Week in review (4/28 to 5/4)

Blue Air Training, which provides training for military close air support personnel, has opened a facility at Pensacola International Airport. It’s the company’s fourth facility in this country.

Founder and CEO James Barlow said the company has more than 20 employees in Pensacola right now. But he's looking to grow that number. The company’s aircraft fleet is composed of fixed-wing A-90 Raiders, BAC-167 Strikemasters, IAR-823 Brasovs and rotary-wing AH-6 Little Birds.

Blue Air Training, headquartered in Las Vegas, began because Barlow, a former Air Force A-10 pilot, saw the need for more in-depth, hands-on close air support training for people who are on the radios.

The company received permission in 2011 to begin training Air Force attack controllers and fighter pilots. Barlow retired from the Air Force to lead the company full-time. The other U.S. operations are in Yuma, Ariz., and Oklahoma City, Okla.

Blue Air Training also has bases in South America and Wales. (Post)

Contracts

Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., Fort Worth, Texas, was awarded a $1.1 billion contract for sustainment services in support of the F-35 aircraft for the Air Force, Navy, non-U. S. Department of Defense (non-U.S. DoD) participants and Foreign Military Sales (FMS) customers. Work will be performed in Fort Worth, Texas (60 percent); Orlando, Fla. (24 percent); Greenville, S.C. (7 percent); Samlesbury, Preston, United Kingdom (5 percent); and El Segundo, Calif. (4 percent). Work is expected to be completed in December 2022. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity. … Lockheed Martin Corp., Fort Worth, Texas, was awarded $7.5 million modification to a previously awarded contract to establish organic depot component repair capabilities for the F-35 Lightning II Air Interceptor System in support of the Air Force, Marine Corps and Navy. Work will be performed in Rochester, Kent, United Kingdom (81.6 percent); and Fort Worth, Texas (18.4 percent), and is expected to be completed in March 2023. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity. … Raytheon Missile Systems Co., Tucson, Ariz., was awarded a $19.3 million modification to previously awarded contract for the Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM) production program. Work will be performed in Tucson, and is expected to be complete by April 15, 2021. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is the contracting activity.