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.