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.