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

With the holiday season upon us and things slowing down, I'm going to take a break from this column for the rest of December. But I'll be back after the start of the new year with more weekly wrapups.

But I will take this opportunity to remind all of you of a new product we're publishing right at the beginning of the year. It's called the Gulf Coast Reporters’ League Business Quarterly, and it will provide you with business news coverage of the Interstate 10 region that goes beyond aerospace.

To get a free copy sent to you via email, go to the Gulf Coast Reporters' League site and click on the signup link in the left column. If you prefer, you can sign up for the blog, where you can download the magazine when it’s published in January, as well as receive updates.

Now for your aerospace week in review:


Bases
The 801st Special Operations Aircraft Maintenance Squadron of Hurlburt Field, Fla., is this year’s winner of the Phoenix Award for Maintenance Excellence. The award is presented to the single best maintenance unit out of that year's six field-level maintenance award winners.

In FY 2014, the 801 SOAMXS’s maintenance actions produced over 1,200 sorties and 3,500 flying hours, more than 28 percent of the 1st Special Operations Wing's mission. Heavily engaged in Overseas Contingency Operations, the unit facilitated safe transportation and recovery of three battle damaged CV-22 aircraft valued at $267 million dollars for subsequent depot repair. (Post)


Airports
Pensacola International Airport announced that June 10 and extending through July 31, Southwest Airlines will offer a non-stop Saturday flight to Dallas and a non-stop Saturday flight to Kansas City. Southwest also has daily non-stop flights to Houston and Nashville. (Post)


F-35
Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., Fort Worth, Texas, was awarded a $21.5 million modification to a previously awarded advance acquisition contract to purchase, manufacture, and install various components to update the configuration of four conventional takeoff and landing variant F-35 aircraft for the government of Japan.

In addition, this modification provides for updates to associated systems engineering products. Work will be performed in Fort Worth, Texas, and is expected to be completed in December 2016.

The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting authority. Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is home of the F-35 integrated training center. (Post)


Contracts
Segers Aero Corp. of Fairhope, Ala., was among three companies awarded contracts for T56 Series III engine depot-level repair. The aggregate, not-to-exceed amount for these multiple award contracts is $157 million. Work is expected to be completed in December 2020. The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, Lakehurst, N.J., is the contracting activity. … The Rockhill Group Inc., Molino, Fla., was awarded a $13.2 million contract for Air Force Special Operations Air Warfare Center aircrew instruction support services. Work will be performed at Hurlburt and Cannon Air Force Base, N.M., and is expected to be complete by Dec. 31, 2016. Air Force Installation Contracting Agency, Wright Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity. … Kaman Precision Products, Inc., Orlando, Fla., was awarded a $20.3 million modification to a previously awarded contract for Lot 12 production of Joint Programmable Fuze systems. Work will be performed at Orlando and is expected to be complete by Sept. 29, 2017. This contract involves foreign military sales to the United Kingdom, Singapore, Spain, United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Eglin Air Force Base Fla., is the contracting activity.