Week in review (8/19 to 8/25)

We have lost a true patriot, Sen. John McCain, a man who exemplified what it means to serve this country with honor, a man who brought great moral authority to the political world.

McCain served with distinction as a Navy pilot and endured life at the hands of the enemy for nearly six years as a prisoner of war. It is a trial few have to face. Son of a Navy admiral, he was seen as a pawn by his captors and was even given the chance to be released. But he would not leave his fellow POWs behind.

He served in Congress where he was always an advocate for the military and for the veterans who served this country. Speaking for all my fellow veterans, he was indeed one of us, whether we agreed with his politics or not.

He was a decent man who put country over party, an independent thinker who was respected even by his opponents. One of the most vivid examples of his character was when he defended Barack Obama, his opponent in the presidential race, when a woman repeated falsehoods about the man who would go on to become president.

McCain was to the very end, decent, dignified. His passing is a tremendous loss for our country.

Now for your aerospace week in review:

Industry day

When you attract more people the second time you put on an event, you must be doing something right. That's what happened at the TeCMEN Industry Day held Thursday at the Emerald Coast Convention Center in Fort Walton Beach.

Thirty-year-old TeCMEN is the Technology Coast Manufacturing and Engineering Network, and this was its second annual Industry Day. Linda Sumblin, the group's coordinator with the Economic Development Council of Okaloosa County, said 318 individuals attended and there were 46 entities showcased in the exhibitor hall. That's better than last year's turnout of 287 participants and 44 exhibitors.

The idea behind industry day is to put all the business, military and educational players in one place and foster collaboration. The exhibits allow players to showcase what they do. The goal is to connect people, companies, and academic partners from across the engineering and manufacturing landscape to showcase the region's technology.

A common thread, of course, is the defense industry. Okaloosa County is home to Eglin Air Force Base, where aerial weapons are developed and tested, and Hurlburt Field, home of the U.S. Air Force Special Operations Command. A lot of dollars are spent in this region on the nation’s defense, so much of what you see during Industry Day involves that.

I could only spend a couple of hours at the event, but met a few people who will be good interviews for future stories in the Gulf Coast Aerospace Corridor Newsletter. I also reconnected with some folks I've talked to in the past, which is always a pleasure.

One of the speakers I did catch was on Don Gaetz, former Florida Senate president and now the chairman of Triumph Gulf Coast, the organization responsible for distributing $1.5 million that resulted from the settlement in the wake of the BP oil spill.

He talked about factors that determine whether a project ends up getting funding. The money is being used to diversify the Northwest Florida economy, to provide a third leg to an economy so reliant on tourism and the military.

Importantly, the money is being used not to entirely fund selected projects, but to back projects that can attract additional dollars from the public and private sector, those where the proposer is also putting money into the great idea.

According to Gaetz, there have been 180 applicants requesting a total of $1.8 billion. So far just under $100 million has been awarded in the first few months, and that's resulted in $400 million worth of economic development now underway. That's what it means to leverage the money and over time, with the goal of turning it into $3 billion worth of investments.

One of the projects that received preliminary approval was for the expansion of the maintenance, repair and overhaul campus at Pensacola International Airport. Gaetz said the request was for $130 million, but Triumph Gulf Coast approved $56 million – some 28 percent of what will be a more than $200 million project. He also talked about the $8.2 million in funding that will go to provide infrastructure for Whiting Aviation Park in Milton in what will be an $18 million project. That project will help protect Whiting and increase its value to the military.

"The 2018 edition of TeCMEN Industry Day was by all accounts a great success," said Nathan Sparks, executive director of the EDC of Okaloosa County. "The energy on the sold out exhibit floor was at an all-time high, with many exhibitors taking full advantage of the opportunity to provide hands-on demonstrations of their equipment and technological capabilities."

There are two other events coming up in October and November in the region that involve topics of interest to the region's aerospace activities. One is the Gulf Power Economic Symposium at Sandestin Beach Resort in Florida, and the other is the Aerospace Alliance Annual Summit at Point Clear, Ala.

Bell

Bell Helicopters is shutting down its operation at the Lafayette Regional Airport in Louisiana. Louisiana Economic Development (LED) said the state’s contract with Bell was being terminated due to underperformance.

LED provided $26 million in funding to the manufacturer in 2013 to establish an assembly base. It was initially supposed to be the final assembly line for the Bell 505 Jet Ranger X but later transitioned to the 525 cabin subassembly facility.

Part of the agreement was that Bell would create 115 new direct jobs. Bell renegotiated the contract last year to bring that number down to 95. Bell currently employs 22 full-time workers at the site. The work done in Lafayette will be done now in Amarillo, Texas.

LED is seeking to be repaid $16 million. Lafayette is about two hours west of New Orleans along Interstate 10. (Post)

Military

A Hurlburt Field airman who gave his life on the battlefield was recognized Wednesday in Washington, D.C. Air Force Tech Sgt. John Chapman was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor.

He was killed in March 2002 in a battle in Afghanistan when Chapman and his reconnaissance team engaged the enemy in the rescue of a Navy petty officer who'd fallen from the chopper they were on.

Despite being wounded in the rescue, Chapman continued to fight, ultimately losing his life. During that battle 16 years ago, seven service members lost their lives. Chapman was the 19th airman to win the nation’s highest military honor, and the first airman since the Vietnam era. (Post)

-- An F-35 that returned to base after an in-flight emergency was parked on the flight line when its nose gear gave out. The plane had the ground incident shortly after noon Wednesday, according to the 33rd Fighter Wing. Nobody was injured.

The plane was from the 58th Fighter Squadron. Eglin shares the runway with Destin-Fort Walton Beach Airport, but no commercial traffic was affected. An investigation into the circumstances surrounding the mishap is under way. (Post)

-- The Department of Energy has recognized Naval Air Station Whiting Field for its contributions to energy efficiency, conservation and renewable energy technologies. It’s the second award related to energy excellence in recent weeks.

NAS Whiting was selected earlier this month as the Department of the Navy’s small shore installation Energy Excellence award winner for 2018. Its recent Utility Energy Savings Contract (UESC) was also selected by the Department of Energy (DOE) as a Federal Energy and Management Program (FEMP) award for 2018.

The project was one of only nine selected throughout the entire federal government, and the only Department of Navy project recognized. (Post)

Space

Relativity Space, a California-based company that's building a rocket using far fewer parts thanks to additive manufacturing, will test for the first time in history, the combination of a 3D printed engine with a 3D printed fuel tank at NASA's Stennis Space Center, Miss., in 2019. Building a rocket usually takes 12 to 18 months and consists of more than 100,000 parts. Relativity Space takes two months and the rocket is made of fewer than 1,000 parts. (Post)

Contracts

BAE Systems, Technology Solutions and Services Inc., Rockville, Md., was awarded an 

$83.5 million contract. Tasking includes maintenance, integrated logistic support, management, life cycle sustainment, and the upgrade of current systems; such as the Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Combat Systems, Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance system; using new and emerging technologies in support of the Special Communications Mission Solutions Division. Fort Walton Bech will be the location for three percent of the work. Other work sites are in Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, California, Texas, Kentucky, Colorado, Washington, and Germany, and is expected to be completed in August 2023. The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity. … Technical Systems Integration Inc., Chesapeake, Va., was awarded a $10.6 million contract for depot-level repair, overhaul, and modification for the MK-105 magnetic minesweeping gear. Work will be performed in Panama City, Fla., and is expected to be completed by August 2019. The Naval Surface Warfare Center Panama City Division, Panama City Beach, is the contracting activity. … MSE Group LLC, San Antonio, Texas, was awarded a maximum amount $10 million contract in the Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) Southeast area of responsibility (AOR). A task order in the amount of $15,659 is being awarded to prepare Emergency Planning and Community Right-To-Know Act Sections 312 and 313 regulatory requirements for reporting year 2018 at Naval Support Activity Panama City, Fla. Work for this task order is expected to be completed by July 2019. All work on this contract will be performed at various Navy and Marine Corps installations in the NAVFAC Southeast AOR. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Southeast, Jacksonville, Fla., is the contracting activity. … The Boeing Co., St. Louis, Mo., was awarded an $8.2 million contract for five Automated System Test Set Trailers and spares. Work will be performed in St. Louis and will be completed by Aug. 20, 2020. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is the contracting activity. … Kratos Unmanned Aerial Systems Inc., Sacramento, Calif., was awarded a $109 million contract, for Lot 14-16 production and contractor logistics support. Work will be performed at Sacramento and is expected to be completed by Dec. 31, 2022. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is the contracting activity. … Jacobs Technology Inc., Tampa, Fla., was awarded a $13.9 million contract. This is a bridge contract that provides for uninterrupted contractor support services, most importantly in the areas of information technology (IT) and information assurance (IA), for the F-35 Joint Program Office. Four percent of the work will be done at Eglin Air Force Base. Other work sites are in Virginia, California, Maryland, Ohio, Texas and Jacksonville, Fla., and is expected to be completed in January 2019. The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, Lakehurst, N.J., is the contracting activity.

Week in review (8/12 to 8/18)

The August issue of the Gulf Coast Aerospace Corridor Newsletter published Tuesday and is now available for download. Two of the stories highlight the growth of maintenance, repair and overhaul activities in the Pensacola metro area.

One is about the effort to expand the MRO operations at Pensacola International Airport. It has one MRO right now, but the airport received preliminary approval for funding from Triumph Gulf Coast, the organization that distributes recovery money from the 2010 BP oil spill. The funding will be used to build three more hangars, two of them larger than the current hangar operate by Mobile-based ST Engineering Aerospace.

There's also a story about the development of an aviation park just outside Naval Air Station Whiting Field near Milton. The county received preliminary approval for funding from Triumph Gulf Coast for the park's infrastructure. Plans down the road call for an MRO hangar for smaller aircraft.

There is also a story about the recent Southeast Aerospace and Defense Conference in Mobile, where that city's aerospace footprint continues to grow. (Post)

If you follow our bimonthly newsletters you know that it focuses on activities in the Interstate 10 corridor between Southeast Louisiana and Northwest Florida. But every now and then we expand our coverage to include a wider area.

That will be the case in October when the newsletter focuses on aerospace and aviation training in Alabama, Florida, Louisiana and Mississippi. The subject area is so large, this newsletter will be at least twice the size of our usual eight-page offering.

Speaking of things to come, the TecMEN Industry Day is scheduled for August 23 at the Emerald Coast Convention Center in Fort Walton Beach. TecMEN, by the way, is shorthand for Technology Coast Manufacturing and Engineering Network. Among other things, there will be a panel discussion about the outlook for the defense market.

Now for your week in review:

Space

In South Mississippi, NASA selected 20 research and technology proposals valued at $15 million from 19 American small businesses. Each is partnering with research institutions for Phase II of NASA’s Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) program.

The winning projects include two supporting Stennis Space Center activities in South Mississippi. One is "Through Wall Wireless Intelligent Sensor and Health monitoring," developed by American GNC Corp. of Simi Valley, Calif., an Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute of Troy, New York.

The other is "High Performance Simulation Tool for Multiphysics Propulsion Using Fidelity-Adaptive Combustion Modeling," developed by Streamline Numerics, Inc. of Gainesville, Fla., and Stanford University of Stanford, Calif.

Phase II is focused on the development, demonstration and delivery of the innovation, and winners are chosen as a result of competitive evaluations. Phase II contracts last for 24 months with a maximum funding of $750,000. (Post)

-- Operators conducted a successful test of RS-25 developmental engine No. 0525, along with a new flight controller unit, on the A-1 Test Stand early in the week. The hot fire was the first RS-25 test at Stennis Space Center since February, when operators powered the engine to its highest operating level ever. This test was supposed to be for 500 seconds, but was aborted at 319 seconds because of a facilities issue.

It also was the first test of developmental engine No. 0525 since August 2015. It marked the first in a series of nine scheduled tests on engine No. 0525 through the rest of the year and into 2019. Four RS-25 engines will power the NASA Space Launch System, designed to take astronauts on deep-space missions. (Post)

Contracts
Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control, Orlando, Fla., was awarded a $480 million contract for air-launched rapid response weapon critical design review and test and production readiness support. Work will be performed in Orlando and is expected to be completed by Nov. 30, 2021. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is the contracting activity. … Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., Fort Worth, Texas, was awarded a $26.1 million order against a previously issued basic ordering agreement. This order provides for non-recurring engineering activities associated with the F-35 Autonomic Logistics Information System (ALIS) Security Architecture Phase III design, development, integration and test of the ALIS Sovereign Data Management (SDM) system in support of the Air Force, Marine Corps, Navy and F-35 international partners. Work will be performed in Texas and Florida, 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. … The Boeing Co., St. Louis, Mo., was awarded $17 million for a delivery order against a previously issued basic ordering agreement. This order is for the retrofit documentation and kits to convert nine F/A-18E and two F/A-18F aircraft into a Blue Angel configuration. Work will be performed in St. Louis and is expected to be completed in December 2021. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity. The Blue Angels are headquartered at Naval Air Station Pensacola, Fla.

Week in review (8/5 to 8/11)

The August issue of the Gulf Coast Aerospace Corridor Newsletter will publish next week on Tuesday. It will be emailed to subscribers, and available on our website, Gulf Coast Aerospace Corridor.

In this issue there's a story about the proposed, expanded maintenance, repair and overhaul campus at Pensacola International Airport. The project was given preliminary approval for funding from Triumph Gulf Coast, the organization responsible for distributing BP funds to counties in Northwest Florida impacted by the 2010 oil spill.

While details still need to be worked out, the plan is to add three more MRO hangars to the one MRO hangar that opened this summer on the north end of airport property. There will be other buildings as well, giving Pensacola a major foothold in the MRO segment of aviation.

If all things go according to plan, the new campus will go a long way towards recovering the aerospace MRO jobs that were lost when the Naval Aviation Depot at Naval Air Station Pensacola shut down in the 1990s.

We’ll also tell you why the MRO operation at the airport is now called ST Engineering Aerospace and no longer VT Mobile Aerospace Engineering, or VT MAE. It's the same company, just a new name. The operation in Mobile, Ala., 60 miles to the west, also changed its name to ST Engineering Aerospace.

There's also a story about the development of the Whiting Aviation Park, just outside Naval Air Station Whiting Field north of Milton in Santa Rosa County, Fla. It’s been a dream project for more than a dozen years to create a military aviation MRO adjacent to Naval Air Station Whiting Field, and now it’s moving forward thanks to a preliminary approval for funds from Triumph Gulf Coast.

We also give you a rundown of other important aerospace activities in the Gulf Coast region that occurred since our last newsletter in June.

Now for your week in review:

Airports

Continental Motors has begun work on a nearly 275,000-square-foot engine and parts manufacturing facility at the Mobile Aeroplex at Brookley. The plant will include $40 million in new equipment and an area dedicated to new manufacturing techniques and processes, such as additive manufacturing.

The plant, which consolidates operations scattered among nearly a dozen buildings, is expected to be operational in 2019. Continental Motors, which employs 400 workers in Mobile, is a subsidiary of China’s AVIC International Holding LTD. It produces piston and turbine engines for light aircraft, and also provides services. (Post)

-- Aircraft maintenance service provider Yulista has opened a new two-hangar, fixed- and rotary-wing facility in Andalusia, Ala., at the Southern Alabama Regional Airport. It also includes an office and manufacturing and storage space.

Services geared toward Lockheed C-130 and Boeing 737 aircraft. The airport's distance to Eglin Air Force Base and other Northwest Florida military installations opens new opportunities for contracts, the company said. Yulista is based in Huntsville, Ala., and also announced this week it had completed a new 80,000-square foot hangar at the Huntsville Executive Airport. (Post)

-- Nearly $5 million worth of improvements are now finished at Stennis International Airport in the community of Kiln in Hancock County, Miss. The funding came from the Federal Aviation Administration's airport improvement program.

The 8,500-foot grooved and lighted runway is an essential component to attracting new companies to the airpark, currently home to 16 companies and nearly 400 employees. Stennis airport also serves as a military training facility, relying on both the runway as well as Stennis Space Center’s acoustical buffer zone. (Post)

Bases

Naval Air Station Whiting Field in Milton, Fla., was the recipient of the Department of the Navy Energy Excellence Award for 2018 in the Navy Small Shore category. The announcement was made Aug. 3 by the Secretary of the Navy.

The award program promotes excellence in the areas of energy security, new technology, innovation, program management and efficiency across the department. Whiting Field implemented several initiatives resulting in a nearly 20 percent energy intensity reduction. The feat was possible in part through completion of a year-long Utility Energy Service Contract in partnership with Gulf Power. (Post)

F-35 contracts
There were multiple contracts awarded in the F-35 program. That’s of interest to this region because Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is home of the F-35 integrated training center.

Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., Fort Worth, Texas, was awarded $302 million for a delivery order against a previously issued basic ordering agreement. This order provides for the procurement of ancillary mission equipment for F-35 Lightning II low-rate initial production Lot 12 aircraft in support of the Air Force, Marine Corps, and Navy, the non-Department of Defense (DoD) participants and foreign military sales (FMS) customers.

Work will be performed in Fort Worth and is expected to be completed in January 2021. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity.

Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co. also was awarded $105 million for a contract modification for continued design maturation and development of contractually identified Block 4 common capabilities. These efforts are in support of the F-35 Phase 2.2(A)(1) pre-modernization of common capabilities in support of the Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps, and the international partners.

Work will be performed in Fort Worth and is expected to be completed in July 2019. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity.

Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co. also was awarded a $20 million modification a delivery order previously issued against basic ordering agreement. This modification provides for the procurement of Aircraft Management System (AMS) and Panoramic Cockpit Display (PCD) components, mitigating hardware lead time schedule risk for Technical Refresh Phase 3 development, as well as integration of AMS and PCD into identified development laboratories to support Lot 15 F-35 Lightning II production.

Work will be performed in Fort Worth and is expected to be completed in September 2019. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity.

Straub Construction Inc., Santa Rosa, Calif., was awarded a $16.8 million task order under a previously awarded multiple award construction contract for construction of the Air Wing Training Facility at Naval Air Station Fallon.

The facility will support desk-style aircraft simulators, Virtual Aegis Combat simulators, F-35 Mission Rehearsal Trainers, and unmanned aerial system simulators, E-2D simulators and support spaces.

Work will be performed in Fallon and is expected to be completed by August 2020. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Southwest, San Diego, Calif., is the contracting activity.


Other contracts
Choctawhatchee Electric Cooperative Inc., DeFuniak Springs, Fla., was awarded a maximum $20 million modification to an existing 50-year contract for electric utility services. Location of performance is Florida, with a July 31, 2067, performance completion date. The contracting activity is Defense Logistics Agency Energy, Fort Belvoir, Va. … Raytheon Co., Tucson, Ariz., was awarded a $110 million contract for Paveway weapons. Work will be performed in Tucson and is expected to be completed Feb. 9, 2029. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is the contracting activity. … Raytheon Missiles Systems, Tucson, Ariz., was awarded a $13.1 million contract modification for advanced medium-range air-to-air missile (AMRAAM) technical support. Work will be performed in Tucson and is expected to be completed by Sept. 30, 2020. Air Force Lifecycle Management Center, Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is the contracting activity. … Sentient Digital Inc., doing business as Entrust Government Solutions, New Orleans, was awarded a total $49 million contract for information technology engineering support services. IT services in this contract will assist Military Sealift Command’s (MSC) Command, Control, Communications, and Computer Systems (C4S) division (N6) in providing and sustaining Department of Defense (DoD) and Department of the Navy (DoN) compliant technical C4S solutions. Work will be performed in Norfolk, Va., and is expected to be completed Aug. 15, 2023. The Navy’s Military Sealift Command, Norfolk, is the contracting activity.

Week in review (7/29 to 8/4)

For my readers who follow the space program, you'll be interested to know Aerojet Rocketdyne is now assembling the new components of the modified RS-25 rocket engines that will power future Space Launch System (SLS) launches. The RS-25 program is primarily based out of its Canoga Park facility in the Los Angeles area, where most of the engineering and production of the engines is done, but it also involves Stennis Space Center (SSC), Miss., which will test all those engines.

The company plans to deliver all the flight engines to NASA by July, 2024. The new engines are due to begin flying on the fifth SLS launch. The first four launches will be powered by the 16 engines left over from the Space Shuttle era. Those engines, like the new ones, are modified from their Space Shuttle configurations to operate at a higher power level and more severe thermal environment. Those engines went through extensive ground testing from early 2015 through late 2017.

Changes to the engine design will be certified in part during dozens of ground test firings at SSC. The first production restart test series, called “Retrofit 1a,” was completed in late February. That series demonstrated the first major production restart component, the pogo accumulator assembly. Those units are now built using a 3-D printing technique.

The upcoming Retrofit 1b test series is slated to start in the A-1 test stand at SSC this month. (Post)

We also had a space-related contract awarded during the week to Lockheed Martin Space Systems Co., Sunnyvale, Calif. The company was awarded a $32 million modification to a contract for Advanced Extremely High Frequency (AEHF) Satellite Vehicle 4 (SV 4).

The contract modification is to implement SV 4 operational resiliency phase one for the AEHF. Work will be performed in Sunnyvale and is expected to be completed by Jan. 31, 2021. Space and Missile Systems Center, Los Angeles Air Force Base, Calif., is the contracting activity.

The connection to our region? The core propulsion subsystem work the AEHF is done by Lockheed Martin at SSC. (Post)

F-35 contracts

There were three contracts awarded to Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., of Fort Worth, Texas, for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program. In all three the Naval Air Systems Command of Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity. I highlight these contracts because Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is home to the F-35 integrated training center.

In one contract, Lockheed was awarded a $171.7 million modification to a previously awarded F-35 low rate initial production Lot 11 contract. This modification authorizes the procurement of diminishing manufacturing sources redesign activities in support of the F-35 Lightning II air system.

Work will be performed in Fort Worth and is expected to be completed in January 2024. This modification combines purchases for the Air Force (39.99 percent); Navy (19.99 percent); Marine Corps (19.99 percent); and international partners (20.03 percent). (Post)

In another contract, the company was awarded $16.2 million modification to a previously awarded contract. This modification provides for Phase 3 F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Verification Simulation (VSim) / F-35 In-a-Box (FIAB) delivery of updates to the FIAB software model.

In addition, this modification provides continued FIAB software model development, integration, validation, verification and support. Work will be performed in Texas, Maryland and Georgia and is expected to be completed in April 2019. This contract combines purchases for the Air Force (65 percent); and Navy (35 percent). (Post)

In the third contract, Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co. was awarded a $7.8 million modification to a previously issued order issued against a basic ordering agreement. This modification provides for support for first of class flying trials and release of the military permit to fly for F-35B in support of the government of the United Kingdom.

Work will be performed in the United Kingdom, Texas, North Carolina, Florida and Maryland and is expected to be completed in June 2020. (Post)

Other contracts
Booz Allen Hamilton, McLean, Va.; CACI Inc. – Federal, Chantilly, Va.; Deloitte & Touche LLP, Arlington, Va.; Systems Planning and Analysis Inc., Alexandria, Va.; and Whitney, Bradley & Brown Inc., Reston, Va., were awarded an estimated $68.6 million multiple award contracts that will include terms and conditions for the placement of both cost-plus-fixed-fee and firm-fixed-price task orders to provide contractor support of strategic assessment and planning; manpower assessment; planning and programming analysis support; financial program management; manpower, personnel, training and education program and policy assessment and management; and quantitative analysis, forecasting, performance assessment, and research, development, test and evaluation program management support in support of the Deputy Chief of Naval Operations (DCNO) manpower, personnel, training and education domain comprised of the DCNO, the Bureau of Naval Personnel, Navy Personnel Command, the Navy Manpower Analysis Center, Commander Naval Education and Training, and Commander Navy Recruiting Command. Work will be performed in Millington, Tenn. (50 percent); Arlington, Va. (30 percent); Pensacola, Fla. (10 percent); various locations throughout the continental U.S. (8 percent); and various contractor facilitates (2 percent). Naval Supply Systems Command Fleet Logistics Center Norfolk, Contracting Department Philadelphia, Pa., is the contracting activity. … Applied Research Associates, Albuquerque, N.M., was awarded a $48.7 million contract for Joint Munitions Weapons Effectiveness Manuals and a $4,024,270 task order. The contract provides for software development and training. Work will be performed at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla.; Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio; and Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md. Air Force Test Center, Eglin Air Force Base, is the contracting activity. … Titan Facility Services, Gilbert, Ariz., was awarded a $9.4 million contract for Healthcare Aseptic Management Services. Work will be performed at Altus Air Force Base, Okla.; Vance AFB, Okla.; Tinker AFB, Okla.; Barksdale AFB, La.; Columbus AFB, Miss.; Eglin AFB, Fla.; Hurlburt Field, Fla.; MacDill AFB, Fla.; Patrick AFB, Fla.; Tyndall AFB, Fla.; Keesler AFB, Miss.; Little Rock AFB, Ark.; Moody AFB, Ga.; Robins AFB, Ga.; Charleston AFB, S.C.; and Shaw AFB, S.C.. Air Force Installation Contracting Agency, Joint Base San Antonio, Texas, is the contracting activity. … Radiance Technologies Inc., Huntsville, Ala., was awarded a $19.8 million contract for Small Business Cyber Security Operations Center (SB-CSOC). Work will be performed in Baton Rouge, La., and is expected to be completed by July 29, 2021. Air Force Research Laboratory, Rome, N.Y., is the contracting activity.

Previous week
I didn’t have a column last week, but there were two contracts that I’d like to mention now. One was for the National Center for Critical Information Processing and Storage at NASA’s SSC in South Mississippi, and the other was related to the F-35.

NASA awarded a contract to COLSA Corp. of Huntsville, Ala., to provide facility operations support services to the center. The National Center for Critical Information Processing and Storage (NCCIPS), is a federal shared services data center managed by the NASA Shared Services Center (NSSC) at SSC.

NCCIPS Version Two is a firm, fixed price contract that began Aug. 1 with a 60-day phase-in period, followed by a one-year base period, four one-year options and three one-year award term options. The potential total value of the contract is about $107.4 million.

COLSA will be responsible for secure facility operations, maintenance, management, environmental analysis, energy management, information technology, system power, and network integration in support of NCCIPS. (Post)

NCCIPS supports data center requirements of federal agencies and manages those relationships via Interagency Agreements. It’s a 200,000-square-foot secure facility situated on a 64 acre campus at SSC.

NCCIPS was created as a result of a 2005 Congressional initiative to provide secure processing and storage of nationally sensitive, critical, or classified data. It offers federal agencies collocation services from a state-of-the-art data center. Each NCCIPS customer pays only an apportioned share of the actual data center operations and maintenance cost based on each customer's footprint in the data center.

In another contract, United Technologies Corp., Pratt and Whitney Military Engines, East Hartford, Conn., was awarded a $24.6 million modification to a previously awarded contract. This modification provides for the procurement of F135 Low-Rate Initial Production 9 non-annualized sustainment support equipment and associated labor for depot activation outside the continental U.S. to include support equipment fleet modernization in support of the Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, Foreign Military Sales (FMS) and non-Department of Defense participants.

Work will be performed in East Hartford (90 percent); and Indianapolis, Ind. (10 percent), and is expected to be completed in May 2021. This modification combines purchases for the Air Force (1 percent); Marine Corps (0.5 percent); Navy (0.3 percent); FMS (0.2 percent); and non-DoD participants (98 percent). The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity. (Post)