Week in review (12/24 to 12/30)

This is the time of year when folks are inclined to reflect on the year that's wrapping up, and I'm no different. We certainly had a lot of noteworthy aerospace-related events along the Gulf Coast Aerospace Corridor, all underscoring that this region is a hot spot for aerospace and aviation.

Of course, we have a long history in the field, but it's been getting more attention in recent years. Aerospace and aviation are two of the most research-intensive fields, and the folks who toil away in the field are paid well. It includes a wide range of jobs, from scientists and engineers to janitors and ticketing agents. It involves the government and commercial companies, and involves some of the hottest fields anywhere, including unmanned systems and commercial space exploration.

In this rather cursory look at the highlights of 2017, keep in mind I'm not touching on everything – not by a long shot. If you have the time and inclination, go to the aerospace news feed and in the left column you'll see "blog archive." There were 403 news items posted in 2017. Click on each month and you'll be able to see every headline for the brief posted during the year – as well as previous years going back to 2008.

Interested in what happened before this news blog was launched in 2008? On the home page of Gulf Coast Aerospace Corridor, click on "news" and then go to "archives." You can find news items going back to 2005.

So, here are the highlights of 2017:

The 50th Alabama-built passenger jet was delivered in December to Delta Air Lines, and orders continue to come in for popular A320 family of Airbus jets. What might have been the most stunning news was word that a new assembly line might be coming to Mobile to build Bombardier C Series jets. A lot of hurdles are still in front of the project, but what an endorsement for the work being done in Mobile. By the way, in January the Airbus Engineering Center marked 10 years in Mobile.

Over in Mississippi, NASA's Stennis Space Center has made it clear it's interested in creating a research park near the center. Some of what's being called Enterprise Park will be inside SSC and some will be outside, a feature that will make it easier for companies that want to be near SSC but don't want to go through the tight security requirements within the gates.

Anyone who knows me knows I've been a big advocate of research/technology parks. It's a magnet that draws the best and the brightest. There are plenty of examples of the benefit of this kind of approach - just look at Cummings Research Park in Huntsville, Ala.

SSC during the year also continued testing the RS-25 engine that will power the first stage of NASA's Space Launch System, which will take astronauts into deep space. And it's not just NASA that's involved in the field. Several commercial space companies during 2017 decided to use SSC for rocket engine development. Relativity Space started testing its liquid oxygen/liquid methane engine at SSC. In addition, Stratolaunch signed an agreement with NASA to use the E1 test stand at SSC to test rocket engines.

Before all that, in May, Aerojet Rocketdyne was selected to build the main propulsion system for a reusable hypersonic aircraft, the XS-1, being developed by the Defense Advanced Research Project Agency and Boeing. Aerojet Rocketdyne will conduct assembly and ground testing work at SSC for the XS-1, part of DARPA’s Experimental Spaceplane program. Aerojet Rocketdyne also is using SSC to conduct testing for its AR1 rocket engine, being developed to replace the Russian-made RD-180.

Companies not involved in space were also expanding in the Gulf Coast region during the year. In Alabama's Baldwin County, UTC Foley opened a new nacelles assembly facility. Across the bay in Mobile County, Safran is opening at new facility at the Mobile Aeroplex for its nacelles work.

Global aircraft supplier GKN Aerospace decided during the year to locate an assembly plant near Panama City, Fla., at the Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport. Earlier, in May, Northrop Grumman said its Unmanned Systems Center in Moss Point, Miss., is expanding its workload to include subassembly work for the F-35.

At Eglin Air Force Base, the 96th Cyberspace Test Group was activated late in the year. To the east of Eglin near Panama City, Tyndall Air Force Base was chosen for an MQ-9 Wing, also late in the year.

Speaking of drones, Mississippi State University in Starkville was chosen by the Department of Homeland Security as a base of operations for drone research. Much of the work on how to best to use the devices will be done in South Mississippi, including Camp Shelby, Stennis Space Center, and Singing River Island in Jackson County.

That's a quick look at the highlights. If you want to read beyond the headlines and briefs, you can read more in-depth stories in our bimonthly aerospace newsletter. You can look at all the stories from 2017 in our newsletter archive. The 2017 newsletters begin with Vol. IV (February) and end with Vol. V (December).

Now for your week in review:

Bases
Chief Master Sgt. Michael West, a Special Tactics operator with the 24th Special Operations Wing at Hurlburt Field, Fla., was awarded the Silver Star Medal, the nation's third highest medal for valor against an enemy of the United States.

West was awarded the medal on Dec. 15 for his actions during the five-day Operation MEDUSA in 2006. West utilized 58 coalition aircraft to deliver 24,000 pounds of precision ordnance to eliminate more than 500 enemy forces, securing the safety of 51 U.S. Spec Ops forces, and 33 coalition partners.

West was originally awarded the Bronze Star Medal for his actions in May 2007, but due to a recent DOD-wide review, his package was resubmitted for an upgrade. (Post)

Contracts

Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., San Diego, Calif., was awarded $255.3 million modification to a previously awarded contract for the Lot 3 low-rate initial production of three MQ-4C Triton unmanned aircraft, trade studies and tooling in support of the Persistent Maritime Unmanned Aircraft Systems Program Office. Moss Point, Miss., will do 4.2 percent of the work. Work is expected to be completed in December 2021. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity. … Raytheon Missile Co., Tucson, Ariz., was awarded a $25.8 million modification to a previously awarded contract for special tooling and test equipment, for the Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missile Lots 28-30 production. Work will be performed in Tucson with an expected completion date of Dec. 31, 2020. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is the contracting activity. … Raytheon Missile Co., Tucson, Ariz., was awarded a $634.2 million contract for Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM) production Lot 31. The contract is for the production of the AMRAAM missile and other AMRAAM system items. Work will be performed at Tucson with an expected completion date of Jan. 31, 2020. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is the contracting activity.

Week in review (12/17 to 12/23)

With everybody running around trying to get last-minute shopping completed, this is one of the weekly columns that likely slips by unnoticed. But here it is anyway, a day later than normal because I was among those running around like crazy on Saturday.

Here's wishing you and yours a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Now for your week in review:


F-35
The Alabama Air National Guard’s 187th Fighter Wing at Dannelly Field in Montgomery, Ala. has been selected for a site for a new F-35 Joint Strike Fighter mission. The 187th was one of five ANG units on the short list being considered. In choosing Montgomery as one of two bases for the F-35A, it means 1,000 jobs over the next few years, a $70 million up-front investment, and a $24 million annual economic impact to the region. Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is home of the F-35 integrated training center. (Post)

Bases

Naval Air Station Whiting Field is the recipient of the Installation Excellence Award, the third win over the last four years for NAS Whiting. The award recognizes top Navy commands at shore for their excellence across several categories, including installation management, program excellence, environmental stewardship, mission successes and community outreach. NAS Whiting Field, in Milton, was selected as the winner in the small base category from a field of 32 installations. (Post)

Space

Joan Higginbotham wanted to be an engineer, and thought she might work for IBM. What she didn’t expect was to travel in space, she told University of New Orleans graduates at their recent commencement. She shared her journey from a college graduate with a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering to one of only three African-American women to travel into space. She traveled on a 12-day mission to the International Space Station in 2006. “The sky is absolutely no longer the limit,” Higginbotham told graduates. “I am challenging you to aim high.” (Post)

Contracts

Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., Fort Worth, Texas, was awarded $7 billion for F-22 sustainment. Work will be performed at Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla., four other operation bases and six support locations, as well as at other potential stateside and overseas locations, combat deployment and enroute support bases, potential locations through depot partnering agreements, and system program office locations. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Hill Air Force Base, Utah, is the contracting activity. … Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., Bethpage, N.Y., was awarded a $25 million modification to a previously awarded contract for weapons planning software. Work will be performed in Bethpage, with an expected completion date of Sept. 28, 2018. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is the contracting activity. … Silicon Graphics Federal LLC, Annapolis Junction, Md., was awarded a $22.6 million contract for Department of Defense high-performance computing modernization program’s technology insertion. Work will be performed in Stennis Space Center, Miss., with an estimated completion date of July 20, 2023. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Huntsville, Ala., is the contracting activity. … Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., San Diego, Calif., was awarded a $33.5 million modification to a previously awarded contract for the Increment V production and delivery of three Fire Scout MQ-8C unmanned air systems. Work will be performed in Moss Point, Miss., Ozark, Ala., and other locations and is expected to be completed in March 2020. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity. … JPATS Logistics Services LLC, Cape Canaveral, Fla., was awarded a single award contract with a five-year ordering period and a maximum value of $2.2 billion for the Joint Primary Aircraft Training System T-6 contractor operated and maintained base supply services, which will provide a full spectrum of transparent supply chain management services to support safe, flyable T-6 aircraft to meet users’ daily flight schedules, consistent with Department of Defense and commercial sector best practices in procuring, producing and delivering products and services to customers. Work will be performed at Naval Air Station Pensacola, Naval Air Station Whiting Field and other locations. Work is expected to be completed by Dec. 31, 2022. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity. … Northrop Grumman Space & Mission Systems Corp., Redondo Beach, Calif., was awarded an $110 million contract for the gray wolf science and technology demonstration effort. Work will be performed in Redondo Beach, with an expected completion date of Dec. 17, 2024. Air Force Research Laboratory, Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is the contracting activity. Infinite Energy Construction Inc., Kansas City, Mo., was awarded a $9.2 million contract for simplified acquisition of base engineering requirements. Work will be performed at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., with an expected completion date of Jan. 1, 2023. Air Force Test Center, Eglin Air Force Base, is the contracting activity.

Week in review (12/10 to 12/16)

The December issue of the Gulf Coast Aerospace Corridor newsletter will be published Tuesday and available for download at our website. Subscribers will receive it via email to their inbox.

The cover story highlights Mississippi's considerable aerospace and aviation activities, from training military pilots to building unmanned aircraft and testing huge rocket engines. It’s the second of a four-part series where we focus on the aerospace footprint of the four states that make up the Aerospace Alliance.

We also have a story about the Airbus Mobile assembly facility, which just delivered its 50th jetliner to Delta Air Lines. The plant at the Mobile Aeroplex is on a roll. It recently learned it will be building more jetliners for Delta. We'll also tell you what we know about the Bombardier C Series that officials plan to build in Mobile.

Finally, we'll tell you about the aerospace summit that was held in New Orleans just after our October issue was published. The summit attracted the movers and shakers from the Gulf Coast region, and we’ll provide you with some of the highlights, including what's in the works to create a research park in and around Stennis Space Center, Miss.

Now for your week in review:

Airbus
Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines has placed an order with Airbus for 100 of the A321neo aircraft, most of which will be built at the Airbus U.S. Manufacturing Facility in Mobile, Ala. The planes will be powered by Pratt & Whitney PW1133G-JM geared turbofan engines.

Delta's announcement on the A321neo follows several orders in recent years for the current engine option (ceo) version of the A321. Delta has ordered a total of 117 A321ceos, each powered by CFM56 engines from CFM International.

With more than 5,300 orders received from 96 customers since its launch in 2010, the A320neo family has captured some 60 percent share of the market. The Delta has taken delivery of 13 U.S.-manufactured Airbus aircraft since last year.

In addition, less than two years after Airbus delivered the first A320 family aircraft built in Mobile, the 50th aircraft built in Mobile was delivered to Delta this week. The milestone was celebrated by the facility’s employees, as well as Airbus Americas Chairman Allan McArtor and members of the Delta Air Lines delivery team. (Post)

The Mobile factory produces four aircraft per month for delivery to Airbus’ U.S. customers. Plans for further production ramp up are currently being discussed. (Post)

Space

NASA engineers wrapped up a year of Space Launch System testing with a final RS-25 rocket engine hot fire on Dec. 13 at Stennis Space Center in South Mississippi.

The 400-second test on the A-1 Test Stand was a "green run" test of an RS-25 flight controller. It marked the eighth RS-25 test of the year and the sixth flight controller to be tested for use on NASA's Space Launch System vehicle.

The engine tested also included a large 3D-printed part scheduled for use on future RS-25 flight engines. The part, a beach ball-sized pogo accumulator assembly, is a complex piece of hardware that acts as a shock absorber to dampen vibrations, or oscillations, caused by propellants as they flow between the vehicle and the engine.

Initial reports show the 3D-printed hardware performed as expected, opening the door for more components scheduled for future tests. (Post)

Contracts

The Boeing Co., Fort Walton Beach, Fla., was awarded an $18.1 million modification to a previously awarded contract for the integrated sustainment support of the AC-130U gunships. This modification provides for the continuation of services for the development, modification, sustainment and maintenance of the AC-130U gunship. Work will be performed in Fort Walton Beach; Hurlburt Field, Fla.; Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan; and Ali Al Salem Air Base, Kuwait, with an expected completion date of Dec. 31, 2018. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Robins Air Force Base, Ga., is the contracting activity. … Raytheon Missile Co., Tucson, Ariz., was awarded an $8.5 million modification to a previously awarded contract to provide form-fit-function replace hardware assets to include guidance sections and integrated test vehicles under the advanced medium-range air-to-air missile lots 28-30 production. Work will be performed in Tucson with an expected completion date of Dec. 31, 2019. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is the contracting activity. … United Technologies Corp., Pratt & Whitney, East Hartford, Conn., was awarded a ceiling $6.7 million contract for F119 engine sustainment. Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla., is among the work locations. Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity. … L3 Communications Vertex Aerospace LLC, Madison, Miss., was awarded a
$79.4 million contract for contractor operated and maintained base supply of the Air Education and Training Command fleet of 178 T-1A trainer aircraft. Naval Air Station Pensacola, Fla., is among the work sites. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Tinker AFB, Okla., is the contracting activity … L3 Communications Vertex Aerospace LLC, Madison, Miss., also was awarded a $10.3 million modification to a previously awarded contract for logistics support of the T-1A aircraft. Services include contractor-operated maintained supply, over and above, on-equipment maintenance, data and field service representatives. Naval Air Station Pensacola, Fla., is among the work sites. Tinker Air Force Base, Okla., is the contracting activity.

Week in review (11/26 to 12/2)

A new wing at Tyndall Air Force Base, an award for a Hurlburt Field gunship crew and the installation of a pathfinder RS-25 on the SLS core stage at Michoud were among the news items during the week of interest to the Gulf Coast aerospace corridor.

Here's your week in review:

Bases The Air Force picked Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla., as the preferred location for hosting a new MQ-9 Reaper Wing with 24 remotely piloted aircraft. Vandenberg AFB, Calif., is considered a reasonable alternative.

The wing will be composed of an operations group with mission control elements as well as a launch and recovery capability, and a maintenance group. Secretary of the Air Force Heather Wilson said Tyndall best meets the requirements for the Reaper, including fewer aircraft competing for air space, nearby training ranges, great weather and lower up-front costs.

Based on current projections, airmen are expected to begin arriving at the new location as early as 2020. The first aircraft are expected to arrive in 2022. (Post)

-- Fourteen AC-130U gunship crewmembers provided close-air-support to a U.S. Special Forces team and 43 Afghan soldiers near Kunduz, Afghanistan Nov. 2, 2016. The crew's persistent fire support, presence of mind and courage during two hours of intense combat ultimately saved 50 lives.

For their actions the aircrew of the AC-130U gunship known as "Spooky 43" were presented the 2016 Mackay Trophy by Air Force Vice Chief of Staff Gen. Stephen W. Wilson at an awards ceremony in Arlington Nov. 29. The crew is based at Hurlburt Field, Fla.

The Mackay Trophy was first awarded in 1912 and honors the most meritorious Air Force flight of the previous year. (Post)

Space

Engineers at the Michoud Assembly Facility (MAF) in New Orleans are using a pathfinder RS-25 engine to practice the installation of engines on the Core Stage of the Space Launch System (SLS).

Each core will receive four RS-25s, currently undergoing test firings at the Stennis Space Center, Miss., ahead of a path that will see them being shipped to MAF. The installation of all four RS-25s on the Core Stage will be a major milestone on the path to Exploration Mission-1, the first launch of SLS.

Test firings at the Stennis Space Center (SSC) continue to serve toward the readiness of that milestone, with the first four flight engines now closing in on shipping to MAF to be installed on Core Stage -1 (CS-1). Those engines, all Space Shuttle veterans, are E2045 in position 1, E2056 in position 2, E2058 in position 3, and E2060 in position 4.

All four of these RS-25s will remain at SSC until MAF engineers have completed the work on CS-1. The latest schedule shows the four engines will make the journey to New Orleans in May of next year. (Post)

F-35 contracts

United Technologies Corp., Pratt & Whitney Military Engines, East Hartford, Conn., was awarded a $353.2 million modification to a previously awarded contract that provides for performance based logistics sustainment in support of the F-135 propulsion system in support of the F-35 joint strike fighter aircraft for the Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, non-U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) participants and foreign military Sales (FMS) customers.

This modification provides for maintenance of support equipment, common program activities, unique and common base recurring sustainment, repair of repairable, field service representatives, common replenishment spares, conventional take-off and landing/carrier variant F-135 unique maintenance services, and short take-off and landing F-135 unique services.

Among the work sites is Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., and work at all locations is expected to be completed in November 2018. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity. (Post)

In addition, Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., Fort Worth, Texas, was awarded a $37.7 million modification to a previously awarded contract to exercise an option for software conversions for structure and systems datasets in support of Lot 10 production for the F-35 joint strike fighter.

Work will be performed in Texas and the United Kingdom, and is expected to be completed in June 2020. 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)

Other contracts

Bering Sea Environmental LLC, Anchorage, Alaska, was awarded an $8.9 million modification to a previously awarded contract for Air Combat Command's air combat training system operations and maintenance. Among the bases where work will be done are Eglin Air Force Base and Tyndall Air Force Base, both in Northwest Florida. The expected completion date is Dec. 31, 2020. ACC, Acquisition Management and Integration Center, Hampton, Va., is the contracting activity. … Cubic Defense Applications Inc., San Diego, Calif., was awarded a $14.8 million multiyear contract for contractor logistics support. It provides for comprehensive, effective, and quality contractor logistics support for the Saudi Arabian P5 combat training system to sustain operational tempos currently located at several bases in Saudi. Work will be performed in Saudi Arabia, with an expected completion date of Feb 28, 2022. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is the contracting activity. … Kaman Precision Products, Orlando, Fla., and Middletown, Conn., has been awarded a $85.2 million contract for delivery of lot 13 of the joint programmable fuze, FMU-52 and corresponding production, test and engineering support. Work will be performed in Orlando and Middletown with an expected completion date of Feb. 28, 2019. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is the contracting activity.

Week in review (11/19 to 11/25)

L3 Crestview Aerospace, an aeronautical manufacturer that employs more than 500 people at its operation in Crestview, is up for sale. The Crestview plant manufactures and modifies cabins, fuselages, tail booms and other parts for commercial and military aircraft. L3 Crestview Aerospace also includes a plant in Chihuahua, Mexico, that produces sheet metal and parts for commercial aircraft structures. It’s part of a move by New York-based L3 Technologies to focus on more profitable businesses.

L3 initially announced its intent to sell Vertex Aerospace, which includes Crestview Aerospace, a couple of weeks ago. The announcement that Crestview Aerospace is for sale does not mean that layoffs or other job actions at the company’s local facility are imminent, said L3 spokesman Lance Martin. (Post)

Space

WIRED takes a look behind the scenes at five NASA facilities, including Michoud and Stennis Space Center, to capture how engineers build and test in preparation for the 2019 launch of the most powerful rocket ever built, the Space Launch System. (Post)

Bases

Air Force Col. Michael E. Martin has been nominated for appointment to the rank of brigadier general. Martin is currently serving as the commander, 24th Special Operations Wing, Air Force Special Operations Command, Hurlburt Field, Fla. His was among a series of appointments made by the president and announced last week by Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis. (Post)

Contracts

Raytheon Co. - Missile Systems, Tucson, Ariz., was awarded a $59.7 million contract for Enhanced Paveway II's support equipment and support hours. Work will be performed at Tucson, with an expected completion date of Feb. 28, 2019. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is the contracting activity. … Arête Associates, Tucson, Ariz., was awarded a $7.5 million modification to a previously awarded contract to provide Coastal Battlefield Reconnaissance and Analysis (COBRA) program systems support for the AN/DVS-1 COBRA Block 1 system and support equipment. Work will be performed in Tucson and is expected to be completed by December 2018. The Naval Surface Warfare Center Panama City Division, Panama City, Fla., is the contracting activity.

Week in review (11/12 to 11/18)

Another company signs up to test engines at Stennis Space Center, Miss., a huge A320 purchase will be a boost for the Mobile Airbus facility, the V-22 fleet has topped 400,000 flight hours, and more details on the C Series that will be build in Mobile were among the news items of interest to the Gulf Coast Aerospace Corridor during the week.

Here’s your week in review:

Space Stratolaunch will test engines at NASA's Stennis Space Center in South Mississippi. That's according to an agreement signed in September. NASA published the agreement on its website as part of a provision in a NASA authorization act signed into law this year to disclose such agreements. An annex to that agreement specifies that it involves "testing of its propulsion system test article element 1" at Stennis's E1 test stand.

That facility has supported engine tests by a number of companies in the past under similar agreements that provide access to test stands there on a non-exclusive basis. Stratolaunch plans to deliver the test article to Stennis for "fit tests and checkouts" by the end of May 2018, with the test series completed by the end of 2018. Stratolaunch will pay NASA $5.1 million under the reimbursable agreement to cover costs of the test campaign, including an upfront payment of $1 million. (Post)

Airbus

The A320 assembly line at the Mobile Aeroplex, which was already scheduled to build jetliners for Frontier Airlines starting next year, will now build even more thanks to a major deal between Airbus and Indigo Partners.

A memorandum of understanding was signed between Airbus and Indigo Partners for 430 additional A320neo aircraft. The commitment is comprised of 273 A320neos and 157 A321neos worth $49.5 billion at list price. The agreement was announced at the Dubai Airshow.

"Any A320 order placed anywhere in the world is good for Mobile because it means a strong order book and solidifies the U.S. Manufacturing Facility's role in Airbus' global production network," wrote Kristi Tucker of Airbus' Mobile operation, in an email. "It's extra special when there's a direct connection to the order, such as this one." (Post)

The aircraft would go to airlines in Indigo's investment portfolio: Frontier Airlines of the U.S., Mexico's Volaris, European carrier Wizz Air Holdings and JetSmart, which began operating this year in Chile. Airbus builds the A320 family of jetliners in Toulouse, France; Hamburg, Germany; Tianjin, China; and Mobile, Ala. (Post)

C Series

Bombardier Inc. is forecasting it plans to spend $300 million on its C Series assembly facility in Mobile, Ala., creating as many as 2,000 jobs in the U.S. Airbus and Canada-based Bombardier announced in October that they had agreed to form a partnership to build Bombardier's C Series passenger jets in Mobile.

The C series project would create 400 to 500 direct jobs and 550 to 700 indirect jobs at supplier and support companies. The forecast was part of a regulatory filing. Still to be determined is the fate of the proposed import duties of 300 percent on the C Series tentatively imposed by the U.S. Department of Commerce in response to a price-dumping claim made by Boeing. (Post)

Bases

The Bell Boeing V-22 fleet of tiltrotor aircraft, including both CV-22 and MV-22 variants, has surpassed the 400,000-flight hour milestone. The V-22 Osprey has been continuously deployed since entering service in 2007 with the United States Marine Corps and Air Force Special Operations Command in 2009.

The Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey is a joint service, multirole combat aircraft that uses tiltrotor technology to combine the vertical performance of a helicopter with the speed and range of a fixed-wing aircraft. With its nacelles and rotors in vertical position, it can take off, land and hover like a helicopter. Once airborne, its nacelles can be rotated to transition the aircraft to a turboprop airplane capable of high-speed, high-altitude flight. (Post)

-- Capt. Ryan Bernacchi turned over command of the Navy Blue Angels to Cmdr. Eric Doyle at a ceremony last Sunday at the Blue Angels Atrium inside the National Naval Aviation Museum at Naval Air Station Pensacola. About 500 people attended the event. (Post)

-- Air Force Col. William W. Whittenberger Jr. has been nominated for appointment to the rank of brigadier general. Whittenberger is currently serving as the mobilization assistant to the director of strategic plans, programs and requirements, U.S. Air Force Special Operations Command, Hurlburt Field, Fla. His was among a series of appointments made by the president and announced today by Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis. (Post)

Contracts

The Boeing Co., St. Louis, Mo., was awarded an $11.3 million modification to a previously awarded contract for QF-16 full-scale aerial target lot 5B. Work will be performed in St. Louis, with an estimated completion date of April 27, 2021. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is the contracting activity. … Bell-Boeing JPO, Amarillo, Texas, was awarded $10 million modification to a previously issued task order, placed against a basic ordering agreement. This modification provides for field representative and logistics support services in support of the V-22 aircraft for the government of Japan. Work will be performed at Camp Kisarazu, Japan (85 percent); Philadelphia, Pa. (11 percent); and Fort Walton Beach, Fla. (4 percent), and is expected to be completed in December 2019. 

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

A leadership change at Airbus Americas, the return of an Air Force squadron to full operational capability, large military training exercises, an Apollo-era artifact at Infinity Science Center, updates on the F-35, and plans for a new terminal were among the news items during the week of interest to the Gulf Coast aerospace corridor.

But before we get to your week in review, let me extend my gratitude to all my fellow veterans for their service. I come from a family with a long tradition of serving in the military. We've served in every branch, from one hitch to long careers, so this day is particularly important to my extended family. Thank you all.

Now for your week in review:

Airbus

C. Jeffrey Knittel will become chairman and chief executive at Herndon, Va.-based Airbus Americas early next year. Knittel will replace Airbus Americas CEO Barry Eccleston, who is retiring Feb. 28, 2018.

Allan McArtor, chairman of Airbus Americas, will remain with the company as chairman emeritus. Knittel, who brings more than 25 years of global aerospace leadership experience to the position, will join the company at its Americas headquarters Jan. 12. (Post)

Bases

The 815th Airlift Squadron has completed its quest to reach full operational capability, four years after the squadron’s future was uncertain. The squadron and its C-130J Flying Jennies are again ready to deploy and provide combat-ready airmen for airlift mission.

As part of the National Defense Authorization Act of 2013, the Air Force announced plans to transfer 10 of the Air Force Reserve 403rd Wing's C-130J aircraft. But two years later the Secretary of the Air Force reversed that recommendation, beginning the programming and budgeting work to restore personnel and mission capability at Keesler Air Force Base, Miss. (Post)

-- Personnel and equipment from Air Force installations across the country have converged on Tyndall Air Force Base in Northwest Florida to participate in Checkered Flag 18-1, a two-week, large-scale exercise that integrates the war-fighting capabilities of fourth-and fifth-generation aircraft. It’s being held with the concurrently running Weapons Systems Evaluation Program, Combat Archer.

"What we have in our Checkered Flag airspace is an over water range that affords us the opportunity to be fully supersonic down to the ground," said Air Force Lt. Col. Daniel Lee, 44th Fighter Group deputy commander and Checkered Flag 18-1 Air Expeditionary Wing vice commander. "This is not a capability that we have on a large scale at any other ranges within the United States."

The exercise wraps up Nov. 17. (Post)

Space

An early artifact of America's moon program is on display in Mississippi’s Infinity Science Center. It’s the command module from Apollo 4, an unmanned 1967 mission that successfully demonstrated the full Saturn V rocket and the capsule that would carry men to the moon.

The command module is on long-term loan from the Smithsonian Institution’s National Air & Space Museum. The display is part of a redesign of the museum's space exhibits. The Saturn V rocket was among those tested at neighboring Stennis Space Center.

The 8,000-pound module was stored for five years at Stennis out of public view. (Post)

-- As the Senate Commerce Committee prepares to advance his nomination as NASA administrator to the full Senate, Jim Bridenstine offered pledges of continuity for many key agency programs. Bridenstine said he believed the Space Launch System and Orion programs are critical to the agency’s exploration plans, as well as contributions from commercial space ventures. (Post)

F-35

The 53rd Electronic Warfare Group’s Partner Support Complex delivered the F-35 mission data file to Norway Oct. 26. This is the first overseas delivery of Block 3F mission data to a foreign nation and was accomplished in anticipation of Norway’s first F-35s, which arrived last week and will be marked by a Nov.10 ceremony there.

The delivery of Block 3F mission data enables the F-35 to accomplish its primary missions of air interdiction, close air support, and suppression and destruction of enemy air defenses. Mission data files enable the aircraft to know what threats to search for and when, providing the F-35 its means of deciphering the environment.

The men and women of the PSC are charged with programming this essential mission data software for eight F-35 partner nations, to include Norway, Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, Italy, the Netherlands, Turkey, and Denmark. (Post)

-- Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., Fort Worth, Texas, was awarded a $34.6 million contract for weapons capabilities technology maturation and risk reduction pre-engineering, manufacturing and development activities for dual-capability F-35 Lightning II joint strike fighter aircraft and small-diameter bomb 2 (SDB-II) in support of the Marine Corps and Air Force.

Work will be performed in Fort Worth, Texas, and is expected to be completed in July 2018. This contract was not competitively procured pursuant to Federal Acquisition Regulation 6.302-1. 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)

Airports

Design details for a new 120,000-square-foot, $90 million terminal at Louisiana’s Lafayette Regional Airport were unveiled during the week at the airport commission’s regular meeting.

Lafayette Regional Airport was the fourth busiest in Louisiana in 2016 in terms of enplanements, according to the Federal Aviation Administration, but Airport Director Steven Picou said it operates with the smallest square-footage.

The airport in Lafayette, site of a Bell Helicopter facility, is along Interstate 10 west of New Orleans. (Post)

Contracts

Reliance Test & Technology, Crestview, Fla., was awarded a $48 million modification to a previously awarded contract for Eglin operation and maintenance services. Work will be performed at Eglin test and training complex, Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., with an expected completion date of Sept. 30 2026. Air Force Test Center, Eglin Air Force Base, is the contracting activity. … Raytheon Co. Missile Systems Division, Tucson, Ariz., was awarded a $17.3 million modification to a previously awarded contract for High-Speed Anti-Radiation Missile Targeting System (HTS) contractor logistics support (CLS) services. Work will be performed in Tucson, with an estimated completion date of Nov. 30, 2018. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is the contracting activity.

Week in review (10/29 to 11/4)

A new tenant and more jobs at Michoud Assembly Facility, an award for Eglin's F-35 reprogramming office, and new air service at two of the region’s airports were among the Gulf Coast region's aerospace stories during the week.

Here's your week in review:

NASA

A new tenant is moving in and another expanding at Michoud Assembly Facility (MAF) in east New Orleans. Sinter Metal Technologies, a global supplier of metal and ceramic parts based in Liechtenstein, will move some of its operations into the facility. The company intends to invest $5 million in a new sintering facility at MAF to bond powder-based metals, material that will be used to make strong precision parts. The plan will create 15 new jobs.

Advanced Cutting Solutions, which specializes in kit-cutting tough materials like fiberglass, Kevlar and dry carbon, is expanding its presence at the facility, adding 30 new jobs. Gov. John Bel Edwards and NASA Marshall Space Flight Center Director Todd May joined a host of local and state officials Wednesday to announce the jobs. State leaders also announced plans for an aerospace program at nearby Nunez Community College to train students for careers at MAF and other regional employers. (Post)

-- Dozens of interested business representatives gathered at the Renaissance Mobile Riverview Plaza Hotel in Mobile, Ala., during the week for a NASA Business Forum. Officials from Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Stennis Space Center and NASA Shared Services in South Mississippi, as well as representatives from prime contractors attended the event. NASA is committed to handing out hundreds of millions of dollars to small businesses every year, either through direct contracts or as subcontractors to the primes. (Post)

-- Rolls-Royce late last month celebrated 10 years at Stennis Space Center, Miss., where it operates an outdoor jet engine test facility. Rolls-Royce General Manager Hamish Guthrie said the company employs 46 people locally, and expects that number to rise in the future due to the demand of the company’s aircraft engines. Guthrie said employees have logged more than 7,000 hours testing engines. Rolls-Royce, which opened its first stand in 2007, added a second test stand in 2013. (Post)

F-35

The 53rd Wing's 513th Electronic Warfare Squadron last month was awarded the Outstanding Scientist/Engineer Team of 2017 for work on the F-35A Initial Operational Capability delivery at Eglin Air Force Base.

This Air Force Science, Technology, Engineering and Math annual award recognizes the efforts and achievements of scientists and engineers who make significant contributions to technology and engineering. For the last seven years, 513th EWS airmen and sailors of the F-35's U.S. Reprogramming Laboratory have been doing just that.

Supercomputers, referred to as sensor fusion, make up the F-35's brain. That brain provides the fighter with unique capabilities, making it more lethal, survivable and adaptable than any fighter aircraft on Earth, according to the Secretary of Air Force Public Affairs. However, without 513th EWS personnel inputting critical mission data into the F-35, sensor fusion wouldn’t work as intended. The aircraft wouldn’t know what threats to search for or when.

In the electronic warfare world, engineers refer to this ability to understand the world, the ability to sift through stimuli and make informed decisions about how to react, as mission data software. This software helps compile countless pieces of information about the environment the F-35 will fly into. It also creates within the F-35's brain the means of deciphering that environment.

The men and women of the 513th EWS program this essential mission data software, thus teaching the F-35 how to distinguish between stimuli and making it efficient, intelligent and lethal. (Post)

-- Pratt & Whitney Military Engines, East Hartford, Conn., was awarded a $19.3 million modification to a previously awarded contract. This modification provides for procurement of extra-long-lead items in support of the low-rate initial production Lot XII F-35 Lightning II joint strike fighter aircraft production.

The extra-long-lead items include group hardware supporting the Lot XII delivery of conventional take-off and landing propulsion systems for the Air Force, Navy, non-Department of Defense (non-DoD) participants, and foreign military sales (FMS) customers, as well as group hardware supporting the Lot XII delivery of short take-off and vertical landing propulsion systems for the Marine Corps.

Work will be done in East Hartford; Indianapolis, Ind.; and Bristol, United Kingdom, and is expected to be completed in November 2019. This contract combines purchases for the Marine Corps (88.04 percent); non-DoD participants (9.86 percent); Air Force (1.49 percent); FMS (0.41 percent) under the Foreign Military Sales Program; and Navy .20 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)

Airports

Florida's Pensacola International Airport (PNS) reaches a new all-time high serving 1,668,897 passengers during fiscal year 2017. That's the highest count in a decade. A year before the Great Recession, the airport’s last passenger record was in FY07 when the airport served a total of 1,660,545 passengers.

In addition to the record, PNS announced a second daily non-stop flight to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) aboard American Airlines will be added to the flight schedule in the spring. Beginning April 3, 2018, passengers will have the option of booking a morning nonstop flight to DCA, in addition to the current afternoon non-stop flight. (Post)

-- In May, travel between Okaloosa County and the nation's capital will be easier for hundreds of military contractors and active duty personnel. The first non-stop American Airlines flights between Destin-Fort Walton Beach Airport (VPS) and Washington D.C.'s Ronald Reagan National Airport will take off 11:05 a.m. May 4, according to a news release from the county.

An earlier flight is scheduled to depart Washington D.C. at 8:45 a.m. the same day, with arrival in Okaloosa County expected at 10:07 a.m., the release said. The two flights will run daily. The airport is located within Eglin Air Force Base. (Post)

Bases

The 53rd Weapons Evaluation Group conducted operations from Nov. 1-3 and will do so again Nov. 6-8 in the Gulf of Mexico and Choctawhatchee Bay as part of a Weapon System Evaluation Program. Between 8 a.m. and noon jets will be releasing munitions about 20 miles south of Destin in the Gulf of Mexico.

Between 1-5 p.m., about 30 boats traveling in formation will transverse between the Mid-Bay Bridge and the U.S. Highway 331 Bridge, including 10-to-20 miles south of Destin in the Gulf of Mexico, according to base officials.

The boat formation will be used as visual targets by military aircraft flying over the area. Some boats will have fake deck guns and rocket launcher tubes, but no live weapons or ammunition will be involved. The boats also will be using marine flares as visual markers. (Post)

-- Residents of Mississippi's Biloxi and Keesler Air Force Base may hear an increase in noise this weekend due to a training exercise. The Air Force Reserve's 403rd Wing will hold the exercise on Saturday from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. during the Unit Training Assembly.

Sirens, alarms and loudspeaker announcements will be used to simulate realistic environments for personnel. Trainees will practice self-aid and buddy care, chemical warfare detection, and the ability to survive and operate in a deployed environment. (Post)

Contracts

Numerous companies, including UTS Systems LLC, Fort Walton Beach, Fla. (W911QY-18-D-0161), will share in an $8,276,161,000 hybrid (cost, cost-plus-fixed-fee, cost-plus-incentive-fee, firm-fixed-price, fixed-price-incentive, and fixed-price-redetermination) contract for Joint Enterprise Research, Development, Acquisition and Production and Procurement program to support research and development of chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and high-yield explosives defense systems, capabilities, equipment, supplies and material. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of Oct. 3, 2027. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Natick, Mass., is the contracting activity.

Week in review (10/22 to 10/28)

VT MAE, which will be opening a maintenance, repair and overhaul facility at Pensacola International Airport in May 2018, had a career information event at Pensacola State College's Hagler Auditorium Friday.

Bill Hafner, president of Mobile-based VT Mobile Aerospace Engineering, said the company will try to hire all 12 students graduating in December from George Stone Technical Center's Aviation Airframe Mechanics program, according to the Pensacola News Journal.

The information session was designed to brief the community on the upcoming hiring needs, employment procedures and subcontracting opportunities. The MRO will eventually hire 400 workers. The company's primary facility at the Mobile Aeroplex has about 1,000 workers.

Cyber

Come December a new group as part of the 96th Test Wing will be activated at Eglin Air Force Base.

The Air Force recently approved the 96th Cyberspace Test Group being formed from the existing 46th Test Squadron. There will be other test units at six separate geographic locations throughout the U.S.

The new group will include three subordinate squadrons: the 45th Test Squadron, 46th Test Squadron and the 47th Cyberspace Test Squadron. About 19 of 50 new positions are projected to be added to the group at Eglin over the next five years.

In addition, a business and logistics division will be established at Eglin to provide program management, budget and finance, as well as logistics, security and information technology functions.

The change brings current AFTC cyberspace test capabilities under a single command structure of the newly formed group, but leaves all the current jobs, missions and assets in place at their current operating locations. (Post)

This is all occurring at a time when this region is making a big push to train a new generation in cybersecurity.

F-35

The Pentagon is accelerating production of Lockheed Martin’s F-35 jet even though the planes already delivered are facing "significantly longer repair times" than planned because maintenance facilities are six years behind schedule, according to a draft audit.

The Government Accountability Office, Congress's watchdog agency, found the time to repair a part has averaged 172 days, twice the program’s objective. The shortages are "degrading readiness" because the fighter jets "were unable to fly about 22 percent of the time" from January through August for lack of needed parts. Eglin Air Force Base is home of the F-35 integrated training center. (Post)

Museum

The National Naval Aviation Museum at Naval Air Station Pensacola was named one of the Top 25 museums across the globe by TripAdvisor as part of its 2017 Travelers' Choice Awards.

The museum ranked No. 16 on the list that included such well-known museums as the 9/11 Memorial & Museum, and the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum. The rankings are based on quantity and quality of reviews and ratings for museums worldwide gathered by TripAdvisor over a 12-month period.

The 350,000-square-foot museum on 37 acres has a variety of attractions and more than 150 military aircraft representing the Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard. (Post)

Contracts

NASA awarded 24 Multiple Award Construction Contract Two (MACC-II) contracts to 20 small businesses and four large firms for general construction services at NASA's Stennis Space Center and several other agency locations. It has an anticipated value not to exceed $3 billion during an eight-year ordering period.

MACC-II project work includes, but is not limited to, alteration, modification, maintenance and repair, demolition, design-build and new construction of buildings, facilities and real property at Stennis; NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, including White Sands Test Facility near Las Cruces, N.M.; NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Fla.; and NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., including Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans.

Businesses in the Gulf Coast region awarded contracts are Healtheon and Pontchartrain Partners, both of New Orleans; ESA South Inc., Cantonment, Fla.; Orocon Construction and WG Yates & Sons Construction Co., both of Biloxi, Miss.; Drace Construction Corp., Ocean Springs, Miss.; CCI Energy and Construction Services, Shalimar, Fla.; and MOWA Barlovento JV-2, Gautier, Miss. (Post)

Week in review (10/15 to 10/21)

The announcement that a new jetliner will be built in Mobile and a public rocket engine test in South Mississippi were just two of the news items during the week involving the Gulf Coast aerospace region. Here's your week in review:

Airbus

Airbus SE agreed to acquire a majority stake in Bombardier Inc.'s C Series jetliner program. The project includes assembling the C Series at Airbus’ plant in Mobile, Ala. But the details on the assembly have not been released.

Under the agreement, Airbus will provide procurement, sales and marketing, and customer support expertise to the C Series Aircraft Limited Partnership (CSALP), the entity that manufactures and sells the C Series. At closing, Airbus will acquire a 50.01 percent interest in CSALP. Bombardier and Investissement Québec (IQ) will own about 31 percent and 19 percent respectively.

CSALP’s headquarters and primary assembly line and related functions will remain in Québec, Canada, with the support of Airbus’ global reach and scale. The transaction is expected to be completed in the second half of next year. (Post)

The deal comes weeks after the United States said a 300 percent tariff would be imposed on the C Series following a complaint by Boeing that the plane, developed with government subsidies, is being sold with a huge discount.

But will the tariff be imposed on a plane assembled in the United States? Many observers say it won’t, but Boeing says it will make no difference. We’ll have to wait and see how all this plays out.

Space

More than 1,500 people watched a verification test of an RS-25 rocket engine during an open house at NASA’s Stennis Space Center in South Mississippi during the week.

Engine E2063, one of the engines that will power the Space Launch System (SLS), was tested for 500 seconds, the same duration the engine will power during an actual launch. Engine E2063 is scheduled for use on NASA’s second mission of SLS and Orion, known as Exploration Mission-2 (EM-2).

The first integrated flight test of SLS and Orion, Exploration Mission-1 (EM-1), will be an uncrewed final test of the rocket and its systems. The EM-2 flight will be the first to carry astronauts aboard the Orion spacecraft. (Post)

In another Stennis Space Center related item, Space Exploration Technologies Corp., better known as SpaceX, of Hawthorne, Calif., was awarded a $40.8 million contract modification for the development of the Raptor rocket propulsion system prototype for the Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle program.

Work will be performed at NASA Stennis Space Center, as well as Hawthorne, Calif.; McGregor, Texas; and Los Angeles Air Force Base, Calif.; and is expected to be complete by April 30, 2018. The Launch Systems Enterprise Directorate, Space and Missile Systems Center, Los Angeles AFB, Calif., is the contracting activity. (Post)

Airport

Frontier Airlines will begin service from Pensacola International Airport (PNS) this spring with nonstop, low-cost flights to Denver International Airport (DEN) and Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD) as part of its nationwide expansion. Service to Denver will begin April 22, 2018 while service to Chicago O’Hare is scheduled to begin May 12, 2018. (Post)

In another news item related to the Pensacola airport, VT MAE will host an information session Oct. 27 at 9:00 a.m. regarding its current operations, upcoming hiring needs, employment application procedures, and available subcontracting opportunities at its new aircraft maintenance facility being built at Pensacola International Airport.

The information session is at the Pensacola State College Hagler Auditorium, which is Building 2, 1000 College Blvd. in Pensacola. The event is for subcontractors and those seeking employment opportunities. (Post)

Contracts

Aermor LLC, Virginia Beach, Va.; American Systems Corp., Chantilly, Va.; and Qualis Corp., Huntsville, Ala., were awarded a $93,500,000 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for Air Force Operational Test and Evaluation Center test services. The contractors will provide advisory and assistance services in support of operational test and evaluation that include a broad range of engineering, technical, and analytical services. Eglin Air Force Base and Hurlburt Field, both in Florida, are among the work sites. Other locations are in New Mexico, Colorado, California, Washington, Utah and Nevada, and is expected to be complete by Oct. 19, 2022. Air Force Operational Test and Evaluation Center, Kirtland Air Force Base, N.M., is the contracting activity. … Textron Systems Marine and Land Systems, New Orleans, La., was awarded a $332.9 million contract for the procurement of up to 255 mobile strike force vehicles and related fielding hardware and field representative services for system de-processing. U.S. Army Contracting Command Warren, Mich., is the contracting activity. … Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., Fort Worth, Texas, was awarded an $11.6 million delivery order against a previously issued basic ordering agreement. This order provides support for the first of class flying trials and the release of the military permit to fly for F-35B aircraft to operate from Queen Elizabeth class carriers in support of the government of the United Kingdom. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, is the contracting activity. Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is home of the F-35 integrated training center. … Reliance Test & Technology, Crestview, Fla., was awarded a $27.3 million modification for Eglin operation and maintenance services. Work will be performed at Eglin Test and Training Complex, Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., and is expected to be completed by Sept. 30, 2026. Air Force Test Center, Eglin Air Force Base, is the contracting activity. … Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., San Diego, Calif., was awarded $15.2 million for modification to a previously awarded contract for the integration of the original equipment manufacturer ZPY-8A/N radar into the MQ-8C Fire Scout. Work will be performed in Fort Worth, Texas; Ozark, Ala.; San Diego; Edinburgh, United Kingdom; and Santa Clarita, Calif., and is expected to be completed in May 2020. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity.

Special review (10/16)

First Airbus. Now Bombardier.

I don't usually publish a "week in review" column on a day other than Saturday, let alone one about a single news item. But the news out of Amsterdam and Montreal on Monday warrants a column.

Airbus and Bombardier announced an agreement where Airbus gets a 50.01 stake in the Bombardier C Series, the single-aisle jetliner that has been slow to sell but is one of the most advanced in the world. Under the agreement, Airbus will provide procurement, sales and marketing, and customer support expertise. But for our neck of the woods, the really big news is that there will be a C Series assembly line in Mobile, Ala., where Airbus is currently building A320 series jetliners. And that will mean more jobs. But details are few right now.

All of this will take some time to come to pass, but in the future, Mobile and the Gulf Coast will be able to brag that it makes not only the popular, best-selling Airbus A320 series, but the Bombardier C Series jetliners. That's significant for the branding of this region as an international aerospace and aviation center, especially in light of all the other aerospace and aviation activities along the Interstate 10 corridor.

The Airbus final assembly line at the Mobile Aeroplex has already attracted plenty of suppliers, and having a Bombardier final assembly line for C Series jetliners is bound to attract even more, not only to Mobile proper but to its neighboring states.

The announcement comes within weeks of Bombardier being hit with a 300 percent import levy by the United States following a complaint by Boeing that the company was selling jetliners at a ridiculously reduced price. But that tariff isn't imposed on planes built in the United States by American workers for American customers like Delta Air Lines. The Atlanta-based company plans to buy 75 C series jetliners.

The move also gives Airbus an expanded global footprint through the partnership with the Bombardier final assembly line in Quebec, Canada, which will continue to build C Series jets but apparently not for the market in the United States.

Week in review (10/1 to 10/7)

Everyone in our region is little doubt preoccupied with Hurricane Nate churning south of us. Nonetheless, work goes on. We'll publish the October issue of the Gulf Coast Aerospace Corridor newsletter Tuesday. As I wrote a couple of weeks ago, it has a cover story about the aerospace and aviation activities in Louisiana.

But there's more. We'll also bring you a story about the two companies in South Alabama that provide engine podding work for jetliners. Podding is the part of the aviation industry that builds up the structure that surrounds and engine and attaches to the wing pylon.

UTC Aerospace and Safran Nacelles are the two biggest nacelles companies in the world, and they have operations in Foley and Mobile. We'll also fill you in on recent news relevant to the nacelles industry.

We also have a column on some of the other recent happenings in the aerospace region, including the Gulf Power Economic Symposium. If you want to stay up to date on this region's aerospace and aviation activities, the bimonthly newsletter is a good start. You'll be able to find it next week after Tuesday on the opening page of our website.

Now for your week in review:

Space The public will get a chance Oct. 19 to view a test firing of an RS-25 flight engine that will be used to power NASA’s new Space Launch System. This engine, No. 2063, will be one of four that will be used for SLS on Exploration Mission-2, the first flight of the rocket that will carry astronauts.

The engine test is part of the Founder's Day Open House at Stennis Space Center, which commemorates the anniversary of the rocket engine test site. Open house activities, including exhibits, demonstrations and speakers, will be hosted by participating Stennis agencies prior to an afternoon test of RS-25 flight engine on the A-1 Test Stand. (Post)

Contracts

DCS Corp., Alexandria, Va., was awarded a $207.6 million contract to provide system engineering, analysis, research, development, logistics, and configuration and data management services to the Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division’s aircraft integrated pProduct teams, critical in the development, integration, test, evaluation, and fielding of new and upgraded capabilities to Naval aircraft, such as the F/A-18, EA-18G, F-35, AV-8B, AH-1/UH-1, and unmanned aerial systems. Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., will do seven percent of the work. Other work locations are in California, North Carolina, Arizona and Maryland, and is expected to be completed in October 2022. The Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division, China Lake, is the contracting activity. … COLSA Corp., Huntsville, Ala., was awarded a $56.2 million modification for technical and management advisory services command, control, communications, computer, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance and cyber support. Work will be performed at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., among other locations. Air Force Test Center, Eglin Air Force Base, is the contracting activity. … QuantiTech, Inc., Huntsville, Ala., was awarded a $39.6 million modification for technical and management advisory services range support. Work will be performed at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., among other locations. Air Force Test Center, Eglin Air Force Base, is the contracting activity. … Torch Technologies Inc., Huntsville, Ala., was awarded a $34.6 million modification for technical and management advisory services armament support. The contractor will provide additional diverse research, development, test and evaluation, and acquisition support services. Work will be performed at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., and other locations. Air Force Test Center, Eglin Air Force Base, is the contracting activity. … Bevilacqua Research Corp., Huntsville, Ala., was awarded a $31.2 million modification for technical and management advisory services platforms support. The contractor will provide additional diverse research, development, test and evaluation, and acquisition support services. Work will be performed at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla.; Duke Field, Fla.; Hurlburt Field, Fla.; Nellis Air Force Base, Nev.; Tinker Air Force Base, Okla.; and Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., and is expected to be completed by Sept. 30 2018. Air Force Test Center, Eglin Air Force Base, is the contracting activity.

Week in review (9/24 to 9/30)

If you're into reading about contracts, this past week for the Gulf Coast Aerospace Corridor was certainly one for you. But it wasn't the only activity for the region. Here's your week in review:

The Air Force plans to declare its new AC-130J "Ghostrider" gunship ready for combat operations by the end of September. That’s according to Lt. Gen. Marshall "Brad" Webb, head of Air Force Special Operations Command at Hurlburt Field, Fla.

He told reporters at the Air Force Association’s annual conference in National Harbor, Md., that it won't go into combat for a couple more years because of the high pace of operational missions abroad, which makes in more difficult to train special operators on the new gunship’s new weapon system.

The AC-130J, designed for close-air support, is armed with a 30mm GAU-23/A cannon and suite of precision-guided munitions that include the GBU-39 Small Diameter Bomb and AGM-176 Griffin missile, and a 105mm M102 howitzer system. (Post)

Bases

The Air Force Operational Test and Evaluation Center Detachment 2 recently evaluated new, fully digitized navigation charts to streamline mission planning initiatives for the military. It’s the first major upgrade to the charts in some 30 years.

AFOTEC completed a successful operational test on a digitized navigation chart prototype in 2016, and the Air Force Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Agency asked AFOTEC evaluate three new digitized charts for use by the Air Force and other military branches.

Over six weeks, Detachment 2 tested the new charts at nine military installations across the U.S., including at Eglin, using 16 different airframes. The new charts will be available for military operations as early as 2019. (Post)

F-35

The Air Force’s 33rd Maintenance Squadron provided training and support to F-35C operations aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln from Aug. 30 to Sept. 7, 2017.

Two airmen and two sailors from the aerospace ground equipment flight and the wheel and tire shop qualified Abraham Lincoln sailors to operate F-35 support equipment, bringing the U.S. Navy one step closer to initial operations capability. With this training, the Abraham Lincoln's aviation structural mechanics are now qualified to tear down, inspect, clean, rebuild and service wheel assemblies. (Post)

Awards

The Santa Rosa County Economic Development Office received three Excellence in Economic Development Awards for 2017 from the International Economic Development Council during the IEDC Annual Conference Sept. 17-20 in Toronto. Two were related to aerospace and aviation.

One was a gold award for its aviation industry brochure in the category of special purpose print brochure, which details Santa Rosa County's advantages to companies in the aviation, aerospace, and related industries. The EDO took home a bronze award in the category of special purpose website, for SantaRosaAviation.com, a micro-site showcasing the county's advantages to companies in the aviation, aerospace, and related industries.

The office also won a silver award for its Career Pathways website, a project also in the category of special purpose website. The website is designed to provide students and their families guidance on local career opportunities. (Post)

Fort Walton Beach contracts

There were multiple contracts awarded during the week that will involve workers at Fort Walton Beach, Fla.

-- Reliance Test & Technology of Fort Walton Beach was awarded an $8.7 million modification to previously awarded contract for Eglin Air Force Base operation and maintenance support service. Work will be performed in Fort Walton Beach and is expected to be completed by Sept. 30, 2026. Air Force Test Center, Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is the contracting activity.

-- Fort Walton Beach will share work with San Diego in another contract. Cubic Global Defense, San Diego, Calif., was awarded a $61 million contract for P5 combat training system/tactical combat training system updates. Work will be completed Sept. 30, 2022. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is the contracting activity.

-- Fifteen percent of the work will be done in Fort Walton Beach under a $24.3 million contract modification that was awarded to Lockheed Martin Corp., Rotary and Mission Systems, Baltimore, Md. This contract exercises options for vertical launching system modules and associated equipment with the MK 41 vertical launch system. Work is expected to be completed by December 2022. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity.

-- The SURVICE Engineering Co. LLC, Belcamp, Md., was awarded a $10 million contract to perform research and development analysis for the Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division in the areas of air weapons systems survivability and lethality, test and analysis support, modeling and simulation (M&S), and M&S verification, validation and accreditation. Ten percent of the work will be done in Fort Walton Beach and is expected to be completed in September 2022. Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division, China Lake, Calif., is the contracting activity.

-- The Boeing Co., St. Louis, Mo., was awarded a $68.5 million modification to a previously awarded contract. This modification provides for the procurement of the F/A-18E/F and EA-18G structural repair manual. Six percent of the work will be done in Fort Walton Beach. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity.

-- Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., Linthicum, Md., was awarded a $12 million job order under a previously awarded basic ordering agreement for spare parts to support organic depot repairs of the AN/ALQ-240 Electronic Support Measures system. Five percent of the work will be done in Fort Walton Beach and is expected to be completed by April 2020. The Naval Surface Warfare Center Crane Division, Crane, Ind., is the contracting activity.

Other contracts

Fluor Federal Solutions LLC, Greenville, S.C., was awarded a $14.4 million modification under a previously awarded contract to exercise option 10 for base operations support services at Naval Air Station Pensacola, Fla., and outlying areas of Saufley Field, Corry Station, and Bronson Field. Work will be performed in Pensacola and is expected to be completed March 2018. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Southeast, Jacksonville, Fla., is the contracting activity. … Lockheed Martin Corp., Rotary and Mission Systems, Orlando, Fla., was awarded a $22 million modification to previously awarded contract for academic and simulator formal training and instruction. Work will be performed at Hurlburt Field, Fla.; Cannon Air Force Base, N.M.; Harrisburg Air National Guard Base, Pa.; and Royal Air Force Mildenhall, United Kingdom; and is expected to be completed by March 31, 2018. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity. … Gulf Coast Electric Cooperative, Wewahitchka, Fla., was awarded a maximum $36.3 million modification to a 50-year contract with no option periods, to incorporate a price redetermination rate increase, retroactive to June 1, 2014. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Energy, Fort Belvoir, Va. … JAR Assets Inc., Mandeville, La., was awarded a $9 million modification to previously awarded contract exercising the second option year for transportation of bulk jet fuel and marine diesel fuel by barge. Work will be performed at ports and points along the inland waterways and Gulf Coast locations in the Gulf Region with an expected completion date of Sept. 30, 2018. The U.S. Transportation Command, Directorate of Acquisition, Scott Air Force Base, Ill., is the contracting activity. … URS Federal Services Inc., Germantown, Md., was awarded a $15.5 million modification to a contract for rotary-wing flight instructor services. Work will be performed in Dothan, Ala., with an estimated completion date of March 31, 2018. U.S. Army Mission and Installation Contracting Command, Fort Eustis, Va., is the contracting activity. … Raytheon Missile Systems, Tucson, Ariz., has been awarded a $450 million contract for Small Diameter Bomb (SDB) II integrated engineering change proposal contract. Work will be performed in Tucson, and is expected to be completed by Aug. 31, 2024. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is the contracting activity … A host of companies were awarded a combined $998 million for research, development, test and evaluation of weapon systems, subsystems, and components work. Air Force Test Center, Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is the contracting activity. … Choctawhatchee Electric Cooperative Inc., De Funiak Springs, Fla., was awarded a $60.2 million modification to a 50-year contract for additional utility services for the electric system at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Energy, Fort Belvoir, Va.

Week in review (9/17 to 9/23)

The upcoming October issue of the Gulf Coast Aerospace Corridor bimonthly newsletter will have the first article of a four-part series on the aerospace activities of the four states that belong to the Aerospace Alliance. In the first installment, we'll tell you about Louisiana.

My readers are likely familiar with NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility in east New Orleans and Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base New Orleans in Belle Chasse. But that's just the beginning.

For Louisiana, much of the aerospace and aviation activity takes place along the Interstate 10 corridor west of New Orleans all the way to the state line. We’ll tell you about Lafayette, where subassembly work is done on the Bell 525. It's also where Bell works on the airframe used for the Navy's Fire Scout unmanned helicopter. Then we'll head west to Lake Charles, where Chennault International Airport has become an MRO powerhouse.

A few hours north of the Gulf Coast is England Airpark, right in the middle of the state in Alexandria. It's where a business and residential community has developed at a former air base and current airport. Last but not least, we'll tell you about Barksdale Air Force Base, home of the 2nd Bomb Wing.

If you are not signed up to get the October newsletter delivered to your inbox, drop me a line and I’ll add you to the list. It’s free, thanks to our underwriters.

Now for your week in review.

Northrop

Defense giant Northrop Grumman is acquiring space-focused Orbital ATK for about $7.8 billion, a deal that will give Northrop a major role in space and missiles. Orbital, based in Dulles, Va., makes rocket motors and designs and produces launch vehicles. The deal comes as the Pentagon increasingly looks at space as a battle front. The Orbital purchase ranks as the largest defense deal since Lockheed Martin bought Sikorsky from United Technologies Corp. Orbital and ATK merged in 2014. (Post)

Airbus

The number of in-service Airbus commercial aircraft in North America reached a new high of 1,500 following the delivery of an A321 to American Airlines on Friday. The company delivered its first North American-operated aircraft to U.S.-based Eastern Airlines in 1977 and has gone on to tally more than 2,000 orders with 25 airline companies and lessors in the region.

A celebration was held at the Airbus U.S. Manufacturing Facility in Mobile with delivery teams from American Airlines and Airbus marking the milestone. American Airlines operates more Airbus passenger aircraft than any other airline in the world. It received its first Airbus jet in 1988. (Post)

-- The HC-144 aircraft, manufactured by Airbus and operated by the United States Coast Guard as the Ocean Sentry fleet, reached a milestone 100,000 hours of flight in eight years of service with the USCG. The fleet has been involved in 3,500 search and rescue missions saving 620 lives, and supported 8,400 law enforcement missions including 890 drug interdiction missions. The milestone was commemorated by Airbus and the USCG Friday at the Airbus Defense & Space facility at Mobile Regional Airport, where Airbus maintains the fleet for the USCG. (Post)

Bases

The 1st Special Operations Maintenance Group at Hurlburt Field, Fla., was among the winners of the 2017 Secretary of Defense Maintenance Awards. The awards are presented annually to recognize outstanding achievements in weapon systems and military equipment maintenance.

The Hurlburt team was one of two units to win in the large field-level category. Four other awards were given in the medium and small categories. One of the six organizations will be selected as winner of the Phoenix Award, given to the best of the best field-level maintenance units. (Post)

Contracts

Jacobs Technology Inc., Fort Walton Beach, Fla., was awarded a contract for test, evaluation and certification support services. The face value of this action is $480 million. The minimum guarantee of $10,000 will be satisfied through the issuance of Task Order 0001. Primary performance will be at Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) Joint Interoperability Test Command Headquarters, Fort Huachuca, Ariz.; and DISA Headquarters, Ft. Meade, Md., with incidental performance at other locations worldwide. The period of performance for the base period is Sept. 21, 2017 through Sept. 20, 2019 with three, one-year option periods and one six-month option period through March 20, 2023. The Defense Information Technology Contracting Organization, Scott Air Force Base, Ill., is the contracting activity.

Week in review (9/10 to 9/16)

It was another milestone for the Airbus U.S. Manufacturing Facility in Mobile, Ala., during the week. It recently received its 50th shipment of major component assemblies. That's just two years after taking its first delivery. These components will eventually become the 50th Airbus aircraft produced in the U.S., this one for Delta Air Lines.

A shipment includes front and aft fuselage sections, a vertical and horizontal tailplane, and wings. The components are manufactured in various facilities around Europe using parts and systems from around the world, including the United States. The components are shipped from Hamburg, Germany, to the Port of Mobile and transported by road to the Airbus site at the Mobile Aeroplex.

Airbus has delivered 37 aircraft from Mobile to American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, JetBlue and Spirit since production began in 2015. The facility will produce four aircraft a month by the fourth quarter of 2017. (Post)

Bases

County leaders say a land swap involving Escambia County, Fla., and the Navy will likely be delayed another two years because of issues with the grass on the land being prepared for the Navy.

The Navy requires two years of ground covering growth before it can use it as an outlying field. The county bought the grass seed but the grading wasn't ready in time, according to officials.

The swap came about because Escambia County wants to use land in Beulah, the current site of the Navy's Outlying Field 8, as a commercial park. The Navy agreed to swap the land for a 650-acre site, currently called Outlying Field X, in neighboring Santa Rosa County that is now owned by Escambia County. The county hopes to build on the success of Navy Federal’s large campus in Beulah. (Post)

-- Col. David Morris assumed command of Training Air Wing 5 during a change of command ceremony at the Naval Aviation Museum at Naval Air Station Pensacola Friday. He replaced Navy Captain Mark Murray, who will retire from naval service after a 26-year career.

Morris, a former member of the Blue Angels who piloted Fat Albert, will be responsible for an estimated 43 percent of the Chief of Naval Air Training Command's total flight time and over 14 percent of Navy and Marine Corps' flight time worldwide. Over 1,200 personnel complete their essential flight training through TRAWING -5 annually. (Post)

F-35 contracts

Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., Fort Worth, Texas, was awarded two contracts during the week related to the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.

One was an $8.8 million award for a modification to a previously awarded contract for recurring logistics services of F-35 in support of the Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps, non-Department of Defense participants, and foreign military sales customers. Work will be performed in Fort Worth, Texas, and is expected to be completed in in September 2019.

The other award, this one $8.5 million, is for a modification to a previously issued delivery order placed against a basic ordering agreement for the F-35. Work will be performed in Point Mugu, Calif.; and Fort Worth, Texas, and is expected to be completed in December 2018.

The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity for both contracts.

Fort Rucker contracts

Two contracts were awarded during the week in connection with Fort Rucker, Ala.

In one, M1 Support Services, Denton, Texas, was awarded a $387 million hybrid contract for maintenance services supporting the Army entry level and advanced as well as Air Force Advanced Rotary Aviation Training mission at Fort Rucker. Work will be performed in Fort Rucker, with an estimated completion date of Sept. 30, 2027. U.S. Army Mission and Installation Contracting Command, Joint Base San Antonio, Texas, is the contracting activity.

In the other award, this one for $49.2 million, URS Federal Services Inc., Germantown, Md., was awarded a contract for rotary-wing flight instructor support services at Fort Rucker. Work will be performed in Daleville, Ala., with an estimated completion date of Sept. 30, 2023. U.S. Army Mission and Installation Contracting Command, Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Va., is the contracting activity.

Other contracts

DynCorp International LLC, Fort Worth, Texas, was awarded $103.2 million for a modification to a previously awarded contract for organizational, intermediate, and depot-level maintenance and logistics support for 16 T-34 Mentor, 54 T-44 Pegasus, and 287 T-6 Texan aircraft. Work will be performed at Naval Air Station Corpus Christi, Texas; Naval Air Station Whiting Field, Fla.; Naval Air Station Pensacola, Fla.; and various locations throughout the U.S., and is expected to be completed in September 2018. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity. … Harris Corp., Colorado Springs, Colo., was awarded an $11.3 million modification to a previously awarded contract for Eglin Beam Steer Sustainment Project Beam Steering Calibrate and Monitor Console Replacement project. Contractor will improve the sustainment posture of the project for the Eglin Army and Navy fixed position ground radar search AN/FPS-85 radar, which includes the design, procurement, fabrication, integration, installation, and testing to ensure supportability through 2030 and the development and installation of a temporary Y Switch. Work will be performed at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., and Peterson Air Force Base, Colo., and is expected to be completed by Sept. 13, 2019. Space and Missile Systems Center, Peterson Air Force Base, is the contracting activity. … Pratt & Whitney, East Hartford, Conn., was awarded an $8.7 million contract for engineering and technical services for F-15/F-16 aircraft engines. Work will be performed in Tucson, Arizona; Toledo, Ohio; New Orleans, La.; and in seven countries, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Morocco, Taiwan, South Korea, and Indonesia. Work is expected to be completed by Sept. 15, 2019. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity.

Week in review (8/27 to 9/9)

As Hurricane Irma swirls around threatening Florida, it's still uncertain at this writing where the monster will head and make landfall. Sure, there are the models, but that's all they are - best science-based estimates. For the moment, it seems the Gulf Coast aerospace corridor region for the most part will escape the destruction. But the extreme eastern edge of the region will feel some impact.

Tyndall Air Force Base, near Panama City, has relocated high-value equipment, including aircraft, to Naval Air Station Fort Worth Joint Reserve Base, Texas, as a precaution. But an evacuation of base personnel has not, as of this writing, been ordered.

As anyone who lives in hurricane territory will tell you, you can't let down your guard. I'm no stranger to covering hurricanes as a journalist. I covered my first one in 1985 and my last one in 2005, and I've seen just how unpredictable they can be.

As of this writing, the Florida Panhandle has become something of a safe haven for some of those fleeing from the Florida peninsula. Shelters have opened up for temporary refugees from other parts of Florida. An associate who closely follows the military messaged me the other day about the temporary relocation of some operations and aircraft to bases in this region.

As for my family, we're still planning a cookout for Sunday, and I still plan to keep two appointments during the week. But with Irma acting up in the region, all we can do at this point it remain vigilant, and pray for the safety of anyone touched by this monster.

Now for your aerospace week in review:

Space

A full-scale model of a Space Launch System core stage was recently completed at a plant in North Alabama and will soon be shipped to NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans.

The steel article was assembled at G&G Steel’s facility in Cordova. Radiance Technologies and Dynetics were contracted by NASA to build the Pathfinder, and G&G Steel performed the final welding and assembly. It will be delivered by barge via the Black Warrior River to New Orleans.

NASA will use the Pathfinder at Michoud Assembly Facility, Stennis Space Center, Miss., and Kennedy Space Center, Fla., to practice handling a fully assembled SLS Core Stage, including transportation, before they have to start doing it with the real thing as early as next year. (Post)

- NASA engineers closed a summer of successful hot fire testing late last month for flight controllers on RS-25 engines that will help power the new Space Launch System rocket being built to carry astronauts to deep-space destinations, including Mars.

The space agency capped off summer testing with a 500-second hot fire of a fifth RS-25 engine flight controller unit on the A-1 Test Stand. The controller serves as the "brain" of the engine, communicating with SLS flight computers to ensure engines are performing at needed levels. NASA tested the first flight controller unit in March. (Post)

- Earlier this month, NASA announced it exercised the first option year under its existing contract with CSRA of Falls Church, Va., for the continuation of financial management, human resources, procurement, information technology and agency business services to NASA.

The option increases the existing NASA Shared Services Center support contract by more than $60 million and provides services through Sept. 30, 2023. The contract is administered by the NSSC at NASA’s Stennis Space Center. The NSSC performs select business activities for all NASA centers. (Post)

Corporate

United Technologies Corp. has acquired Rockwell Collins in a transaction valued at $30 billion. A new business unit, Collins Aerospace Systems, will be created when the transaction is completed. Kelly Ortberg will keep his CEO status. UTC Aerospace Systems President Dave Gitlin will serve as president and COO. UTC Aerospace Systems has an operation in Foley, Ala. (Post)

Contracts

Engility Corp., Andover, Mass., was awarded a $49 million contract to provide research and development for Kinetic Kill Hardware-in-the-Loop (HWIL) Simulation Technology for Advanced Research. This contract provides for the development of multi-spectral and multi-modal phenomenology modeling capabilities, to advance the start-of-the-art of HWIL test technology and to perform a critical role in the research, development and transition of Air Force munitions through the use of integrated guidance simulation. The location of performance is Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., with the ordering period expected to be complete by Aug. 31, 2022. The Air Force Research Laboratory, Munitions Directorate, Eglin Air Force Base, is the contracting activity. … Raytheon Missile Systems, Tucson, Ariz., was awarded an $8 million modification to a previously awarded contract for field team support services for Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM) development test mission support including, test planning, test operations, test reporting, and telemetry analysis. This contract modification provides for exercise of the first option, for an additional 12 months of services to support ground tests, captive flight tests, and live fire tests conducted for developmental purposes, up to and including operational test readiness reviews. The effort also encompasses management and maintenance of AMRAAM separation test vehicles and other assets used for the test programs. The work performed under this option is expected to be complete by Sept. 5, 2018. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is the contracting activity. … Raytheon Missiles Systems, Tucson, Ariz., was awarded a $38.6 million contract for the System Improvement Program 3- Engineering Manufacturing, Development. This contract provides an incremental software solution for AIM-120D missiles to improve its performance against rapidly advancing threats. Work will be performed in Tucson and is expected to be completed by Jan. 5, 2021. Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is the contracting activity. … PAE Aviation and Technical Services LLC., Marlton, N.J., earlier this month was awarded a $17.3 million modification to a previously awarded contract for functional and quality assurance support for the aerial targets program, which directly supports live-fire weapons system testing and enables the 53rd Weapons Evaluation Group in the developmental and operational weapons testing for all air-to-air missiles for F-22, F-35, F-16, and F-15 aircrafts. Work will be performed at Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla., and Holloman Air Force Base, N.M., and is expected to be completed by Sept. 30, 2018.