Week in review (2/25 to 3/3)

There were two announcements during the week related to growth of the aerospace region. Mobile, Ala.-based AeroStar announced plans to more than double its facility and the number of employees over the next several years at the Mobile Aeroplex. The company has maxed out its 6,000-square-foot facility.

It will add another 16,875-square-foot building next to the existing one. AeroStar performs hydraulic, pneumatic and electro-mechanical commercial aircraft maintenance on all Airbus, Boeing and Bombardier aircraft.

The company has 22 employees and will add 28 new positions. The $2 million investment includes land, construction costs, machinery and equipment. Work is set to begin in March with a completion date anticipated before year-end 2018. (Post)

-- The addition of American Airlines service at Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport in West Bay, northwest of Panama City, Fla., combined with increasing flights on other airlines, has resulted in crowded gate and office space.

"We are reaching the constraints of the terminal," Airport Executive Director Parker McClellan said after an airport authority board meeting. "I'm working with our staff and a consultant for future development (of the terminal)," McClellan said. (Post)

Military

The Hurricane Hunters of the 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron performed weather reconnaissance of atmospheric rivers. It was done in partnership with the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California, San Diego and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Atmospheric rivers carry water vapor in streams through the sky. The squadron has flown six missions totaling 92 hours, launching WC-130J Super Hercules aircraft from Hawaii and California for four of the missions. (Post)

Space

The giant aircraft being developed by Stratolaunch as part of an air-launch system is one step closer to its first flight after a new series of taxi tests. The company that it performed a series of medium-speed taxi tests of its aircraft Feb. 24 and 25 at the Mojave Air and Space Port in California.

Funded by billionaire Paul Allen, Stratolaunch's giant plane – the largest by wingspan – was initially designed to carry modified versions of rockets from other companies. But now it’s considering developing its own launch system. The company has hired propulsion engineers and has a Space Act Agreement with NASA's Stennis Space Center, Miss., to use a test stand there for testing its propulsion system. (Post)

F-35 contracts

Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., of Fort Worth, Texas, was awarded three contracts related the F-35. In one, the company was awarded a $158.3 million delivery order against a previously issued basic ordering agreement related to the F-35. It also was awarded $148.7 million for a modification to a previously awarded contract to provided additional recurring logistics services for delivered F-35 aircraft for the Air Force, Marine Corps, Navy, non-Department of Defense, and foreign military sales customers. The company also was awarded $7.4 million contract modification to provide funding for sustainment services in support of the F-35 aircraft at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan, and Naval Air Station Lemoore, Calif. Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is home of the F-35 integrated training center.

Other contracts

Pride Industries, Roseville, Calif., was awarded an $8.4 million contract modification for base operations. Work will be performed in Fort Rucker, Ala., with an estimated completion date of Aug. 31, 2018. U.S. Army Mission and Installation Contracting Command, Fort Rucker, is the contracting activity. … Druck LLC, Billerica, Mass., was awarded a $19 million contract for the procurement of about 819 engineering change kits to upgrade air data test sets in support of a range of aircraft. Work will be performed at the Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base, New Orleans, La., and Leicestershire, United Kingdom, and is expected to be completed February 2023. … Raytheon Missile Systems, Tucson, Ariz., was awarded a $77.4 million contract to exercise an option to a previously awarded contract for Small Diameter Bomb (SBD) II. Work will be performed in Tucson and is expected to be complete by July 31, 2020. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is the contracting activity. … Alpha-Omega Change Engineering Inc., Williamsburg, Va., was awarded an $8.5 million modification to a previously awarded contract for F-15E, F-16 and F-22A aircrew training and courseware development. Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla., is one of the locations where work will be performed