Week in review (3/24 to 3/30)

The Pensacola City Council approved the new lease for ST Engineering and authorized the mayor to borrow up to $20 million to float the cash until the city begins receiving grants approved to fund the $210 million project.

The vote clears the way for ST Engineering's expansion of its aircraft maintenance repair and overhaul hangar, although the city has yet to identify funds for the last $4.8 million needed to fully fund the project.

The loan authorization will allow the mayor to provide cash flow to pay contractors building the three new hangars and administration building. ST Engineering opened a hangar at the airport last year and is in the process of hiring 400 workers. Once the three additional hangars are built, the company will hire another 1,325 workers.

Construction of the first new hangar could begin this year. (Post)

Airbus

HPM announced the selection of teams for construction of the Airbus A220 assembly line in Mobile, Ala.

BL Harbert International of Birmingham teamed with the design firm FSB and have been selected for Package 3 of the project, design-build services for four additional hangar bays. It's targeted for completion in the third quarter of 2019.

H.O. Weaver and Sons of Mobile has been awarded the Enabling Works Package of preparations to make a building site ready for construction. It covers activities from site preparation, creation of access routes, and the installation of facilities like security fencing, ramps, and signage placement. It's targeted for completion in early 2019.

Birmingham-based Brasfield & Gorrie teamed with Huntsville-based design firm BRPH has been selected for Package 1 of the project, design-build services for the building of the new A220 final assembly line and existing logistic center expansion. It's targeted for completion in mid-2020.

HPM, which has offices in Alabama, Georgia, Texas, and Florida, is responsible for managing all aspects of the design and construction of the new facility, as well as expansion of Airbus’ current facilities to accommodate increased A320 family production on the site. HPM continues to work with its long-time industry partner, Mott McDonald, providing program management services for the A220, as both firms did for the A320 campus. (Post)

-- The first employees of the new Airbus assembly line in Mobile reported for work early in the week, according to the company. The assembly line itself is in the early phases of construction.

When complete, it will be one of two sites in the world where Airbus produces the A220 series, a single-aisle, twin-engine line of jets that's smaller than the A320 jets that Airbus already assembles in Mobile.

The company announced in a Facebook post that a group of employees began new hire orientation training Monday at the AIDT facility in the Mobile Aeroplex at Brookley. Those workers will eventually travel to Mirabel, Quebec, Canada, to train for three months with workers on the A220 assembly line.

In another development, the Airbus-Bombardier partnership to produce the A220 has been renamed the Airbus Canada Limited Partnership. (Post)

Airports

In Alabama, the new downtown Mobile airport at the Mobile Aeroplex on Michigan Avenue is just a few weeks away from opening.

Chris Curry, president of the Mobile Airport Authority, said there will be five ticket counters at the $6 million, 22,000 square-foot terminal, with plans to expand. The first flight, a Frontier flight, is scheduled to fly out May first. (Post)

The other carrier planning to use the terminal, Via Airlines, has put on hold flights from Mobile to Birmingham due to a lack of commitment from business leaders in the communities. Don Bowman, director of planning and business development for the Orlando-based airline, said he’s hopeful the commitments will happen. (Story)

Space

The President has nominated to the Senate Gen. John W. “Jay” Raymond as the Commander, United States Space Command (USSPACECOM). If confirmed, Raymond will lead the soon-to-be established USSPACECOM, which will focus on conducting all joint space warfighting operations, and ensuring the combat readiness of global forces.

If confirmed, and upon establishment of USSPACECOM, Raymond will remain dual-hatted as Commander, Air Force Space Command, Peterson Air Force Base, Colo.

The 20th Space Control Squadron at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is a unit of the 21st Space Wing of Peterson AFB. The squadron detects, tracks, identifies, and reports near earth and deep space objects in earth's orbit, and provides space object identification data in support of United States Strategic Command's space control mission. (Post)

Bases

The Air Force issued a notice in the Federal Register of March 26 to advise the public of its intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the proposed action to permanently bed-down its F-22 Formal Training Unit (FTU).

The unit had been based at Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla., but was temporarily moved to Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., after Hurricane Michael damaged Tyndall. The base is currently being rebuilt.

With this notice, the Air Force is initiating its scoping process and inviting the affected public to attend meetings in locations near Langley Air Force Base, Va., Eglin and Tyndall. The dates, times and locations for the scoping meetings will be announced locally, but not later than May 15.

The EIS will assess the potential environmental consequences of the proposed action to bed-down the F-22 FTU at Langley AFB, and the No Action Alternative, which consists of continuing F-22 FTU operations from a combination of Eglin and Tyndall. There is only one F-22 FTU and it consists of F-22 aircraft of the 43rd Fighter Squadron and its associated T-38 aircraft in the 2d Fighter Training Squadron at Tyndall. (Post)

Contracts

Vertex Aerospace LLC, Madison, Miss., was awarded a $20 million modification to a previously awarded contract. This modification increases the ceiling and extends the period of performance of the contract to provide additional TH-57 logistics support services and materials for organizational and depot level maintenance in support of the TH-57 fleet. Work will be performed in Milton, Fla., and is expected to be completed in May 2019. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity. … Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., Fort Worth, Texas, was awarded a $9.7 million modification to a previously awarded contract to develop and integrate the Digital Channelized Receiver/Techniques Generator and Tuner Insertion Program into the F-35 Australia, Canada, United Kingdom Reprogramming Laboratory and deliver other development upgrades to the facility. Work will be performed at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., and is expected to be completed in March 2020. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity. … Support Services LLC, Cape Canaveral, Fla., was awarded a $23 million modification under a previously awarded contract to exercise Option One for base operations support services at Naval Air Station Pensacola, Fla., and outlying areas Saufley Field, Corry Station, and Bronson Field. The work to be performed provides for all management, supervision, labor, equipment, materials, supplies, and tools necessary to perform facilities management, facilities investment, facility maintenance services (non-family housing), utility plant and distribution system operations and maintenance (chiller, electrical, gas, wastewater, steam and water), environmental services, and base support vehicles and equipment. Work will be performed in Pensacola and work for this option period is expected to be completed March 2020. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Southeast, Jacksonville, Fla., is the contracting activity. … Sierra Nevada Corp., Sparks, Nev., was awarded a $317 million contract for the Precision Strike Package program. This contract provides contractor logistics support for the Precision Strike Package in support of the AC-130W and AC-130J. Work will be performed at Cannon Air Force Base, N.M.; and Hurlburt Field, Fla., and is expected to be complete by Sept. 30, 2026. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Robins Air Force Base, Ga., is the contracting activity. … General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc., Poway, Calif., was awarded a $9.2 million contract for the United Kingdom MQ-9 Reaper contractor logistics support effort. This contract provides for ongoing sustainment of the UK MQ-9 fleet. Work will be performed at multiple stateside and international locations, and is expected to be completed by June 30, 2019. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Wright Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity. Note: Hurlburt Field, Fla., is getting an MQ-9 squadron in late 2019. … Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., Annapolis, Md., was awarded a $10.2 million modification to a previously awarded contract to exercise options for the accomplishment of depot level repair, maintenance, and modifications of the AN/AQS-24 Mine Detecting System to support the Navy for the currently deployed airborne mine countermeasures legacy systems. Northrop Grumman Undersea Systems will provide depot repairs and incorporation of engineering change proposals, including the updates of all integrated logistics support documentation to support the conversions and sustainment. Work will be performed in Annapolis, and is expected to be completed by April 2020. Naval Surface Warfare Center, Panama City Division, Panama City, Fla. is the contracting activity.

Week in review (3/17 to 3/23)

Because we build jetliners in this region, I always pay close attention to the industry in general, and to Airbus and Boeing in particular. And times are a bit tough for Airbus’ chief competitor, Boeing.

Two crashes of 737 Max passenger jets, one in Indonesia and the other in Ethiopia some five months later, caused more than 300 deaths have the company under the spotlight. In both crashes, the planes pitched up then down shortly after takeoff. At issue is the autonomous flight control system, and flaws in the certification process. The FAA ordered the 737s grounded March 13 while investigations continue.

For a detailed story about the problems, take a look at a March 17 story, updated March 21, in the Seattle Times by aerospace reporter Dominic Gates. You can read it here. But I would urge you to read any number of stories about the case. Yes, it’s a software problem, but it’s also a certification problem, training problem and a problem of what can happen rushing to get a product into service.

It also makes me wonder what all of this means for autonomous road vehicles. Will they learn a lesson?

Now for your week in review:

Military

A request from a weapons office at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., has resulted in some new testing that hasn’t been done in 20 years involving the B-1B Lancer aircraft. The testing is being done at Arnold Engineering Development Complex at Arnold Air Force Base, Tenn.

This long absence ended earlier this year as a 10 percent model of the bomber began conducting a series of store separation tests in the 16-foot transonic wind tunnel at Arnold. The tests were requested by an AEDC testing partner, the Air Force SEEK EAGLE Office (AFSEO) of Eglin.

A new targeting pod design has been introduced for the aircraft, and officials in the SEEK EAGLE Office will examine the effects of the new pod on the B-1B Lancer. Tests will be conducted on five store models at Arnold to determine whether the full-size munitions will cleanly release from the bomber in flight. (Post)

-- The Florida A&M University-Florida State University College of Engineering and researchers and engineers from Eglin Air Force Base have begun a new partnership to train graduate and undergraduate students in areas critical to the Air Force.

The Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) at Eglin will fund a $400,000 grant to create the Air Force Research Laboratory Scholars program at the College of Engineering. The summer STEM-related intern program will bring students into the laboratory environment where they can directly benefit from working with faculty researchers on Air Force-related research. (Post)

Contract - munitions
General Dynamics, Ordnance and Tactical Systems, Niceville, Fla., was awarded a
$27.6 million modification to a previously awarded contract for the BLU-134/B Improved Lethality Warhead. Work will be performed in Niceville, and is expected to be complete by Sept. 30, 2020. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is the contracting activity. … Lockheed Martin Corp. Rotary and Mission Systems, King of Prussia, Pa., was awarded a $9.1 million contract for Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile (JASSM) Enterprise Management System 8.0. This contract provides for enhancements to the software package known as the JASSM Enterprise Management System. Work will be performed in King of Prussia, and is expected to be complete by March 21, 2020. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Eglin, Air Force Base, Fla., is the contracting activity for both munitions contract. … Scientific Applications Research Associates Inc., Cypress, Calif., was awarded a $100 million contract for the Golden Horde Science and Technology demonstration effort. This contract provides for support research and development of emerging munition technologies, as well as integrated weapon demonstrations. The effort is conceptualized as a fast-paced Air Force Research Laboratory-led demonstration project executed under the auspices of the Team Eglin Weapon Consortium. Work will be performed in Cypress, and is expected to be complete by December 2021. Air Force Research Laboratory, Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is the contracting activity.

Contracts – MQ-9
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc., Poway, Calif., was awarded a $123.3 million contract action for MQ-9 Block 5 procurement. This contract provides for four MQ-9 unmanned air vehicles, four Mobile Ground Control Stations, spares, and support equipment. Work will be performed predominately in Poway, and is expected to be complete by Dec. 31, 2020. … General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc., Poway, Calif., also was awarded a contract action for the France MQ-9 Block 1 Weapons integration effort. This contract provides for the production and integration of weapons kits onto the French Air Force MQ-9 Block 1 aircraft. Work will be performed in Poway, and is expected to be complete by Sept. 30, 2020. … MAG Aerospace, Newport News, Va., has been awarded an $11.4 million contract for the UK MQ-9 Reaper Operations Center. This contract provides for ongoing sustainment, management, development and network administration of the United Kingdom MQ-9 Reaper Operations Centers. Work will be performed at Creech Air Force Base, Nev.; and Royal Air Force Waddington, United Kingdom, and is expected to be complete by Sept. 30, 2021. Air Force Life Cycle Center, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity for all three MQ-9 contracts. Gulf Coast note: Hurlburt Field, Fla., is getting an MQ-9 squadron in late 2019.

Contract – F-35

Lockheed Martin Corp., Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., Fort Worth, Texas, was awarded a $264.7 million modification to a previously awarded contract. This modification provides for additional operation and technical services in support of the government of Korea’s F-35 Lightning II program. Work will be performed in Fort Worth and is expected to be completed in June 2020. …United Technologies Corp., Pratt & Whitney Engines, Hartford, Conn., was awarded $18.4 million for a modification to a previously awarded contract. This modification provides additional funding for F-135 long lead items in support of non-U.S. Department of Defense (U.S. DoD) participants. Work will be performed in East Hartford, Conn. (67 percent); Indianapolis, Ind. (26.5 percent); and Bristol, United Kingdom (6.5 percent), and is expected to be completed in March 2022. … Lockheed Martin Corp., Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., Fort Worth, Texas, was awarded $14.6 million modification to a previously issued delivery order placed against a basic ordering agreement. This order procures 62 low-rate initial production Organic Light Emitting Diode Helmet Display Units and spares in support of the F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Aircraft for the Navy and Marine Corps. Work will be performed in Fort Worth, and is expected to be completed in February 2020. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity for all three contracts. Gulf Coast note: Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is home of the F-35 integrated training center.

Contracts - construction

Whitesell-Green Inc., Pensacola, Fla., was awarded a $26.4 million contract to design and build student dorms. Work will be performed in Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., with an estimated completion date of March 21, 2021. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Mobile, Ala., is the contracting activity. … URS Group Inc., Morrisville, N.C., was awarded a $9.8 million modification under a previously awarded multiple award construction contract for phase one of Hurricane Michael repairs for stabilization and repairs to multiple buildings at Naval Support Activity Panama City, Fla. Work will be performed in Panama City and is expected to be completed by September 2019. Naval Facilities Engineering Command Southeast, Jacksonville, Fla., is the contracting activity.

Week in review (3/10 to 3/16)

The Gulf Coast aerospace corridor has a lot of unique military operations, and one of them is the U.S. Air Force Special Operations Command at Hurlburt Field in Northwest Florida.

Hurlburt’s 4th Special Operations Squadron, part of the 1st Special Operations Wing, has received an upgraded version of its powerful gunship, the Block 30 model of AC-130J Ghostrider.

The 4th SOS, the Air Force’s most deployed squadron, currently uses the AC-130U Spooky, which is gradually being retired from active duty after more than 20 years of operation.

The new model will be used in the same role as the current one: close air support, air interdiction, and armed reconnaissance, but it has upgraded avionics, navigation systems and a Precision Strike Package that includes trainable 30mm and 105mm weapons.

It also costs less to operate per flying hour because of upgraded turboprop engines. (Post)

The AC-130 has its weapons mounted to fire from the port side of the fuselage. During an attack, the gunship does a pylon turn – banking in a large circle around the target. It can fire on a target far longer than is possible with a strafing attack.

It’s an impressive piece of military hardware. Many years ago I was invited to fly aboard one of the gunships during a training mission, so I could see how it performs. We also did an aerial refueling. I can tell you that I would not like to be on the receiving end of an attack.

-- While we’re on the subject of aircraft, the Air Force plans to buy a handful of A-29 Super Tucano and AT-6 Wolverines aircraft. That’s what Chief of Staff Gen. Dave Goldfein told lawmakers during the week at a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing.

Sure, the purchase will be small – two or three of each type, according to an Air Force spokeswoman. But the purchases would be a show of confidence for Sierra Nevada and Textron, both of which have made internal funding investments toward the Air Force's light-attack experiment.

The Air Force plans to put mini-detachments of AT-6 and A-29 turboprops at Hurlburt Field, Fla., and Nellis Air Force Base, Nev.

Funding is to come from previous years’ budgets. Most of the light-attack experiment is centered on turboprops, but the Air Force is also interested in expanding that to include drones and rotorcraft. FY-20’s budget request calls for $35M to continue the experiment. (Post)

The A-29 is built by Brazil’s Embraer, but it’s partnered with Sierra Nevada and has an assembly line in Jacksonville, Fla. The Beechcraft AT-6 is owned by Textron Aviation and is built in Kansas.

-- There were two change-of-command ceremonies in Northwest Florida Thursday. In Pensacola, Capt. Christopher Martin turned over his command of Naval Air Station Pensacola in a change of command and retirement ceremony at the National Naval Avition Museum. Taking over is Capt. Timothy Kinsella, a pilot who has been in the Navy 30 years. Martin, commanding officer of NAS Pensacola for three years, also retired from the U.S. Navy after 35 years of service.

Meanwhile, in Milton, Navy Capt. Doug Rosa took command of Training Air Wing Five in a change of command ceremony at Naval Air Station Whiting Field. He assumed the title of commodore for the Navy’s largest aviation training wing. Marine Corps Col. Dave Morris relinquished command at the event after 18 months as commodore. He will move onto another assignment at the Pentagon. (Post)

Economic development

Lafayette Regional Airport, a couple of hours west of New Orleans along the Interstate 10 corridor, will be building helicopters in a building once used by Bell. A ribbon-cutting was held Saturday for the Kopter Group's new SHO9 helicopter assembly facility.

Gov. John Bel Edwards joined CEO Andreas Lowenstein of Kopter Group AG, Lafayette Mayor-President Joel Robideaux, Secretary Don Pierson of Louisiana Economic Development, and other state, regional and local officials at the ribbon-cutting.

Kopter plans to create 120 new direct jobs with an average annual salary of more than $55,000, plus benefits. The company will make a $4.2 million capital investment to modify and equip the 84,700-square-foot helicopter assembly building at the 14.7-acre site. LED estimates the project will result in an additional 157 new indirect jobs, for a total or more than 275 new jobs in Acadiana and surrounding regions.

Kopter will lease the state-funded facility from the Lafayette Airport Commissions.

Headquartered in Switzerland, Kopter Group has designed, engineered and tested a series of prototype helicopters that lay the foundation for production helicopters to be assembled in Lafayette. The helicopter has room for up to eight passengers, and a payload of up to 6,600 pounds.

Suppliers include Kaman, Garmin, Parker Aerospace, Collins Aerospace, and Honeywell. The helicopters ultimately will be assembled in Lafayette with U.S.-sourced components representing at least 50 percent of the aircraft value.

Kopter will begin hiring later this year, with formal helicopter assembly activity and deliveries scheduled to begin in 2021. Production will ramp up to an anticipated annual volume of 100 helicopters by 2025. (Post)

Contracts
Hensel Phelps Construction Co., Orlando, Fla., was awarded a $59.5 million contract for construction of Advanced Munitions Technology complex. Work will be performed in Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., with an estimated completion date of Aug. 11, 2021. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Mobile, Ala., is the contracting activity. … NCS/EML SB JV LLC, Louisville, Ky., was awarded a $12 million contract for base operations support services at Naval Air Station Whiting Field, Fla., and outlying areas. The work to be performed to include facility investment, pest control, other (swimming pools), grounds maintenance and landscaping, pavement clearance, utilities management, electrical, wastewater, water, base support vehicles and equipment, and other related services. Work will be performed in Milton, Fla. (67 percent); and outlying areas (33 percent), and is expected to be completed by March 2020. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Southeast, Jacksonville, Fla., is the contracting activity. … Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., San Diego, Calif., was awarded an $89.5 million contract to provide sustainment and engineering services in support of the MQ-4C Triton Unmanned Aircraft System. Additionally, this contract procures the technical expertise of field service representatives, logisticians and test support to ensure MQ-4C air vehicles and mission control and operator training systems are fully sustained and mission capable. Work will be performed at Patuxent River, Md. (45 percent); Jacksonville, Fla. (25 percent); Andersen Air Force Base, Guam (20 percent); and Point Mugu, Calif. (10 percent), and is expected to be completed in March 2020. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, is the contracting activity. Northrop Grumman Unmanned Systems Center in Moss Point, Miss., performs fuselage work on the Triton. … Jacobs Technology Inc., Fort Walton Beach, Fla., was awarded a $38.3 million contract for testing for evaluation of various interactions of chemical and biological agents. Work will be performed in Dugway Proving Ground, Utah, with an estimated completion date of June 23, 2020. U.S. Army Mission and Installation Contracting Command, Dugway Proving Ground, is the contracting activity.

Week in review (3/3 to 3/9)

We are on our way back to having astronauts again launch from the United States in a U.S.-built spacecraft. And it’s looking like the first to do it won’t be NASA, but a commercial venture, California-based SpaceX.

The company’s Crew Dragon capsule successfully docked with the International Space Station (ISS) during the week, then uncoupled and returned to Earth, splashing down in the Atlantic Ocean, some 230 miles from the Florida coast Friday at 8:45 a.m. EST.

The capsule, carrying 400 pounds of supplies for ISS, was launched by the Falcon 9 rocket a week ago from Cape Canaveral, Fla. The first stage successfully touched down on a drone ship.

There were no astronauts aboard this six-day test flight, but there was a sensor-packed dummy "Ripley." You movie buffs will recall that was the name of a character in the "Alien" films. The success of the test flight, Demo-1, helps paves the way for a crewed mission of the SpaceX vehicle, perhaps as early as this summer.

When that happens, it will be a huge milestone. Astronauts haven't launched to orbit from American soil in an American spacecraft since NASA retired its space shuttle fleet in July 2011. NASA right now depends on Russian Soyuz rockets and spacecraft to ferry its astronauts to and from ISS. Each seat on the three-person Soyuz sells for $80 million.

In 2014 NASA signed commercial-crew contracts with SpaceX and Boeing, worth $2.6 billion and $4.2 billion, respectively, to foster the development of homegrown American spaceships. Boeing is building a capsule called CST-100.

While all this is going on, NASA is reassessing when it will be ready for Exploration Mission-1 (EM-1). Earlier in the week, Director Jody Singer of Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., said NASA is reassessing the 2020 date for the first launch of Space Launch System (SLS) with an uncrewed Orion capsule.

Singer, speaking at a Space Transportation Association (STA) meeting on Capitol Hill Tuesday, said the launch readiness date for EM-1 is still in 2020, but did not give a more precise estimate of the date. Singer outlined how much has been accomplished to date. All the segments for EM-1 are ready except the core stage being built at Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans. She said it's "almost ready," but much testing remains.

The "Green Run" test of the core stage and four RS-25 engines at Stennis Space Center, Miss., will take place late this year or early next, she said.

Singer described SLS as :America’s rocket" because more than 1,100 companies in 44 states are involved in building it, supporting more than 32,000 jobs and producing $6 billion in economic benefit. (Post)

Military

Col. Dave Morris will turn over command of Training Air Wing Five March 14 during a change of command ceremony at Naval Air Station Whiting Field, Fla. Capt. Doug Rosa will assume command of the Navy's largest training wing and assume the title of commodore during the event.

Morris will move onto another assignment at the Pentagon. Among his other assignments, Morris was assigned to fly the Blue Angels C-130, Fat Albert, during the 2001-2003 airshow season.

In August 2017, Rosa reported to Training Air Wing Five at NAS Whiting Field and assumed the position of deputy commodore. Rosa will now be responsible for an estimated 43 percent of the Chief of Naval Air Training Command's total flight time and more than 14 percent of Navy and Marine Corps' flight time world-wide. (Post)

Education

ST Engineering during the week announced the ST Engineering Scholarship Program. Starting in 2020, four scholarships will be awarded annually to Escambia County high school students. Each recipient will receive $2,500.

The company says it’s important to get students involved in the aerospace industry sooner rather than later.

"The aerospace industry is growing. The average age of an aircraft tech right now is about 50. So, we see in order to preserve aviation going forward, there will be a great need for techs going forward," said Director of Maintenance Alvin Bass.

Students can use the scholarships towards any accredited college or tech aviation school. (Post)

Contracts – F-35

Three contracts were awarded in connection with the F-35 program. Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is home of the F-35 integrated training center. Northrop Grumman Innovation Systems, Northridge, Calif., was awarded a $322.5 million contract to provide for the engineering and manufacturing development (EMD) of the AGM-88G, Advanced Anti-Radiation Guided Missile – Extended Range (AARGM-ER). The EMD effort includes the design, integration and test of a new solid rocket motor for the AARGM-ER for use on the F/A-18E/F, EA-18G and F-35A/C aircraft platforms. Work will be performed in Northridge (98 percent); and Ridgecrest, Calif. (2 percent), and is expected to be completed in December 2023. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity. … Lockheed Martin Corp., Fort Worth, Texas, was awarded a $32.7 million modification to a delivery order previously issued against a basic ordering agreement in support of the F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Aircraft for the Navy, Air Force; Marine Corps, non-U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) participants and Foreign Military Sales (FMS) customers. The modification provides for the procurement of modification kits and special tooling required for modification and retrofit activities for delivered air systems. Work will be performed in Fort Worth and is expected to be completed in August 2027. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity. … Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., Fort Worth, Texas, was awarded a $10 million modification to a previously awarded contract. This modification increases the ceiling of the contract to procure additional production ancillary mission equipment in support of F-35 non-U.S. Department of Defense participant operational aircraft. Work will be performed in Fort Worth, Texas, and is expected to be completed in May 2023. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity.

Contracts – other

SimVentions Inc., Fredericksburg, Va., was awarded a $12 million contract for the continued development, extension, and upgrade of the AN/SLQ-32(V)X Tactical Simulator tools and capabilities delivered in support of Navy training and integration and test efforts. Work will be performed in Fredericksburg (88 percent); Fairmont, W.V., (8 percent); and Pensacola, Fla. (4 percent), and is expected to be completed by February 2024. The Naval Surface Warfare Center, Dahlgren Division, Dahlgren, Va., is the contracting activity. … Raytheon Co., El Segundo, Calif., was awarded a $17.8 million delivery order against a five-year basic ordering agreement for aircraft radar system spare parts. Location of performance is Mississippi, with a Dec. 20, 2021, performance completion date. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Aviation, Philadelphia, Pa.

Week in review (2/24 to 3/2)

This past December I wrote in our daily news feed about Airbus and Lockheed joining forces to compete for any new contracts to supply aerial tankers for the U.S. Air Force. As readers know, Airbus went up against Boeing more than a decade ago to supply the planes. Airbus won the first time, but after a protest by Boeing, a new competition was held and Boeing wound up with the contract to build 179 of the KC-46 refueling tankers, based on the 767 jetliner.

But there are a lot more tankers that will be needed beyond those. The Air Force wants to replace all its tankers, more than 400. I raised the prospect in our bimonthly newsletter published in December that, should that Airbus-Lockheed partnership end up winning a contract, it’s possible the tankers could be built in Mobile, Ala., where Airbus is currently building A320 passenger jets and in the near future will be assembling A220 jetliners.

I’m not the only one thinking that way. Part of my job tracking aerospace activities in this region involves doing a lot of reading. I came across this item by Jens Flottau, a business and aviation correspondent for the Munich-based newspaper, Süddeutsche Zeitung. It’s one of the largest daily newspapers in Germany.

In a story about Airbus’ efforts in North America, Flottau wrote about the Airbus-Lockheed deal involving the A330 Multi Role Tanker Transport (MRTT). He wrote that the two are examining a broad spectrum of opportunities, including the aerial tanker. In another round of tanker competition, Airbus would supply the plane and Lockheed would use its system integration skills and lobbying clout in Washington, D.C. He quoted Airbus CEO Tom Enders as saying Lockheed would have been the preferred partner 10 years ago. Said Enders: “I don’t understand why the world’s largest air force still does not fly the world’s most capable tanker.” Flottau ends his article with this paragraph:

“It will likely take years before more clarity can be reached on a potentially massive order. But once it is there, and the Airbus-Lockheed venture prevails in part or in full, it is likely to be the Mobile site at Brookley Field that again will benefit. Airbus has ensured that there is enough land available for it to build another hangar for work on the A330. Just in case.”

Yup, just in case. We’ll keep our eyes on this one. You can see the Flottau article in the German Times.

OK, in addition to doing a lot of reading, some of my work involves going out to see and talk to folks involved in aviation activities. It can be everything from a groundbreaking to a symposium and the like. But every now and then there’s something a bit more fun.

That was the case during the week when I was among a small group of local journalists who got a look at the new TH-57 Sea Ranger helicopter simulator at Naval Air Station Whiting Field, near Milton. The one we saw was a stationary Level 6 simulator, and NAS Whiting Field will get three of those. It’s also getting seven Level 7 simulators – the full motion type.

At one point we got a chance to get in the cockpit to see up close how it works.

The simulator has two seats, and I sat in the left seat. Marine Maj. Ron Chino, rotary wing training officer for Chief of Naval Air Training, was sitting in the right seat. Because there are a variety of scenarios that can be used with the simulator, I asked if we could be on an aircraft carrier.

No problem. He explained a few things to me about the controls and the displays, then after he lifted off the deck, we flew around the carrier and came back for a landing. Neat. So I asked the major if I could try to fly it myself. No problem, he said, provided some instructions and, well, my brain was immediately overloaded. But I forged ahead.

Yes, I managed lifting off of the deck, and tried circling around – the major had to help a bit keeping us airborne since I kept losing airspeed. Not a good thing. So after we went in a half circle around the carrier, the major asked me if I wanted to try to land on the deck without any help from him. Sure, I said. Then, knowing what was going to happen anyway, I asked if I could crash the simulator. I wanted to see that red screen, I told him. No problem, he said.

OK, fess up time. I tried to crash on the deck, but ended up in the Gulf of Mexico. But the great thing about the simulator is, I didn’t get wet, nobody got hurt and we didn’t lose an expensive helicopter.

I asked Chino if the students are as overwhelmed as I was the first time they get behind the controls. But he explained what I attempted to do – fly – is not the way they are taught. They accomplish one thing at a time, like keeping it straight while it hovers, while the instructor takes care of the rest. Then they move on to the next task and so on until they’ve mastered all the individual steps to flying a helicopter.

The major said it’s not long before they feel comfortable. He told me how long that takes but I can’t remember what he said and I wasn't taking notes while I was at the controls. Chalk that up to being too overwhelmed by it all, or perhaps it was spatial disorientation.

Other than my time in the simulator, the event involved dozens of Navy and civilian officials who filled us in on the new simulators, the first new ones at the base in nearly 40 years. They will be used by some 500 Navy, Marine and Coast Guard helicopter students who go through the training each year. The one I got in was the stationary, Level 6 trainer. NAS Whiting will get three of those.

It will also get seven full-motion Level 7 machines, which have larger vertical and horizontal wrap around screens, providing a larger field of view. The simulators can mimic any time of day and give students challenging weather and air traffic situations. Also included in the upgrade will be a central control station that will provide the capability to link all 10 simulators together in a single virtual environment.

The simulators were provided by contractors Flight Safety Systems International of Denver, Frasca International of Urbana, Ill., and Aechelon Technology of San Francisco. The old simulators have been use since the Cold War era and have been modified over time to make them more capable. But they reached their limit of adaptability and will be replaced over the next year by the new simulators. (Post)

We'll have more about this in the April issue of the newsletter.

Commercial aviation

Shareholders of Brazil’s Embraer have approved a deal to sell 80 percent of the company’s commercial plane division to Boeing Co. The deal will allow Boeing to compete with Airbus in the market for jets with up to 150 seats. The transaction must now be approved by antitrust regulators.

Under the terms of the deal finalized in December, Boeing will pay $4.2 billion to control Embraer’s most profitable division, supplying passenger jets to airlines. Boeing will acquire 80 percent of "all aspects" of Embraer's commercial aircraft division, including aircraft design, manufacturing, certification, services and sales work related to ERJs, E-Jets and E-Jet E2 family aircraft.

Once the transaction receives full regulatory approval, Boeing and Embraer will be joint owners of a yet-to-be-named commercial jet company. Shareholders also approved a joint venture between the two planemakers to market Embraer’s new KC-390 military cargo jet. Embraer will own a 51 percent stake and Boeing 49 percent.

Boeing and Embraer announced in December 2018 that they had approved the terms for the joint ventures and the Brazilian government gave its approval in January 2019. Embraer's board of directors ratified its support for the deal and definitive transaction documents were signed. Boeing and Embraer hope to close the deal by the end of 2019.

Boeing rival Airbus last year bought a controlling stake in Bombardier Inc’s CSeries jets, which also have less than 150 seats. Renamed the A220, the jet is built in Mirabel, Canada, but a second final assembly line is currently being built in Mobile, Ala.. (Post)

Airports

Speaking of air travel, tickets are now on sale to fly from Gulfport-Biloxi International Airport in Mississippi to two new destinations: Austin, Texas, and Ft. Myers, Fla. The announcement of new flights aboard Sun Country Airlines was made at the airport early in the week.

The nonstop flights are as low as $59 one-way and will run Fridays and Mondays from July through December to Austin-Bergstrom International Airport and Southwest Florida International Airport.

The airport has a $299 annual economic impact, said Clay Williams, executive irector of the airport, and ridership was up 11 percent last year and cargo up 16 percent. (Post)

Space

NASA tested an RS-25 engine late in the week at its highest power level for an extended period of time. The 500-second test was conducted on the A-1 Test Stand. For the fourth time, NASA powered the engine to 113 percent of its original thrust design, this time for more than 430 seconds, about four times longer than any previous hot fire at that thrust level.

The hot fire concluded a series of nine tests that began last August, using RS-25 developmental engine No. 0525. As with previous tests in the series, the Feb. 28 hot fire featured an RS-25 flight engine controller that will be used on a Space Launch System mission. The controller is the "brain" and a key component of engine modifications made to help power SLS, being built as the world’s most-powerful rocket to carry humans deeper into space than ever.

The RS-25, originally used in the Space Shuttle, is being modified for SLS. Four RS-25s will provide 2 million pounds of thrust during SLS's launch and ascent. (Post)

-- In other space news, there was a successful launch at 2:49 a.m. EST Saturday at Cape Canaveral, Fla., of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying a Crew Dragon spacecraft. The capsule is going to the International Space Station with a dummy on board. The first stage of Falcon 9 touched down on SpaceX’s drone ship.

The test is a significant step towards allowing SpaceX vehicles to be used to launch astronauts in space. U.S. astronauts have not launched from the United States in a U.S. space vehicle since the Space Shuttle was retired in 2011. (Story)

SpaceX is developing its next generation rocket engine at Stennis Space Center, Miss.

Cybersecurity

The Department of Homeland Security will embark on a 10-year cloud computing initiative to modernize its technology infrastructure and improve its cybersecurity posture, according to a Feb. 19 announcement.

The program calls for modernizing Data Center 1 (DC 1) at NASA's Stennis Space Center, Miss., and retiring by June 2020 DC 2 in Virginia, migrating a majority of its IT systems and data to the cloud.

The program could be worth a combined $1 billion to $2 billion for multiple cloud vendors over the next 10 years, according to a Bloomberg Government analysis.

The scope of DHS's program resembles the Defense Department’s Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure (JEDI) cloud program, but with a different approach. Where JEDI will be a centralized cloud that provides the bulk of the Pentagon’s infrastructure-as-a-service needs, DHS’s will rely on multiple vendors and hybrid systems capable of running in both on-premise and cloud environments.

Responses to the Request for Information are due March 20, 2019.

CSC Government Solutions (spun off from CSC into CSRA, which was acquired by General Dynamics IT) has operated the DC 1 at the National Center for Critical Information Processing and Storage at Stennis Space Center since July 2008. The site itself is government-owned and is 63,000 square feet of raised floor space. The complex consists of three large attached buildings.

While DHS is now trying to move to the cloud, DC 1 and DC 2 are the result of a previous consolidation that saw the IT infrastructure of the agencies under its purview limited to just two sites. (Post)

Contracts – F-35

There were two contracts awarded during the week in connection with the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is home of the F-35 integrated training center. Lockheed Martin Corp., Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., Fort Worth, Texas, was awarded $108.7 million for a delivery order against a previously issued basic ordering agreement. This order provides for program management, nonrecurring engineering, recurring engineering, site support and touch labor in support of modification and retrofit activities for delivered Air Systems for the F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter aircraft for the Air Force, Marine Corps, Navy, non-Department of Defense (DoD) Participant and Foreign Military Sales (FMS) customers. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity. … Lockheed Martin Corp., Fort Worth, Texas, also was awarded $30.8 million for a modification to a previously awarded contract to provide for initial lay-in of repair material for ten F-35 Lightning II systems at various depots in support of the Air Force, Marine Corps; Navy; non-U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) participants, and Foreign Military Sales (FMS) customers. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity.

Contracts - other

Tyonek Global Services LLC, Anchorage, Alaska, was awarded a $7.2 million contract for Cyber Operations Formal Training Support (CyOFTS) II. This contract provides for essential capabilities to support the Cyber Operations field training unit in course planning, administrative support, technical writing, course development, project management, instructor training, student mission training systems administration, network systems administration, training range engineering maintenance, computer help desk support, and hardware/infrastructure maintenance. Work will be performed at Hurlburt Field, Fla.; and Joint Base San Antonio, Texas, and is expected to be complete by February 2020. The 38th Contracting Squadron, Tinker Air Force Base, Okla., is the contracting activity. … Unisys Corp., Reston, Va., was awarded a $76.3 million Other Transaction Agreement to execute the Enterprise IT as a service end user services risk reduction effort experiment. Work will be performed at Buckley Air Force Base (AFB), Colo., Maxwell AFB, Ala.; Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany; Offutt AFB, Neb.; Joint Base Elemendorf-Richardson, Alaska; Cannon AFB, N.M.; Hurlburt Field, Fla.; and Pope Field, N.C., with possible scaling of up to 20 bases during the experiment. Work is expected to be complete by February 2022. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Hanscom AFB, Mass., is the contracting activity. … L3 Communications Vertex Aerospace LLC, Madison, Miss., was awarded $21.4 million for a modification to a previously awarded contract. This modification exercises an option for organizational, intermediate, and depot level maintenance, logistics, and engineering support for Navy T-45 aircraft, aircraft systems, and related support equipment. Work will be performed at the Naval Air Station (NAS) Kingsville, Texas (55.5 percent); NAS Meridian, Miss. (41.3 percent); and NAS Pensacola, Fla. (3.2 percent), and is expected to be completed in September 2019. The Naval Air Warfare Training Systems Division, Orlando, Fla., is the contracting activity. … Micro Systems Inc., Fort Walton Beach, Fla., was awarded a $23 million contract for production, repairs services and associated ancillary equipment for the systems for Naval Target Control Block II and III in support of Navy aerial targets. Work will be performed in Fort Walton Beach and is expected to be completed in February 2024. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md, is the contracting activity.