The first Airbus jetliner produced in the United States had a successful maiden flight Monday. The A321, built for JetBlue at the Airbus U.S. Manufacturing Facility in Mobile, Ala., lifted from the runway at 9:36 a.m. CDT to the cheers of more than 300 employees.
The blue and white jetliner returned to the Mobile Aeroplex runway at 1:02 p.m. after a three-hour, 26-minute test flight, part of the process before turning over the plane to the customer. The single-aisle, twin-engine aircraft will go through a few more weeks of final delivery preparations. JetBlue is expected to take delivery before the end of next month. (Post)
In another Airbus-related event, Miller Transfer will open an office at the Mobile Aeroplex at Brookley. Miller Transfer is responsible for the logistics of moving major sections of Airbus aircraft from the port to the Airbus Manufacturing Facility at the Aeroplex. Miller will occupy offices at the Mobile Airport Authority headquarters on the second floor in the shared services space. (Post)
If you want to read more about Airbus and its activities in Mobile, pick up a copy of the upcoming issue of the Gulf Coast Reporters’ League Business Quarterly. We had photographer Michelle Thomas at the Aeroplex to shoot some photos of the historic flight. We also had writer Martha Simmons at the event following the first flight, and she also was on hand to meet the crew a few days before the flight.
In addition to a story about the first flight in that April 5 edition of the magazine, we have a package of stories about the assembly process, the role of nearby Foley, the suppliers and the aerospace footprint in the Gulf Coast region.
To have the digital magazine delivered to you via email, visit the Gulf Coast Reporters' League website and click on the subscribe button on the left. The advertiser-supported magazine is free in its PDF version. And since this flight is so historic, you can also purchase at cost from our print-on-demand service a printed version of the magazine. It will be a keeper.
Bases/airports
Capt. Christopher T. Martin took over command of Naval Air Station Pensacola, Fla., from Capt. Keith W. Hoskins during a ceremony Thursday at the National Naval Aviation Museum. Martin earned his wings at NAS Pensacola in 1995 and few E-2 Hawkeyes through most of his naval career. Hoskins, a former Blue Angels pilot, has been the commander since 2013. He retired from the Navy at the conclusion of the ceremony and said he’ll remain in the Pensacola area. (Post)
-- Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport during the week announced additional flights to Houston on United Airlines beginning in June. The new flights to George Bush Intercontinental Airport will begin June 9. United will use a larger EMB 175 plane during weekends. The airport is located in West Bay, northwest of Panama City. (Post)
F-35
Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., Fort Worth, Texas, was awarded a $179.9 million modification to a previously awarded advance acquisition contract for the advance procurement of long lead time materials, parts, components, and effort to maintain the planned production schedule for low-rate initial production Lot 11 F-35.
This contract combines purchase for the Air Force (65.6 percent); Navy (9.2 percent), and Marine Corps (25.2 percent). The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity. Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is home of the F-35 integrated training center. (Post)
PERSPECTIVES: Commentary and analysis on aerospace and defense activities in the Gulf Coast
Saturday, March 26, 2016
Saturday, March 19, 2016
Week in review (3/13 to 3/19)
By any measure, what will happen Monday in Mobile, Ala., is historic for the aviation industry.
That's when the first Airbus jetliner produced in the United States is scheduled to fly for the first time as part of its testing program. The A321, built for JetBlue at the Airbus U.S. Manufacturing Facility at the Mobile Aeroplex, is scheduled to take off at 9:15 a.m. CDT, barring any weather or other pre-flight factors that might delay the flight.
A test flight is a normal step in aircraft production and takes place prior to the delivery of the aircraft to the customer. Following the flight, the aircraft will go through a few more weeks of final delivery preparations. (Post)
We've been following Airbus from the time it was still known as EADS and was looking for a place in the United States to build aerial tankers for the U.S. Air Force. That was back in 2005. It lost that contest to Boeing, but it did like what it saw in Mobile and in 2012 announced it would build A320 series jetliners there.
Now here we are in 2016, and the first plane has been built and will take to the skies. It is exciting.
In another Airbus-related item during the week, the Mobile Airport Authority and Recaro Aircraft Seating Co. signed an agreement for Recaro to open an office at the Mobile Aeroplex, where Airbus has its manufacturing plant.
Recaro ranks among the world's top three aircraft seat manufacturers. The company operates plants in Germany, Poland, South Africa, the United States and China as well as service centers in Europe, the Middle East, the Americas, Asia and Australia. In Mobile, the Recaro operation will be in the Aerospace Incubator.
Recaro is based in Schwabisch, Germany, and has 1,900 workers worldwide. Recaro is one of more than a dozen suppliers that have opened operations at the Aeroplex since Airbus announced it would build an assembly line for A320 series jetliners in Mobile. (Post)
Meanwhile to the east in Florida, Mayor Ashton Hayward announced that the city of Pensacola has been successful in securing $1 million in funding for the Pensacola International Airport Commerce Park.
The park is owned and operated by the city of Pensacola and has more than 350 acres available for development. VT MAE, which has an MRO operation in Mobile, Ala., plans to open a satellite operation at the park that will employ about 300 workers. That operation is being put on land already owned by the airport, land that’s not a part of this purchase. (Post)
Contracts
Raytheon Co., Tucson, Ariz., was awarded a $573 million modification to exercise the option on a previously awarded contract. The contractor will provide Advanced Medium Range Air to Air Missile (AMRAAM) production Lot 30 and other AMRAAM system items. Work will be performed at Tucson and is expected to be complete by Feb. 28, 2019. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Air Dominance Contracting Office, Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is the contracting activity. … Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control, Grand Prairie, Texas, was awarded a $14 million contract for research, analysis, engineering, development of specialized munitions. Work will be performed at Grand Prairie and is expected to be complete by March 16, 2021. The Air Force Research Laboratory, Munitions Directorate, Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is the contracting activity.
That's when the first Airbus jetliner produced in the United States is scheduled to fly for the first time as part of its testing program. The A321, built for JetBlue at the Airbus U.S. Manufacturing Facility at the Mobile Aeroplex, is scheduled to take off at 9:15 a.m. CDT, barring any weather or other pre-flight factors that might delay the flight.
A test flight is a normal step in aircraft production and takes place prior to the delivery of the aircraft to the customer. Following the flight, the aircraft will go through a few more weeks of final delivery preparations. (Post)
We've been following Airbus from the time it was still known as EADS and was looking for a place in the United States to build aerial tankers for the U.S. Air Force. That was back in 2005. It lost that contest to Boeing, but it did like what it saw in Mobile and in 2012 announced it would build A320 series jetliners there.
Now here we are in 2016, and the first plane has been built and will take to the skies. It is exciting.
In another Airbus-related item during the week, the Mobile Airport Authority and Recaro Aircraft Seating Co. signed an agreement for Recaro to open an office at the Mobile Aeroplex, where Airbus has its manufacturing plant.
Recaro ranks among the world's top three aircraft seat manufacturers. The company operates plants in Germany, Poland, South Africa, the United States and China as well as service centers in Europe, the Middle East, the Americas, Asia and Australia. In Mobile, the Recaro operation will be in the Aerospace Incubator.
Recaro is based in Schwabisch, Germany, and has 1,900 workers worldwide. Recaro is one of more than a dozen suppliers that have opened operations at the Aeroplex since Airbus announced it would build an assembly line for A320 series jetliners in Mobile. (Post)
Meanwhile to the east in Florida, Mayor Ashton Hayward announced that the city of Pensacola has been successful in securing $1 million in funding for the Pensacola International Airport Commerce Park.
The park is owned and operated by the city of Pensacola and has more than 350 acres available for development. VT MAE, which has an MRO operation in Mobile, Ala., plans to open a satellite operation at the park that will employ about 300 workers. That operation is being put on land already owned by the airport, land that’s not a part of this purchase. (Post)
Contracts
Raytheon Co., Tucson, Ariz., was awarded a $573 million modification to exercise the option on a previously awarded contract. The contractor will provide Advanced Medium Range Air to Air Missile (AMRAAM) production Lot 30 and other AMRAAM system items. Work will be performed at Tucson and is expected to be complete by Feb. 28, 2019. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Air Dominance Contracting Office, Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is the contracting activity. … Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control, Grand Prairie, Texas, was awarded a $14 million contract for research, analysis, engineering, development of specialized munitions. Work will be performed at Grand Prairie and is expected to be complete by March 16, 2021. The Air Force Research Laboratory, Munitions Directorate, Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is the contracting activity.
Saturday, March 12, 2016
Week in review (3/6 to 3/12)
A key rocket engine test, the planned resumption of flights to an outlying base and additional contracts for the F-35 were among the items during the week of interest to the Gulf Coast aerospace region.
But before that, there was a somber rememberance this past week for the fallen. It was a year ago that a UH-60 Blackhawk on a training exercise crashed into Santa Rosa Sound near Navarre. Eleven who were on board were killed.
A ceremony honoring the seven Marines and four Army National Guardsmen was held Thursday evening at the Navarre Beach Marine Park. Several hundred people were in attendance including community leaders, military members, and family members of the fallen.
We salute them for their service and their sacrifice.
Now here's your week in review:
Space
If you're interested in space exploration, there was a significant test at Stennis Space Center, Miss., late in the week. An RS-25 that will used to power NASA's Space Launch System performed a 500-second flight certification test on the A-1 test stand.
NASA conducted a series of tests on an RS-25 development engine last year, but this Aerojet Rocketdyne engine, No. 2059, is one of the four that will power the SLS in Exploration Mission 2, a crewed mission that will carry astronauts into lunar orbit. That will be the first mission beyond low-Earth orbit since Apollo 17 in 1972.
The RS-25 that was tested Thursday is a modified versions of the engines used aboard the Space Shuttle. Together the four engines will provide more than 2 million pounds of thrust. (Post)
F-35
Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., Fort Worth, Texas, was awarded two contracts during the week related to the F-35. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity for both.
One was a $66.2 million contract action against a previously awarded basic ordering agreement for the design, development, fabrication, integration, delivery, installation, and testing of the technical solution to enable full interoperability of the Distributed Mission Training capability for the F-35. Work will be done in Orlando, Fla., and Fort Worth, Texas, and is expected to be completed in March 2018. (Post)
The other was a $9.2 million modification to a previously awarded contract for the Windows 7 upgrade of the F-35 test product stations. Work will be done in Nashua, N.H.; Cheltenham, United Kingdom; San Diego, Calif.; Fort Worth, Texas; Haifa, Israel; Baltimore, Md.; Orlando, Fla.; Rockford, Ill.; Owego, N.Y.; Grand Rapids, Mich.; and Alpharetta, Ga., and is expected to be completed in March 2017. This contract combines purchases for the Air Force; Marine Corps; and Navy. (Post)
Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is home of the F-35 integrated training center.
Bases
Naval Air Station Whiting Field, Fla., will resume scheduled flight training at Navy Outlying Landing Field Summerdale, Ala., beginning March 14. The base hasn't used NOLF Summerdale regularly since 2005 because of work to extend the runway to handle the T-6B Texan II trainer. NOLF Summerdale is one of five outlying fields Whiting uses for T-6B fixed-wing aviator training. (Post)
-- Aircraft countermeasures were put to the test recently when aircrews from two West Coast bases came to Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., to participate in the Air Mobile Command flare effectiveness test.
They were the the 62nd Airlift Wing C-17 Globemaster III aircrew from Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash., and a C-5 crew from Travis Air Force Base, Calif. The aircraft-dispensed flares are used as infrared countermeasures designed to defeat heat seeking surface-to-air or air-to-air missiles.
Typically, cargo-carrying aircraft like the C-130, C-5 and C-17 carry flares as countermeasures. The month-long tests began late last month. (Post)
Contract
Rolls-Royce Corp., Indianapolis, Ind., was awarded $47.5 million for modification to a previously awarded contract to exercise an option to provide an estimated 37,015 flight hours of intermediate, depot-level maintenance, and related logistics support for about 223 in-service T-45 F405-RR-401 Adour engines. Work will be performed at the Naval Air Station Meridian, Miss.; NAS Kingsville, Texas; NAS Pensacola, Fla.; and NAS Patuxent River, Md., and is expected to be completed in September 2016. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, is the contracting activity.
But before that, there was a somber rememberance this past week for the fallen. It was a year ago that a UH-60 Blackhawk on a training exercise crashed into Santa Rosa Sound near Navarre. Eleven who were on board were killed.
A ceremony honoring the seven Marines and four Army National Guardsmen was held Thursday evening at the Navarre Beach Marine Park. Several hundred people were in attendance including community leaders, military members, and family members of the fallen.
We salute them for their service and their sacrifice.
Now here's your week in review:
Space
If you're interested in space exploration, there was a significant test at Stennis Space Center, Miss., late in the week. An RS-25 that will used to power NASA's Space Launch System performed a 500-second flight certification test on the A-1 test stand.
NASA conducted a series of tests on an RS-25 development engine last year, but this Aerojet Rocketdyne engine, No. 2059, is one of the four that will power the SLS in Exploration Mission 2, a crewed mission that will carry astronauts into lunar orbit. That will be the first mission beyond low-Earth orbit since Apollo 17 in 1972.
The RS-25 that was tested Thursday is a modified versions of the engines used aboard the Space Shuttle. Together the four engines will provide more than 2 million pounds of thrust. (Post)
F-35
Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., Fort Worth, Texas, was awarded two contracts during the week related to the F-35. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity for both.
One was a $66.2 million contract action against a previously awarded basic ordering agreement for the design, development, fabrication, integration, delivery, installation, and testing of the technical solution to enable full interoperability of the Distributed Mission Training capability for the F-35. Work will be done in Orlando, Fla., and Fort Worth, Texas, and is expected to be completed in March 2018. (Post)
The other was a $9.2 million modification to a previously awarded contract for the Windows 7 upgrade of the F-35 test product stations. Work will be done in Nashua, N.H.; Cheltenham, United Kingdom; San Diego, Calif.; Fort Worth, Texas; Haifa, Israel; Baltimore, Md.; Orlando, Fla.; Rockford, Ill.; Owego, N.Y.; Grand Rapids, Mich.; and Alpharetta, Ga., and is expected to be completed in March 2017. This contract combines purchases for the Air Force; Marine Corps; and Navy. (Post)
Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is home of the F-35 integrated training center.
Bases
Naval Air Station Whiting Field, Fla., will resume scheduled flight training at Navy Outlying Landing Field Summerdale, Ala., beginning March 14. The base hasn't used NOLF Summerdale regularly since 2005 because of work to extend the runway to handle the T-6B Texan II trainer. NOLF Summerdale is one of five outlying fields Whiting uses for T-6B fixed-wing aviator training. (Post)
-- Aircraft countermeasures were put to the test recently when aircrews from two West Coast bases came to Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., to participate in the Air Mobile Command flare effectiveness test.
They were the the 62nd Airlift Wing C-17 Globemaster III aircrew from Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash., and a C-5 crew from Travis Air Force Base, Calif. The aircraft-dispensed flares are used as infrared countermeasures designed to defeat heat seeking surface-to-air or air-to-air missiles.
Typically, cargo-carrying aircraft like the C-130, C-5 and C-17 carry flares as countermeasures. The month-long tests began late last month. (Post)
Contract
Rolls-Royce Corp., Indianapolis, Ind., was awarded $47.5 million for modification to a previously awarded contract to exercise an option to provide an estimated 37,015 flight hours of intermediate, depot-level maintenance, and related logistics support for about 223 in-service T-45 F405-RR-401 Adour engines. Work will be performed at the Naval Air Station Meridian, Miss.; NAS Kingsville, Texas; NAS Pensacola, Fla.; and NAS Patuxent River, Md., and is expected to be completed in September 2016. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, is the contracting activity.
Saturday, March 5, 2016
Week in review (2/28 to 3/5)
The paint job on an A321 built in Mobile, the first bomb dropped by an F-35 combat wing and another huge chunk of defense dollars helping to develop rocket engines were among the stories of interest to the Gulf Coast region during the week.
Here's your aerospace week in review.
Airbus
The first U.S.-built A321 now has a new paint job. It's painted in the livery of JetBlue, the first customer for an Airbus jetliner built in this country. It will be delivered in the spring.
MAAS Aviation set up a paint shop at the Airbus campus at the Mobile Aeroplex, and will be responsible for painting all the aircraft being built at the final assembly line. (Post)
In another Airbus-related item during the week, the company said it may shift more of its narrrow-body jetliner production toward the largest member of the A320 series, the A321. That's according to sales chief John Leahy.
The 185-seat A321neo – neo stands for new engine option - has been winning more orders than the 178-seat Boeing MAX 9, according to Airbus. The A321 and A321neo – a more fuel-efficient engine type – make up 34 percent of Airbus' narrow-body order backlog, but production plans already call for 50 percent of the total to be in that size.
Leahy said that proportion could increase even further. All the first planes being built in Mobile are A321 models. (Post)
Space
Aerojet Rocketdyne of Canoga Park, Calif., was awarded a $115.3 million "other transaction agreement" for the development of the AR1 rocket propulsion system prototype for the Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle program.
This agreement requires the development of a next-generation rocket propulsion system that will transition away from the use of the Russian supplied RD-180 for national security space launches. This type of contract takes advantage of ongoing investment by industry, and provides DoD funds to help in the development. In this case, it's for a prototype of the AR1 engine, a booster stage engine intended for use on United Launch Alliance's Vulcan launch vehicle.
Some of the work will be done at Stennis Space Center, Miss. Other locations of performance are Canoga Park, Sacramento and Los Angeles Air Force Base, all in California; Centennial, Colo.; Huntsville, Ala.: and West Palm Beach, Fla. The work is expected to be completed no later than Dec. 31, 2019. (Post)
In January DoD provided a $33.6 million contract to California's SpaceX to help it develop the Raptor methane rocket engine. Much of that work is being done at Stennis Space Center. (Post)
Although the work will help the military for national security launches, the funding will also help these companies develop engines for commercial space launches.
F-35
You would think from some of the headlines that F-35s have never dropped bombs.
They have, as far back as 2013. But what's been happening in more recent weeks has been the first combat units – those that could be deployed – and training units have been using the bombs for the first time.
Two combat wings at Hill Air Force Base, Utah, recently dropped laser-guided GB sU-12 Paveways from F-35A fighters at a test range. It's the same type bomb dropped for the first time from an F-35 in October 2013. (Post) Training and development units from Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., in recent days also have dropped bombs from their F-35s.
The F-35 has used a variety of weapons in testing. The fifth-generation fighter conducted the first aerial release of an AIM 120, GBU-31 and BLU-109 back in October 2012. So watch out for the headlines that say something with the F-35 is a first.
-- In another F-35 item during the week, Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co. of Fort Worth, Texas, was awarded a $769.5 million modification to a previously awarded contract for recurring logistics sustainment services support for delivered F-35 aircraft for the Air Force, Marine Corps, Navy, non-Department of Defense participants, and foreign military sales customers.
Support to be provided includes ground maintenance activities; action request resolution; depot activation activities; Automatic Logistics Information System operations and maintenance; reliability, maintainability and health management implementation support; supply chain management; and activities to provide and support pilot and maintainer initial training.
Work will be performed in Ft. Worth, Texas; El Segundo, Calif.; Warton, United Kingdom; Orlando, Fla.; and Greenville, S.C. Work is expected to be completed in December 2016.. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity.
Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is home of the F-35 integrated training center. (Post)
Unmanned
Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems of San Diego, Calif., was awarded a $7.3 million task order against a previously issued basic ordering agreement in support of the MQ-8 Fire Scout unmanned aircraft systems.
This test support effort for the MQ-8C includes software verification; software regression; cybersecurity; dynamic interface; and other requirements in preparation for, but not including, initial operational test and evaluation.
The MQ-8B scope includes providing aircraft maintenance support for two government-owned MQ-8B test aircraft. Work will be performed in Point Mugu, Calif., and is expected to be completed in October 2016. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity.
Fire Scouts are built in part in Moss Point, Miss. (Post)
Contract
Lockheed Martin, Missiles and Fire Control, Orlando, Fla., was awarded a $116.8 million modification to exercise the option on previously awarded contract for the Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile (JASSM) program. The contractor will provide JASSM production, system upgrades, integration, sustainment, management and logistical support. Work will be performed at Troy, Ala., and is expected to be complete by June 29, 2019. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is the contracting activity.
Here's your aerospace week in review.
Airbus
The first U.S.-built A321 now has a new paint job. It's painted in the livery of JetBlue, the first customer for an Airbus jetliner built in this country. It will be delivered in the spring.
MAAS Aviation set up a paint shop at the Airbus campus at the Mobile Aeroplex, and will be responsible for painting all the aircraft being built at the final assembly line. (Post)
In another Airbus-related item during the week, the company said it may shift more of its narrrow-body jetliner production toward the largest member of the A320 series, the A321. That's according to sales chief John Leahy.
The 185-seat A321neo – neo stands for new engine option - has been winning more orders than the 178-seat Boeing MAX 9, according to Airbus. The A321 and A321neo – a more fuel-efficient engine type – make up 34 percent of Airbus' narrow-body order backlog, but production plans already call for 50 percent of the total to be in that size.
Leahy said that proportion could increase even further. All the first planes being built in Mobile are A321 models. (Post)
Space
Aerojet Rocketdyne of Canoga Park, Calif., was awarded a $115.3 million "other transaction agreement" for the development of the AR1 rocket propulsion system prototype for the Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle program.
This agreement requires the development of a next-generation rocket propulsion system that will transition away from the use of the Russian supplied RD-180 for national security space launches. This type of contract takes advantage of ongoing investment by industry, and provides DoD funds to help in the development. In this case, it's for a prototype of the AR1 engine, a booster stage engine intended for use on United Launch Alliance's Vulcan launch vehicle.
Some of the work will be done at Stennis Space Center, Miss. Other locations of performance are Canoga Park, Sacramento and Los Angeles Air Force Base, all in California; Centennial, Colo.; Huntsville, Ala.: and West Palm Beach, Fla. The work is expected to be completed no later than Dec. 31, 2019. (Post)
In January DoD provided a $33.6 million contract to California's SpaceX to help it develop the Raptor methane rocket engine. Much of that work is being done at Stennis Space Center. (Post)
Although the work will help the military for national security launches, the funding will also help these companies develop engines for commercial space launches.
F-35
You would think from some of the headlines that F-35s have never dropped bombs.
They have, as far back as 2013. But what's been happening in more recent weeks has been the first combat units – those that could be deployed – and training units have been using the bombs for the first time.
Two combat wings at Hill Air Force Base, Utah, recently dropped laser-guided GB sU-12 Paveways from F-35A fighters at a test range. It's the same type bomb dropped for the first time from an F-35 in October 2013. (Post) Training and development units from Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., in recent days also have dropped bombs from their F-35s.
The F-35 has used a variety of weapons in testing. The fifth-generation fighter conducted the first aerial release of an AIM 120, GBU-31 and BLU-109 back in October 2012. So watch out for the headlines that say something with the F-35 is a first.
-- In another F-35 item during the week, Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co. of Fort Worth, Texas, was awarded a $769.5 million modification to a previously awarded contract for recurring logistics sustainment services support for delivered F-35 aircraft for the Air Force, Marine Corps, Navy, non-Department of Defense participants, and foreign military sales customers.
Support to be provided includes ground maintenance activities; action request resolution; depot activation activities; Automatic Logistics Information System operations and maintenance; reliability, maintainability and health management implementation support; supply chain management; and activities to provide and support pilot and maintainer initial training.
Work will be performed in Ft. Worth, Texas; El Segundo, Calif.; Warton, United Kingdom; Orlando, Fla.; and Greenville, S.C. Work is expected to be completed in December 2016.. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity.
Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is home of the F-35 integrated training center. (Post)
Unmanned
Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems of San Diego, Calif., was awarded a $7.3 million task order against a previously issued basic ordering agreement in support of the MQ-8 Fire Scout unmanned aircraft systems.
This test support effort for the MQ-8C includes software verification; software regression; cybersecurity; dynamic interface; and other requirements in preparation for, but not including, initial operational test and evaluation.
The MQ-8B scope includes providing aircraft maintenance support for two government-owned MQ-8B test aircraft. Work will be performed in Point Mugu, Calif., and is expected to be completed in October 2016. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity.
Fire Scouts are built in part in Moss Point, Miss. (Post)
Contract
Lockheed Martin, Missiles and Fire Control, Orlando, Fla., was awarded a $116.8 million modification to exercise the option on previously awarded contract for the Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile (JASSM) program. The contractor will provide JASSM production, system upgrades, integration, sustainment, management and logistical support. Work will be performed at Troy, Ala., and is expected to be complete by June 29, 2019. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is the contracting activity.
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