center, Miss. … Composite Engineering Inc., Sacramento, Calif., was awarded a $72.4 million contract for Air Force Subscale Aerial Target Lots 11-13 production. Contractor will produce the AFSAT BQM-167A that will be used by the 53rd Weapons Evaluation Group to test and evaluate air-to-air and surface-to-air weapons systems. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is the contracting activity.

Week in review (11/30 to 12/6)

For those of us old enough to remember the excitement during the early years of the nation's space program, Friday's successful Orion mission test gave us something to applaud, and brought back fond memories. It even looked something like those early years with the splashdown and recovery by a Navy ship in the Pacific.

But the images of the capsule's descent and splashdown show just how far we've come. Not only were the pictures higher quality than in the past, but one of the photographers was a NASA Predator drone flying in the area.

The unmanned Orion space capsule, designed to eventually carry astronauts into deep space, was initially scheduled to launch Thursday but that was delayed until Friday. After lifting off from Cape Canaveral on Florida's East Coast, the unmanned capsule took two laps around the Earth, 3,600 miles up, before making a picture-perfect landing in the Pacific Ocean some 600 miles from San Diego, about 270 miles west of Baja California.

One of the most important tests for the spacecraft was the heat shield, which was subjected to 4,000 degree temperatures as it plunged through the atmosphere at 20,000 mph. It passed with flying colors.

The 11-foot tall capsule was slowed by three orange-and-white parachutes, and was traveling at just 20 mph when it hit the water. The capsule was recovered by the crew of the San Diego-based amphibious vessel, USS Anchorage. The capsule will arrive in San Diego Sunday or Monday.

The Gulf Coast has reason to be proud of its role. Lockheed Martin built about 75 percent of the Orion space capsule at NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility in east New Orleans. That facility is also working on the first stage of the Space Launch System that will be used to launch future Orions.

In addition, the rocket that stood in for the Space Launch System in this test flight, the United Launch Alliance Delta IV built in Decatur, Ala., is powered by Rocketdyne RS-68 engines tested at Stennis Space Center, Miss. And the San Antonio-class LPD that retrieved the space capsule was built at Louisiana's Avondale Shipyard when it was part of Northrop Grumman Ship Systems. That company is now Huntington Ingalls Industries.


Newsletter
The latest edition of the Gulf Coast Reporters’ League aerospace newsletter will publish Tuesday morning. Once it's published, you'll be able to find the free 8-page PDF at the Gulf Coast Aerospace Corridor website, or you can sign up to have it sent to your inbox.

In the latest edition, Charlotte Crane will fill you in on aerospace activities in the smaller, rural counties of Northwest Florida, where luring aviation may not be a top priority, but does represent an opportunity that's knocking. In this edition, you'll also find a story by Kaija Wilkinson about what the future holds for Mobile, Ala., aircraft engine-maker Continental Motors, which is owned by the Chinese aerospace giant AVIC.

The December issue also has an article by Mark O’Brien, who tells you about Marianna Airmotive, a Cantonment, Fla., company that plays a key role ensuring that the Air Force's monster C-5 transports stay airborne. Last but not least, writer Tom McLaughlin will tell you about P-601, a new, tougher, fuel-resistant asphalt that's starting to make headway at airports.

So make sure you grab a copy. If you miss it, each  story will also be highlighted in the Gulf Coast daily aerospace news feed, beginning Tuesday.


F-35
The National Training and Simulation Association selected the F-35 Training System for the 2014 Modeling and Simulation Award. The award recognizes the 33rd Fighter Wing at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., the F-35 Joint Program Office and Lockheed Martin for delivering an effective, immersive training experience for F-35 pilots and maintainers.

As the first of its kind in the Department of Defense, the 33rd Fighter Wing is responsible for F-35 pilot and maintainer training for DoD and, in the future, at least eight coalition partners. To date, more than 140 pilots and 1,500 maintainers from the U.S. Air Force, Marine Corps, Navy, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands have graduated from Eglin’s Integrated Training Center. (Post)

-- The Office of Naval Research's Manufacturing Technology program received one of the nation's top manufacturing awards for an innovative, cost-saving method for making advanced cockpit canopies for the F-35. The Department of Defense's Joint Defense Manufacturing Technology Achievement Award was given for developing an automated process will be used to make canopies for more than 2,000 aircraft, saving nearly $125 million over the life of the F-35 program. (Post)

-- Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., Fort Worth, Texas, was awarded a $97.8 million modification to a previously awarded advance acquisition contract for a financial arrangement implementing a Foreign Military Sales Letter of Offer for the government of Israel in support of the F-35 program. Work will be done in Fort Worth, Texas, and is expected to be completed in December 2022. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting authority. (Post)


Research
NASA research at Stennis Space Center, Miss., could help hospital MRI machines and fuel-cell cars of the future. Engineers are testing a technology that could yield new sources of both helium gas required for cooling MRI machines and purified, high-pressure hydrogen gas, the fuel for fuel-cells.

SSC produces a lot of hydrogen and helium gas mixture in its rocket tests. Right now it's burned off or vented into the air. But Sustainable Innovations of East Hartford, Conn., has developed an electrochemical Hydrogen Recovery System (HRS) that will allow NASA to extract hydrogen from rocket fuel line purge gas, leaving behind high-value helium, a purified stream compressed to commercial storage pressure.

The company developed HRS for NASA under a Phase II Small Business Technology Transfer program. The same technology on which HRS is based will also be useful for separating hydrogen from CO2 and CO in the life support technologies now being tested and developed for its manned spaceflight missions. (Post)


Engines
Finnair firmed up an order for eight more Airbus A350 XWB aircraft, a decision that means additional Trent XWB engine business worth $450 million at list prices. The aircraft are in addition to 11 Airbus A350 XWBs that the airline already has on order, powered by the same engine.

The Trent XWB is the fastest-selling widebody engine ever with more than 1,500 engines already sold. It will power the first A350 XWB into service later this year. Trent engines are tested by Rolls-Royce at Stennis Space Center, Miss. (Post)


Economic development
VentureCrossings in Florida's Bay County is the first industrial site to complete Gulf Power's Florida First Sites program. Fourteen sites were initially submitted, and nine are still working towards certification. Most expect to be certified by the end of February.

VentureCrossings Enterprise Centre, adjacent to Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport, has been determined to have proper zoning, service to utilities and also met numerous other qualifications that make it ready for development. St. Joe Co., Gulf Power and local, regional and state economic development agencies will now work to market the site to prospective companies. (Post)


Contract
Speegle Construction Inc., Niceville, Fla., was awarded a $7.7 million contract to construct a satellite dining facility at Cannon Air Force Base, N.M., with an estimated completion date of May 8, 2016. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Albuquerque District, Albuquerque, N.M., is the contracting activity.

Week in review (11/23 to 11/29)

Major contracts were awarded during the week in connection with the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. Three were awarded to Lockheed Martin and two to engine-maker Pratt and Whitney. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting authority for all five of the contracts.

A $492 million contract modification was awarded to Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., of Fort Worth, Texas, to provide non-air vehicle spares, support equipment, Autonomic Logistics Information System hardware and software upgrades, supply chain management, mission simulators and non-recurring engineering services to support Low Rate Initial Production Lot VII F-35 aircraft for the Air Force, Marines, Navy and international partners. Work will be done in Orlando, Fla.; El Segundo, Calif.; Fort Worth, Texas; Owego, N.Y.; and Samlesbury, United Kingdom. (Post)

Lockheed Martin also was awarded a $64.3 million contract for the modification of 13 F-35A air vehicles for the Air Force and one for the Netherlands, as well as 13 F-35B air vehicles for the Marines and two for the United Kingdom. It includes procurement for 528 modification kits, installation, and labor. Three percent of the work will be done at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. Other work sites are in Florida, Texas, North Carolina, California, Iowa, New Hampshire, Utah, South Carolina, Arizona, United Kingdom, Maryland and New York. (Post)

Lockheed Martin also was awarded a third contract, this one for $7 million. It's a modification to a previously awarded contract to exercise an option for interim contractor support for the F-35 Low-Rate Initial Production Lot VII air systems. Work will be performed at Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, S.C., and Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, Ariz. (Post)

Two contracts were awarded to United Technologies Corp.'s Pratt and Whitney Military Engines of East Hartford, Conn. One is a $105.5 million modification to a previously awarded contract. It exercises an option for sustainment efforts and operations and maintenance services in support of Low Rate Initial Production Lot VIII F135 propulsion systems, including hardware, training materials and equipment. Work will be done in Connecticut, California, Oklahoma, and various other locations throughout the continental United States. This contract combines purchase for the Marines, Air Force, Navy and international partners. (Post)

Pratt and Whitney also was awarded an $11.5 million modification to a previously awarded contract for annualized sustainment, procuring operations and maintenance services for Low Rate Initial Production VIII F-135 propulsion systems. It includes supply chain management, inventory optimization, flight service representatives at operational sites, oversight and planning of training activities, and aircraft retrofit activities. The contract combines purchases for the Air Force, Navy and international partners. (Post)


Engines
Speaking of engines, Rolls-Royce won a $5 billion order for Trent engines to power 50 new Airbus planes ordered by Delta Air Lines. Trent XWB engines will power 25 Airbus A350s and Trent 7000 engines will power 25 Airbus A330neo aircraft. Rolls Royce is the only supplier of engines for both aircraft. Rolls-Royce tests Trent engines at its outdoor test facility at Stennis Space Center, Miss. (Post)


Bases
The 801st Special operations Aircraft Maintenance Squadron at Hurlburt Field, Fla., received the Secretary of Defense Maintenance Award for superior aircraft maintenance during the period of Oct.1, 2012 through Sept. 30, 2013. The squadron, comprised of more than 480 Air Commandos, maintained 16 CV-22 Osprey and nine MC-130H Talon II aircraft during that period. (Post)


Contracts
Bering Sea Environmental LLC, Anchorage, Alaska, was awarded a $7.1 million modification to exercise an option on a previously awarded contract to provide program support for Air Combat Command's Air Combat Training System Operations and Maintenance support services. Among the work locations is Eglin Air Force Base and Tyndall Air Force Base, both in Florida. Work is expected to be completed by Dec. 31, 2015.

Week in review (11/16 to 11/22)

A big purchase of F-35 jet fighters and the decision to pick Airbus to provide a service module for NASA's Orion spacecraft were just two of the stories of interest to the Gulf Coast aerospace region during the week.

Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., Fort Worth, Texas, was awarded a $4.1 billion modification to a previously awarded contract for the production of 43 Low Rate Initial Production (LRIP) Lot VIII F-35 aircraft.

The deal includes 29 jets for the United States and 14 for five other countries. Broken down another way, that's 19 F-35A models for the U. S. Air Force, four for Japan and two each for Italy, Norway and Israel; six F-35B models for the U.S. Marine Corps and four for the United Kingdom; and three F-35C jets for the U.S. Navy and one for the Marines.

The contract combines purchases for the Air Force (41 percent); Marines (14 percent); Navy (12 percent); international partners (19 percent); and foreign military sales (14 percent). The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting authority. (Post)

The new contract reduces the cost of the A-model airframe without the engine to $94.8 million, the cost of the B-model would be $102 million without an engine while the Navy's C-model would be $115.7 million, also not counting the engine.
The Pentagon last month signed a separate contract for an eighth batch of engines built by Pratt and Whitney. The company said the contract would lower the cost of the engines between 3.5 percent to 4.5 percent.

-- Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 101, the Navy's first F-35C carrier variant squadron, reached a milestone in November by surpassing 1,000 mishap-free flight hours. As the F-35C Fleet Replacement Squadron, VFA-101 at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., trains Navy aircrew and maintenance personnel to fly and repair the aircraft. The unit became the Navy's first F-35C squadron after receiving the aircraft June 22, 2013, from Lockheed Martin, and completed the first check flight, Aug. 14. (Post)

-- Four F-22 Raptors from Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Va., were deployed to Eglin Air Force Base earlier this month for the unit's first operational integration training mission with the F-35A jets of the 33rd Fighter Wing. The training was to improve integrated employment of fifth-generation assets and tactics. The F-35s and F-22s flew offensive counter air, defensive counter air and interdiction missions together, exploring ways to maximize their fifth-generation capabilities. (Post)


Airbus
There was a major first during the week for Airbus, and it involves a program important to the Gulf Coast region. Airbus Group will build a service module for the U.S. space capsule, Orion. It's the first time a European firm will provide system-critical elements for a U.S. space project. Airbus Defense and Space said the contract is worth around $488 million.

The service module will provide propulsion, power supply, thermal control and the central elements of the life support system of the capsule designed for deep space missions. It’s based on the Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV) developed and constructed by Airbus on behalf of ESA as a supply craft for the International Space Station.

The first space-bound Orion, slated to launch next month atop a Delta IV, was built at Michoud Assembly Facility, New Orleans. The Delta IV's RS-68 engines were tested at Stennis Space Center, Miss. Future Orion launches will be aboard NASA's massive Space Launch System, being built in part at Michoud Assembly Facility. The SLS's RS-25 engines will be tested at Stennis Space Center. Airbus is building an A320 final assembly line in Mobile, Ala., where it also has an engineering center and an Airbus Military operation. (Post)

Speaking of that final assembly line, four classifications of hourly manufacturing positions at the Airbus final assembly line were posted Monday, and more were posted as the week drew to a close. To keep up to date on jobs at the plant, visit the Alabama Industrial Development Training website. (Post)


Bases
In Alabama, the Baldwin County Commission during the week endorsed vacating a portion of a county owned road near Barin Field so the Navy can extend the east-west runway for a new, more capable Navy training aircraft. In return, the federal government will build a new road for residences and businesses located nearby. The Navy believes the nearly $30 million project can be finished by summer. (Post)

Meanwhile near Panama City, Fla., a beachfront neighborhood of up to 195 homes could be allowed in the flight path of Tyndall Air Force Base after the Bay County Commission OK’d a land-use plan amendment. The request from developers to amendment its comprehensive land-use plan for 165 acres would increase the maximum number of units from the current 16 residential units. Base officials said the best protection for the base's mission would be leaving the zoning as it is, but recommended several changes if the amendment is approved, including height restrictions and buildings with enhanced noise and vibration restriction standards. (Post)


Contracts
Raytheon Missile Systems, Tucson, Ariz., was awarded a $32.2 million modification to previously awarded contract for Enhanced Paveway II guided bomb unit kits and a 10-year warranty for each kit. Contractor will provide 500 Enhanced Paveway II guided bomb units 49 and 50 kits (each kit includes an enhanced computer control group and an air foil group) and a 10-year warranty for each kit to be supplied to the Royal Saudi Air Force. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is the contracting activity. … Kaman Precision Products Inc., Orlando, Fla., was awarded a $28.9 million modification to exercise the option for Lot 11 production of joint
programmable fuze systems. Contractor will provide an additional quantity of 7,846 state-of-the-art fuze systems being produced under the basic contract. Work will be performed at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., and is expected to be completed by Dec. 31, 2016. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Eglin Air Force Base, is the contracting activity. … Boeing of St. Louis, Mo., was awarded a $64.4 million contract for research and development leading to the procurement of 60 long delay fuzes and development of an embedded fuze system. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is the contracting activity. … Airbus Defense and Space Inc., Herndon, Va., was awarded an $18.5 million contract modification for logistic support to include flying hours, mission equipment packages and direct labor support. Work will be performed in Columbus, Miss.

Week in review (11/9 to 11/15)

The powerhouse for the A320 assembly line is finished; a team from Germany visits Continental Motors; the F-35C conducts its first night flight from a carrier; a contract is awarded for Global Hawk; and the securing of the Orion atop the Delta IV launch vehicle were among the stories of interest to the Gulf Coast aerospace region during the week.

Here's the week in review:


Mobile Aeroplex
The powerhouse for the Airbus A320 final assembly line is now finished. It will provide utility services for the plant being built at the Mobile Aeroplex. Honeywell designed and built the powerhouse, which will require five full-time technicians when it reaches full operation. The $600 million plant opens next year. (Post)

Meanwhile, Airbus posted two more jobs for the assembly line. One is for an aircraft conformity manager, the other for a flight line and ground handling manager. (Post)

Also at the Aeroplex, German light sport aircraft maker Flight Design sent a team to the Continental Motors engine manufacturing plant for a weeklong session to give them detailed operational knowledge about the Continental IO-360-AF powerplant. That engine was selected for the all-composite C4 that will be built by Flight Design. (Post)

While I'm on the subject of aircraft and engine production, a new helicopter that will be built in the Gulf Coast region, the Bell 505 Jet Ranger, had a successful 30-minute first flight at the company's Mirabel, Quebec, manufacturing facility. The 505 is a five-seat, single-engine turbine helicopter that will be built at Bell's new 82,300 square-foot helicopter assembly plant in Lafayette, La., about 135 miles west of New Orleans. (Post)


NASA
NASA's Orion spacecraft is now joined with the Delta IV heavy rocket at Space Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla. Orion is slated to travel almost 60,000 miles into space Dec. 4 during an unmanned flight designed to test many of the spacecraft's systems. Orion was built at NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility, New Orleans, and the Delta IV is powered by Aerojet Rocketdyne RS-68 engines tested at Stennis Space Center, Miss. (Post)

Closer to the ground, NASA started testing a aircraft wing surface that can change its shape in flight and make future jetliners quieter and more fuel-efficient. It's called the Adaptive Compliant Trailing Edge, or ACTE. It replaces the current trailing edge with an assembly that bends and twists – thanks to internal actuators -- to maneuver an aircraft. The vision is it could be retrofitted to existing wings or integrated into new ones. That would be of high interest to Airbus, which will build A320 family aircraft in Mobile, Ala., as well as Boeing. Both companies use winglets on the end of wings to improve fuel efficiency by reducing drag. (Post)


Unmanned
Two aircraft built in part in Moss Point, Miss., were in the news during the week.

Northrop Grumman was awarded a $306 million contract from the Department of Defense to continue logistics and sustainment services on the RQ-4 Global Hawk unmanned aircraft system. This contract comes on the heels of Global Hawk winning the Dr. James G. Roche Sustainment Excellence Award for the second year in a row. Global Hawk fuselages are built in Moss Point. (Post)

The other news item: When the USS Fort Worth (LCS 3) departs next week for a deployment to the Western Pacific, it will be the first deployment of the Navy's manned MH-60R Seahawk helicopter with the unmanned MQ-8B Fire Scout helicopter. Detachment 1 of Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron 35 (HSM-35) is the Navy's first squadron to operate both the MH-60R and MQ-8B. Final assembly of Northrop Grumman Fire Scouts is done in Moss Point, Miss. (Post)


F-35
The Navy variant of the F-35 fighter made its first night flight off an aircraft carrier on Thursday. Two F-35C jets on board the USS Nimitz have been conducting a variety of tests aboard the carrier and are proving to be more reliable and performing better than expected, Navy test pilots told reporters. Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is home of the F-35 integrated training center. (Post)

Week in review (11/2 to 11/8)

The crash of an F-16 in the Gulf of Mexico; the posting of more jobs for the Airbus plant in Mobile; the historic arrested landing of an F-35C aboard an aircraft carrier; and the possible end of the use of AJ26 rocket engines to power the Antares rocket were among the stories of interest to the Gulf Coast aerospace region during the week.

Here's the week in review:

Military
The pilot who died when his F-16C crashed into the Gulf of Mexico has been identified as Matthew J. LaCourse, a civilian pilot assigned to the 82nd Aerial Targets Squadron. The plane went down 50 to 75 miles south of Panama City during a routine training mission.

LaCourse, 58, retired from the Air Force as a lieutenant colonel in 2000. In 2012 he marked 2,000 flying hours in an F-4. Tyndall provides air dominance training and, along with nearby Eglin Air Force Base, performs weapons evaluation missions. (Post)

-- The Navy's Blue Angels flight demonstration team is wrapping up its show season with a homecoming at Naval Air Station Pensacola, Fla. The team performed Friday and Saturday, with plans for a Sunday performance as well.

-- A scientist from Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., was named the Air Force’s 2013 Senior Civilian Scientist and Engineer of the Year. He’s Dr. Don Grundel. The Systems Integration and Interface branch of the Armament Directorate under his leadership was responsible for cost-saving initiatives and enhancing the way warfighters operate. Grundel was recognized at an Oct. 23 ceremony. (Post)


Airbus
Airbus is seeking procurement professionals for its A320 final assembly line being built at the Mobile Aeroplex. The buyer positions will be responsible for the acquisition of goods and services and maintaining vendor relationships. The new final assembly line will open next year and will produce its first jet, an A321, for JetBlue. (Post)

-- China Aircraft Leasing Co. signed a memorandum of understanding with Airbus for 100 A320 family aircraft. The agreement involves 74 A320neo, 16 A320ceo and 10 A321ceo jetliners. (Post)


F-35
An F-35C performed the historic first arrested landing aboard an aircraft carrier Nov. 3 off the coast of San Diego. Navy test pilot Cmdr. Tony Wilson landed F-35C test aircraft CF-03 aboard the USS Nimitz flight deck. The arrested landing is part of initial at-sea testing program expected to last two weeks. Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is home of the F-35 integrated training center. (Post)

-- Foreign nations buying F-35s will be able to customize the mission data packages loaded onto their aircraft. That may be a solution to a long-standing bone of contention among partners developing the F-35. The compromise involves labs where partner nations will be able to do their own software work in cooperation with the U.S. In addition to the lab at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., there will be another operated by the Navy at Naval Air Station Point Mugu, Calif., and an entirely new lab designed to be used by the partners. (Post)

-- Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., Fort Worth, Texas, was awarded a $50 million contract modification for operational and engineering support required to integrate the F-35 operations with the Queen Elizabeth Class carrier for the government of the United Kingdom. Work will be done in the U.K., Fort Worth, Texas, and Orlando, Fla. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity. (Post)


Space
Orbital Sciences Corp. has decided it will likely discontinue using the Aerojet Rocketdyne AJ26 engine to power future Antares space launch vehicles. A preliminary review of the data from the explosion of an Antares rocket after liftoff from Wallops Island, Va., indicates a probable turbopump-related failure in one of the two AJ26 engine.

Orbital said it still plans to fulfill its contract commitments to NASA to resupply the International Space Station through one or two non-Antares launches of the company's Cygnus cargo spacecraft to the ISS in 2015-2016.

Aerojet tests the AJ26 engine at Stennis Space Center, Miss. (Post)


Airports
United Airlines said this week that it will begin serving Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport near Panama City, Fla., March 5 2015. It will provide twice-daily, year-round service to Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport. Operated by United’s regional branch, United Express, it will use 50-seat Embraer ERJ 145 aircraft. (Post)


Corporate
Rolls-Royce will shed 2,600 jobs over the next 18 months as part of a program to improve operational efficiency and reduce costs. The cuts will come principally in the aerospace division. A company spokesman said through an email that he could not specify where cuts would occur, but said a union in the U.K. has said they expect two-thirds to be in the U.K. Rolls-Royce has an engine test facility at Stennis Space Center, Miss. (Post)


Contracts
The Air Force chose Booz Allen Hamilton Engineering Services LLC to provide technical support to the 96th Test Wing at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. The value of the contract is $53 million. The 96th Test Wing is the test and evaluation center for Air Force delivered weapons; navigation and guidance systems; command and control systems, and Air Force Special Operations Command systems. … Airbus Defense and Space Inc., Herndon, Va., was awarded a $71.4 million contract modification to acquire UH72A Lakota helicopters with ARC 231 radios. Work will be performed in Columbus, Miss. … Raytheon Co. Missile Systems, Tucson, Ariz., was awarded an $85.5 million contract for Griffin missiles and support. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is the contracting activity. … L3 Communications Corp., Systems Field Support, Madison, Miss., was awarded a $22.4 million contract modification to exercise the option for C-12 contractor logistics support. … Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., Fort Worth, Texas, was awarded a $7.3 million contract modification for F-22 sustainment training systems hardware retrofits. Work will be performed at Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla., and other locations. … Five companies are each being awarded contracts for various medical services that include the labor categories of Allied Health, Technologist, Technician and Assistant services at Military Treatment Facilities in the Southeastern Region of the United States. The combined amount is $99.7 million. The five companies will have the opportunity to bid on each individual task order. Among the work locations are Naval Hospital Pensacola and Navy Medicine Operational Training Center Pensacola.

Week in review (10/26 to 11/1)

It was a rough week for the nation's commercial space programs. First, Orbital Sciences' Antares rocket exploded just after liftoff early in the week at Wallops Island, Va. The rocket and 2.5 tons of cargo bound for the International Space Station were destroyed, and the launch pad and surrounding buildings at NASA's Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport were damaged. But nobody was killed. (Post)

The same can't be said for another catastrophic accident later in the week, this one over California's Mojave Desert. In that case, Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo, designed to ferry passengers to the edge of space, crashed and killed one pilot and injured the other. The accident is under investigation.

The two accidents, though separate missions, threw some cold water on the nation's hot commercial space programs. There have already been several successful resupply missions to the International Space Station by both Orbital Sciences and SpaceX, and other companies are working hard on separate efforts to carry humans into space.

In the case of the Antares explosion, the culprit appears to be the first stage Aerojet Rocketdyne AJ-26 engines, modified Russian-built NK-33s that were originally were designed and built to boost Russian cosmonauts to the moon. That was more than 40 years ago.

Folks in the Gulf Coast region are familiar with those engines. They are tested at Stennis Space Center, Miss., and most of those tests have gone by without much notice. The last time one of those engines made headlines in this region was back in May, when one failed during a test. But as officials said at that time, that's the reason for the testing – have 'em fail on the ground. But sometimes, failures can occur in flight.

Those engines have caused some headaches for Aerojet Rocketdyne parent at GenCorp Inc. The company singled out the AJ-26 as a major reason for its fiscal third quarter loss of $9.5 million and net loss of the year to date of $61.8 million.

GenCorp said it took a pretax contract loss of $17.5 million on the program last quarter, and $31.4 million loss on the program for the year to date. GenCorp blamed the loss on the cost to repair or replace engines after the test failure, apparently the one at SSC in May. Orbital Sciences, which has enough AJ-26 engines to complete its contract with NASA, has been looking for alternative engines for a while now. Space News reported in March that the several alternatives all are Russian engines.

In the SpaceShipTwo accident, the spacecraft was carried to 45,000 feet by the four-engine, twin fuselage White Knight Two, then released and fired its engines. It wasn't long after that release that something went wrong with the aircraft built by Scaled Composites, a subsidiary of Northrop Grumman. Officials said the spacecraft was using a new fuel formula the company switched to in May. While this region is not involved in the Virgin Galactic program, it is involved in other commercial space activities.

SSC was chosen by SpaceX to do research and development on its next generation engine, and at Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, Lockheed Martin has done composite structures work for Sierra Nevada’s Dream Chaser spacecraft.

While the success of NASA programs has always been of high interest here, so, too, is the success of commercial endeavors. While the two accidents won’t kill commercial space activities, it does underscore the dangers inherent in space flight.


Airbus
The first plane that will come out of the Airbus final assembly line in Mobile, Ala., will be an A321 rather than an A320 as originally planned. That's what Airbus Americas President Barry Eccleston told an audience in Seattle during the week. The A321ceo, or “current engine option,” will come out of the plant at the Mobile Aeroplex in April 2016 for customer JetBlue.

The change is a reflection on the growing interest in the larger version of the A320 family. In the year through September, Airbus has booked 311 gross orders for the A321, which seats about 185 passengers in a two-class configuration but can accommodate up to 220 for economy carriers. (Post)


F-35
The head of the F-35 program office said that by the end of December he expects to have decided on a permanent solution for a design issue that caused an F-35A engine to fail in June at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., home of the F-35 integrated training center.

Engine-maker Pratt and Whitney has offered several potential fixes, said Air Force Lt. Gen. Christopher C. Bogdan. The engine failure and subsequent fire were the result of micro fractures in one of the three-stage fan sections. These sections are lined with a polyimide material that is designed to rub against the fan blades to reduce pressure loss. In the Eglin incident,  the third fan rubbed in excess of tolerance during maneuvers several weeks before the failure, causing the blades to heat to 900 more than ever expected. This led to micro fractures in the titanium part of the rotor, which grew over the next few weeks of flying before finally failing. (Post)

-- There were multiple contracts and modifications awarded during the week in connection with the F-35 program. In each the Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity.

Pratt and Whitney Military Engines, East Hartford, Conn., was awarded a $793 million modification to the previously awarded Low Rate Initial Production Lot VIII F135 propulsion systems contract. It provides for the procurement of engines for the Air Force, Marines, Navy and international partners. Work will be done in Connecticut, the United Kingdom and Indiana and is expected to be completed in March 2018. (Post)

Lockheed Martin Aeronaucics Co. of Fort Worth, Texas, was awarded three contracts. In one, it was awarded a $411.1 million modification to a previously awarded contract for the repair and replenishment of government-owned F-35 fighters, including spare parts for the Navy, Marines, Air Force and international partners. Work will be done in Texas, California, the United Kingdom, Florida, New Hampshire and Maryland and is expected to be completed by November 2015. (Post)

In another, it was awarded a $391.6 million contract to provide recurring sustainment support for delivered air systems for the F-35 program including, but not limited to: ground maintenance activities; action request resolution; depot activation activities; and more, including activities to provide and support pilot and maintainer initial training for the Air Force, Marines, Navy and international partners. Work will be performed in Texas, California, the United Kingdom, Florida, New Hampshire and Maryland and is expected to be completed by Nov. 30, 2015. (Post)

The company also was awarded a $220.7 million modification to a previously awarded contract that provides for the System Development and Demonstration Phase I Increment 2, to continue support of F-35A Conventional Take Off and Landing (CTOL) air system for the government of Israel under the foreign military sales program. This modification includes the development and demonstration of the hardware and software for the Israel F-35A CTOL air system. Work will be performed at Fort Worth and is expected to be completed in March 2019. (Post)


Bases
Military aircraft and vessels from across the country are participating in a two-week training exercise at the National Guard’s Trent Lott Combat Readiness Training Center in Gulfport, Miss. More than 52 units are reportedly involved in Southern Strike. The exercise has grown each of its first three years and now involves units from the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, FBI and Special Operations Forces. (Post)

-- Fleet helicopters gathered at Naval Air Station Whiting Field, Fla., during the week for the 25th annual Fleet Fly-In. The event is designed to let military student pilots see the aircraft they will fly once they go out in the fleet. Some two dozen Coast Guard, Navy and Marine Corps aircraft were involved. (Post)

-- Drone Aviation Corp of Jacksonville, Fla., has been hired to expand the capabilities of the state-of-the-art lighter-than-air balloon it provided to Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., earlier this year. At Eglin, they’re used to gather information about weapons tests. The company has other contracts with the Army, but Eglin’s is the only current Air Force contract. (Post)


Training
Alabama Aviation Center held a career fair and open house Saturday at the Aeroplex in Mobile, Ala. Employers are seeking current and future A/P mechanics, composite technicians, avionic technicians and mechanics and lead mechanics, sheet metal assemblers, design engineers, master structure technicians, IT specialists, ground test engineers, flight test engineers and team leaders. (Post)


Contracts
Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., Fort Worth, Texas, was awarded a $486.5 million modification to exercise an option year to a previously awarded contract for F-22 sustainment activities. Work will be performed at Fort Worth, Texas, and is expected to be completed by Dec. 31, 2015. F-22 pilots are trained at Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla. … Raytheon Technical Services Co. LLC, Indianapolis, Ind., was awarded a $35 million contract for Joint Miniature Munitions Bomb Rack Unit (JMM BRU) aircraft integration and lifecycle technical support. Contractor will provide aircraft integration and life cycle technical support throughout the technology development and engineering, manufacturing and development (EMD); and EMD F-15 flight test and production phases. Work will be performed at Indianapolis and is expected to be completed by Aug. 31, 2021. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is the contracting activity.

Week in review (10/19 to 10/25)

Stories of interest to the Gulf Coast aerospace region during the week included an aerospace company planning to set up shop near the airport in Bay County; the first group of airman qualify to load munitions on F-35s at Eglin Air Force Base; more jobs are posted for the Airbus final assembly line in Mobile; and the MQ-8C Fire Scout built in part in Moss Point gets ready for at-sea testing.

Here's the week in review:


Economic development
Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport has landed aerospace company Edge Aerodynamix. The site was chosen in part because it will allow the company room to grow, according to company officials. That's one of the reasons the airport for Panama City was relocated from downtown to West Bay.

The project represents a $78 million capital investment and will create 120 jobs, some in manufacturing, others in research and development and marketing. The company develops products designed to save fuel, including its new BladeGuard technology designed to reduce drag. The company plans to continue R and D on additional products aimed at reducing drag and increasing efficiency, which is certainly a trend in aerospace.

According to the governor's office, the company considered a range of domestic and international sites, but opted for the airport that has over 10,000 feet of runway and over 4,000 acres for development.

"Northwest Florida has grown to be one of the top regions for aviation and aerospace companies to expand and establish operations," said Gray Swoope, president and CEO of Enterprise Florida, the state commerce department's economic development arm.

Florida is already home to more than 2,000 aerospace and aviation companies employing more than 82,000 workers across the state, according to state figures. The industry has an annual payroll impact of over $5 billion. (Post)


F-35
At Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., three airmen with the 58th Aircraft Maintenance Unit have become the first qualified operational weapons load crew for the F-35A. The F-35 training program at Eglin currently serves as the primary source of F-35 expertise to new F-35A units across the Air Force.

Ten weapons load crews are in the wings, and the plan is to bring a new crew through every month. The newly qualified teams will continue to hone their skills and become experts at their jobs so they can go train the weapons load crews at those bases receiving the F-35A. (Post)

-- Lockheed Martin and the Pentagon reached agreement on terms of a $4 billion contract for an eighth batch of 43 F-35 fighter jets. The contract will lower the cost of the plane by about 3 percent and includes jets to be built for the U.S. military, Britain and other U.S. allies. The deal was expected earlier, but talks slowed after a June engine failure on an F-35 at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. It grounded the fleet several weeks. (Post)

Speaking of contracts, Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., Fort Worth, Texas, was awarded two more F-35 related contracts during the week. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity for both contracts.

In one, the company was awarded a $110.5 million delivery order against a previously issued basic ordering agreement for procurement and installation of 281 retrofit modification kits to incorporate into designated aircraft and supporting subsystems that are critical to meeting F-35 requirements. Work will be done in Texas, Utah, North Carolina, Arizona, Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., and Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. Work is expected to be completed in March 2018. (Post)

In the second contract, the company was awarded a $7.7 million modification to a previously awarded contract to provide updates to the non-recurring effort required to develop a Common F-35A Air System, including the Air Vehicle and the Autonomic Logistics Global Sustainment system, for the government of Israel under the Foreign Military Sales program. Work will be done in Orlando, Fla., (70 percent), and Fort Worth, Texas (30 percent), and is expected to be completed in December 2017. (Post)


Airbus
In Mobile, Ala., Airbus is seeking an aircraft manager for the A320 final assembly line being built at Mobile Aeroplex. It requires three months of training abroad, and the successful candidate will have two to five years' experience in aeronautics. A bachelor's degree is preferred. Airbus also is seeking a human resource worker to support the facility’s human resources director. (Post)

-- Northrop Grumman has been selected by Airbus Helicopters to certify and deliver its new LCR-350 Attitude and Heading Reference System (AHRS) for several helicopter platforms. LCR-350 AHRS can be used in civil and military applications on rotary- and fixed-wing platforms, providing flight control data on heading and attitude. Airbus Helicopters builds Lakotas in Columbus, Miss. (Post)


Space
Stennis Space Center, Miss., and partner Innovative Imaging and Research (I2F) of Mississippi were among four teams selected by NASA for participation in the Early Career Initiative (ECI) pilot program. The program encourages creativity and innovation among early career NASA technologists by engaging them in hands-on technology development opportunities needed for future missions.

The Stennis Space Center team will develop and demonstrate a system for high-speed, 3-D, High Dynamic Range (HDR) imaging. Video imaging will be performed at the chip level using computational photography, providing NASA with advanced visualization technologies to meet future needs. (Post)


Unmanned
The MQ-8C Fire Scout unmanned helicopter has wrapped up testing in California and is preparing for at-sea tests later this year. The MQ-8C is a larger version of the MQ-8B Fire Scout, which has been extensively tested at sea. The MQ-8C is utilizing the same proven autonomous system for takeoff and landings as the current MQ-8B model. Final assembly for both helicopters is done in Moss Point, Miss. (Post)


Weapons
Airmen from the 53rd Wing earned two Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) awards this year. The 2014 Air Force Outstanding Scientist/Engineer STEM award winner in the Junior Civilian category, David Barnette, 36th Electronic Weapons Squadron at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., led several electronic countermeasure testing and process improvement techniques for various pod systems. The winner of the Air Force Outstanding Scientist/Engineer Team, the 36th Electronic Weapons Squadron, led several electronic countermeasure testing and process improvement techniques for various pod systems. (Post)


Contracts
DynCorp International LLC, Fort Worth, Texas, was awarded an $83.4 million contract to provide organizational, intermediate, depot-level maintenance and logistics services for 53 T-34, 54 T-44, and 288 T-6 aircraft in support of the Chief of Naval Air Training. Work will be performed in Corpus Christi, Texas (50 percent); Whiting Field, Fla., (39 percent); Pensacola, Fla. (8 percent), and additional locations within the continental United States (3 percent); work is expected to be completed in September 2015. … Jacobs Technology Inc., Fort Walton Beach, Fla., was awarded a $45 million modification to a contract to provide support functions to the Army Sustainment Command Logistics Civil Augmentation Program (LOGCAP), and the Army Contracting Command-Rock Island LOGCAP and reachback divisions. … Whitesell-Green Inc., Pensacola, Fla., was awarded a $9.9 million contract for repairs to bachelor quarters at Corry Station, Naval Air Station Pensacola. Work is expected to be completed by May 2016. … Airbus Defense and Space Inc., Herndon, Va., was awarded an $82.9 million modification to a contract to acquire 17 72A Lakota helicopters with airborne radio communications 231 radios. Estimated completion date is Jan. 31, 2016, with work to be performed at Columbia, Miss. … Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., Fort Worth, Texas, was awarded a $33.4 million contract action to a previously awarded contract for AIM-9X Configurable Rail Launcher modification to the F-22. Contractor will provide upgrade to 220 AIM-9 CRLs with AIM-9X capability. Work will be performed at Fort Worth, Texas, and is expected to be completed by Feb. 28, 2017. F-22 pilots are trained at Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla., which is also home of an operational F-22 squadron.

Week in review (10/12 to 10/18)

Five counties in Northwest Florida get grants to protect bases; more jobs at Airbus in Mobile; a record A320 order; a second Triton makes its first flight; and a big F-35 engine order were among the week's Gulf Coast-related aerospace news stories.

Here's your week in review:


Military
Five counties in Northwest Florida are getting $1.15 million through Florida's  Defense Infrastructure and Reinvestment Grant Program. They're among 14 counties awarded $2.45 million in the 2014-2015 Defense Grant program. The money will support community projects at 19 Florida military installations, according to state officials.

Okaloosa County is getting $300,000, Bay County $272,000, Escambia County $266,000, Santa Rosa County $250,000 and Walton County $60,000. The Florida Defense Grants Programs are administered by Enterprise Florida, and the grants are awarded annually through a competitive process to communities hosting military installations. (Post)

-- Aviation-focused military bases and sites in the Gulf Coast aerospace corridor between New Orleans and Northwest Florida saw their replacement value increase significantly this year over last, soaring to a combined $18.4 billion. One base alone, Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., would cost $805 million more to replace in 2014 than in 2013. That’s an increase of more than 20.5 percent to $4.7 billion. (Post)


Airbus
Support positions are among the latest job descriptions posted by Airbus for the A320 final assembly line being built in Mobile, Ala. The company is seeking candidates for both business systems analyst and administrative assistant. (Post)

-- Airbus Americas Engineering is interested in working with the University of South Alabama’s research division. That’s according to university officials after returning home following a visit to Airbus officials in Toulouse, France, and Munich, Germany. Airbus is particularly interested in the school’s work in cybersecurity and composites, officials said. (Post)

-- The 18th annual Gulf Power Economic Symposium early in the week attracted 600 participants to discuss the region's economy. And while aerospace was not a specific topic, it did come up.

University of West Florida economist Rick Harper pointed out that Airbus in Mobile is a long-term investment for the company, which projects that in the next 20 years there’s going to be a worldwide need for about 6,000 narrow-body commercial passenger jets like the A320. He said that over time each of the 1,100 Airbus jobs in Mobile will create four additional jobs, or 4,000 to 6,000 jobs in South Alabama, South Mississippi and Northwest Florida. (Post)

Almost as a way to underscore the need for more jetliners, budget carrier IndiGo during the week agreed to buy 250 A320 jetliners from Airbus, a purchase that could be worth nearly $25.7 billion at list price. k as the largest single order of jets from the European aerospace giant. The budget airline, India’s largest, will start taking delivery of the planes from 2018, and has secured rights to buy a further 100 A320-family aircraft. (Post)


Unmanned
The second Navy MQ-4C Triton unmanned aircraft, a maritime version of the Northrop Grumman Global Hawk, has had its initial flight. Like the first one, it will eventually fly from Southern California to Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Md., for testing. Data gathered from the test aircraft will be used by the Navy to decide on whether to launch production in fiscal 2017. Central fuselage work on the Triton and all other variants of the Global Hawk is done in Moss Point, Miss. (Post)


Engines
Pratt and Whitney Military Engine of East Hartford, Conn., was awarded a $592 million modification to the previously awarded fixed-price-incentive-firm target Low Rate Initial Production Lot VII F135 propulsion systems contract.

This modification provides for the procurement of 19 F135-PW-100 conventional take off and landing propulsion systems for the Air Force; six F135-PW-600 short take-off and vertical landing propulsion systems for the Marine Corps; and four F135-PW-100 propulsion systems for the Navy. In addition, this modification provides for five F135-PW-100 propulsion systems, one F135-PW-100 spare propulsion system and one F135-PW-600 propulsion system for international partners.

Work will be performed in Connecticut, the U.K., and Indiana. This contract combines purchases for the Air Force (41 percent); Navy/Marine Corps (40 percent); international partners (18 percent); and foreign military sales (1 percent). Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is home of the F-35 training center. (Post)

-- Rolls-Royce completed the first flight test of aircraft featuring its composite carbon/titanium (CTi) fan blade. The CTi fan blades were integrated into a Trent 1000 engine of a 747, which recently completed its successful flying test at Tucson, Ariz. In September Rolls-Royce completed crosswind testing on this fan system at the company's outdoor jet engine test facility at Stennis Space Center, Miss. (Post)

Week in review (10/5 to 10/11)

The October edition of the Gulf Coast Aerospace Corridor/Gulf Coast Reporters' League aerospace newsletter will be published Tuesday. You'll be able to find it at Gulf Coast Aerospace Corridor or, if you want, you can have it delivered to your inbox. Just drop me a line and I'll put you on the list.

In this issue of the bi-monthly, Duwayne Escobedo writes about maintenance, repair and overhaul giant VT MAE, which already has a large operation in Mobile, Ala., and recently signed an agreement with the city of Pensacola, Fla., to set up another MRO at Pensacola International Airport. The decision says a lot about the value of this region for aerospace companies.

I wrote a report about what it would cost to replace the Gulf Coast region's aviation-focused military bases and sites. You'll find all the details in the story, but I can tell you that it would cost a lot more to replace the bases and sites this year than a year ago. One base’s replacement costs are up more than 20 percent.

There's also a story by Tom McLaughlin about the new Doolittle Institute of Fort Walton Beach, Fla. The institute is one of just four of its type in the nation, and its mission is to bring together experts from the military, academia and businesses to come up with cutting-edge products.

There's also an article by Lisa Monti about Optech, a sensor company with its roots in Canada that develops products that look down from their airborne platforms to chart littoral regions and more. And with this company, innovation is ongoing.

We hope you’ll enjoy this issue.

Now for your week in review:


Airbus
Three more jobs were posted during the week for the A320 final assembly line being built at the Mobile Aeroplex. The new positions are for a supply chain and logistics manager, key account manager for procurement and structural manufacturing engineer. (Post)

-- It was reported during the week that Airbus is trailing Boeing in the number of jetliner orders in the first nine months of the year, with 1,000 net for Boeing compared to 791 for Airbus. Boeing also delivered more aircraft, 528 compared to 443. Most of the orders booked by Airbus so far this year are for the fuel-efficient A320neo and A321neo, chalking up 512 orders and 146 orders, respectively. (Post)

Speaking of orders for Airbus jetliners, China Aviation Supplies Holding signed an agreement to buy 70 A320 family aircraft worth $6.6 billion at list price. Airbus has an assembly facility in Tianjin, where it has already assembled and delivered 190 A320s.

In addition, Airbus said it signed a letter of intent with its Chinese partners to build an assembly facility for A330 family aircraft. The letter of intent was signed Friday with heads of the Tianjin Free Trade Zone and AVIC, the Aviation Industry Corp. of China. AVIC owns Continental Motors in Mobile. (Post)

-- The Mobile newspaper reported Saturday that a delegation from Mobile has wrapped up a week-long visit to Europe to see Airbus officials. The newspaper says one result of the visit is that research projects between Airbus and the University of South Alabama may increase. (Story)


F-35
Norway says it will cost 20 percent more to own and operate a fleet of F-35 fighters than it does its aging F-16 fleet, but the government is moving forward. Norway’s F-35 Program Office said modern threats demand the F-35’s fast response, adding that today’s crises are "come as you are conflicts."

Norway is on its way to having one of the largest F-35 forces with plans to acquire 52. The initial aircraft are on the assembly line in Fort Worth, Texas. Four of Norway’s F-35s will remain in the U.S. to support pilot training. Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is the F-35 integrated training center. (Post)

-- Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., Fort Worth, Texas, was awarded two F-35-related contracts during the week. One was a $31 million modification to the previously awarded F-35 Low Rate Initial Production Lot VI contract. This modification provides for non-recurring efforts associated with the procurement of two full mission simulators in support of Israel's F-35A Conventional Take-Off and Landing Air System for pilot training. (Post)

In the second contract, the company was awarded a $37 million modification to the previously awarded F-35 Low Rate Initial Production Lot VI contract. This modification provides for non-recurring efforts associated with the procurement of training spares for Israel and Japan and two full mission simulators in support of Japan's F-35A Conventional Take-Off and Landing Air System for pilot training. This modification combines purchases for the governments of Japan (92.8 percent) and Israel (7.2 percent) under the Foreign Military Sales Program. (Post) The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity for both the contracts.

Innovation
The Navy this month launched AIRWorks, an initiative to more quickly develop and bring to the field weapons to meet U.S. military needs. It's modeled after Lockheed Martin’s Skunk Works and Boeing’s Phantom Works. Projects completed over the past year as the organization was taking shape include bulletproofing V-22 tiltrotor aircraft and adding rockets to the Fire Scout unmanned helicopter. V-22s are used by Air Force Special Operations at Hurlburt Field, Fla., and finishing work on Fire Scouts is done in Moss Point, Miss., by Northrop Grumman. (Post)


Contracts
Atlas North America LLC, Virginia Beach, Va., was awarded an $8 million contract for depot level repair, maintenance, modifications, engineering services and spare parts for the AN/ASQ-232 Airborne Mine Neutralization System (AMNS) to support the Navy for the currently deployed Airborne Mine Countermeasures legacy systems. Work will be performed in Panama City Beach, Fla. (60 percent); Bahrain (25 percent); Virginia Beach (10 percent); South Korea (2.5 percent); and Japan (2.5 percent); and is expected to be completed by October 2015. … Jacobs Technology Inc., Tullahoma, Tenn., was awarded an estimated $80 million modification to exercise an option to previously awarded contract for additional engineering, technical and acquisition support services being provided under the basic contract. Work will be performed at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., and is expected to be complete by Oct. 18, 2015. Air Force Test Center, Eglin Air Force Base, is the contracting activity.

Week in review (9/28 to 10/4)

The time is getting near for the first exploration flight of the Orion crew capsule. Exploration Flight Test-1 (EFT-1) will happen in December when Orion lifts off from Florida atop a Delta IV rocket. When it happens, a lot of folks in this region will have played a big role.

Engineers from United Launch Alliance recently finished integration of the three primary core elements of the rockets first stage with the single engine upper stage at ULA's Horizontal Integration Facility at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla. The December flight will not have a crew.

So what did this region do? Quite a bit. The RS-68 engines that will power the core boosters of the Delta IV were assembled and tested by Rocketdyne at Stennis Space Center, Miss., NASA's huge rocket engine test facility. And the space-bound Orion itself was built in part some 40 miles away from SSC at NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility, New Orleans.

The Delta IV isn't the final rocket that will be used for Orion. Eventually, the multi-purpose crew vehicle will be boosted in space by NASA's powerful Space Launch System. The core stage for that rocket is being built at Michoud, and the engines that will boost that core stage will be tested at Stennis Space Center. (Post)


Airbus/Boeing
Boeing during the week said it will increase production of 737 jetliners to 52 airplanes per month in 2018 because of strong market demand worldwide. The target is more than 620 of the 737s per year. Boeing currently produces 42 airplanes per month at its Renton, Wash., factory, and the company previously announced plans to increase the production rate to 47 per month in 2017. (Post)

A competitor of the 737, the A320, will be built in Mobile, Ala., beginning in 2015 at an expected rate of 40 to 50 per year. That plant during the week issued notice that it's seeking an information technology specialist and aircraft systems installation workers for the Mobile production line. (Post)

Meanwhile, Airbus Group during the week predicted airlines will buy planes worth $4.6 trillion over the next 20 years, with Chinese domestic travel surpassing the U.S. as the largest aviation market in a decade. Airlines will need 31,400 new jetliners and freighters during the period, 7 percent more than suggested in Airbus's 20-year forecast a year ago. (Post)

One of those planes in the mix, the Airbus A350 XWB, received type certification for airworthiness from the European Aviation Safety Agency late last month. The A350-900 XWB is a mid-size long range product line. The jetliner is powered by Rolls-Royce Trent XWB engines tested at Stennis Space Center, Miss. The A350XWB was in the Gulf Coast region during earlier testing at the McKinley Climatic Lab at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. (Post)


F-35
The first general officer has qualified to fly the F-35. Maj. Gen. Jay Silveria, commander of the U.S. Air Force Warfare Center at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., wrapped up his seven-week training program late last month at the F-35 integrated training center at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. The general was chosen to become qualified based on his position at the USAFWC. The center he leads is responsible for current and future F-35A operational testing, tactics development and eventual advanced training exercises and weapons school. (Post)

-- Lockheed Martin of Fort Worth, Texas, was awarded a $246.6 million modification to a previously awarded contract to develop, test, and certify two Drag Chute Systems for the Low Rate Initial Production Lot VII F-35. Work will be done in Fort Worth and at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. (Post)

-- The Navy says it will base 100 F-35C variants, the version with a tailhook designed for use on carriers, at Naval Air Station Lemoore, Calif. The joint strike fighter will be assigned in seven Navy Pacific Fleet squadrons of 10 jets each, and a Fleet Replacement Squadron will have 30 jets. The move will begin in 2016. (Post)


Airports/bases
Exelis received official certification for an electronic countermeasures and radar warning system pod for the F-16 Fighting Falcon. Exelis’ AN/ALQ-211(V)9 Advanced Integrated Defensive Electronic Warfare System (AIDEWS) was OKd to fly aboard Pakistani F-16 fighters. The pod is a self-contained integrated electronic countermeasures and radar warning receiver system designed to protect the F-16 from radio frequency (RF) threats. Tests were done at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. (Post)

-- Demand for private air travel at Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport prompted fixed base operator Sheltair to seek for more space. The Airport Authority approved a new, larger lease agreement for Sheltair, which has provided general aviation services at the airport since 2010. Sheltair’s new lease adds about five acres of space, mostly paved ramp space. (Post)


Contracts
ACE Engineering Inc., La Verne, Calif., was awarded a maximum amount $20 million contract for installation and repair of asphalt and concrete pavement at Naval Air Station Pensacola, Fla., Naval Air Station Whiting Field, Fla., Naval Support Activity Panama City, Fla., Naval outlying fields located in Florida and Alabama, and Naval Operations Support Center Tallahassee, Fla. Work for this task order is expected to be completed by January 2015. ... C.W. Roberts Contracting Inc., Tallahassee, Fla., was awarded a $9 million contract for paving. The work may consist of resurfacing, full depth reconstruction, and new full depth construction of bituminous concrete and portland cement concrete pavements to include airfield pavements, roadways, parking lots, and sidewalks. Work will be performed at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., and is expected to be completed by Sept. 28, 2015. Air Force Test Center, Eglin Air Force Base, is the contracting activity.

L3 Communications Vertex Aerospace LLC, Madison, Miss., was awarded a $12.3 million modification to exercise option A00053 to previously awarded contract for trainer maintenance services. Work will be performed at Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas, and Naval Air Station Pensacola, Fla., and is expected to be completed by Sept. 30, 2015. … Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., San Diego, Calif., was awarded a $306.1 million definitive contract for Global Hawk contractor logistic services and sustainment III. Contractor will provide contractor logistics support of the Global Hawk fielded weapon system. Work will be performed at San Diego and is expected to be completed by Sept. 30, 2015. Fuselage work on Global Hawks is done in Moss Point, Miss. … Webb Electric Co., Pensacola, Fla., was awarded a $9.2 million contract to repair airfield lighting system and to add/repair airfield lighting vault. Work will be performed at Grand Forks Air Force Base, N.D., with an expected completion date of Sept. 30, 2015.

Mark Dunning Industries, Dothan, Ala., was awarded a $6.8 million modification under a previously awarded contract to exercise option three for base operations support services at Naval Submarine Base, Kings Bay, Ga. Work is expected to be completed September 2015. … Lockheed Martin Corp., Orlando, Fla., was awarded a $100 million contract for Joint Air to Surface Standoff Missile production support. Contractor will provide JASSM system upgrades, integration, sustainment, management and logistical support. Work will be performed at Orlando, Fla., and is expected to be completed by Sept. 29, 2019. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is the contracting activity. … Northrop Grumman, Annapolis, Md., was awarded a $19 million delivery order under a previously awarded contract for the procurement of field upgradeable kits and fleet support for conversion of the AN/AQS-24A systems to the AN/AQS-24B configuration in support of the Airborne Mine Countermeasure Systems Program. The Naval Surface Warfare Center Panama City Division, Panama City, Fla., is the contracting activity.