Week in review (4/27 to 5/3)

There was a fascinating item from New Orleans late in the week that could have a big impact on this region. NASA on Thursday issued a notice in federal business opportunities saying that it's looking for partners to develop under-utilized green space around Michoud Assembly Facility. (Post)

NASA says development of the green space is an integral part its "vision" for transforming the facility. The notice doesn't specify what that vision is, but I can tell you what NASA was thinking back in 2008.

I was the editor of Alliance Insight, former science and technology newsletter of the Mississippi Gulf Coast Alliance for Economic Development, and I was writing a story about Michoud Assembly Facility when a NASA official in Huntsville, Ala., told me something that really caught my attention.

The way it was explained to me, NASA was well aware that the 830 acres around Michoud was not being utilized as well as it could be. In keeping with an agency that looks to the future, NASA wanted to turn the acreage into an advanced manufacturing research park, similar to Cummings Research Park in Huntsville.

Now if you don't know anything about Cummings, let me fill you in. It’s the second largest research park in the nation, fourth largest in the world. The most prestigious aerospace and defense companies in the world have operations at Cummings, and all that activity changed the one-time cotton town into one of the most high-tech regions of the country.

Doing something Cummings-like around Michoud really piqued my interest. There's a lot to be said about Michoud's capabilities. The building is huge, 43 acres under one roof. At the time I wrote the story for the newsletter, MAF was still building external tanks for the Space Shuttle program. That was scheduled to end in 2011.

But NASA at that point had already picked MAF to build structures for the Constellation Program. The thinking was MAF, the Constellation Program and the available acres could be a magnet. And it's no small matter that MAF happens to be the home of the National Center for Advanced Manufacturing.

Now fast forward to 2014. NASA has apparently not dropped the idea, and issuing the notice is significant not only for New Orleans, but for South Mississippi and Stennis Space Center some 40 miles away. SSC itself has 3,900 acres of green space it says is ready for development.

It doesn't take much to envision what could happen. Both Michoud and SSC are involved not only in NASA programs, but commercial space programs as well. MAF is where NASA's Orion spacecraft and the core stage of the Space Launch System are being built. It's also being used by Lockheed Martin to build composite components for Sierra Nevada's shuttle-like Dream Chaser spacecraft.

SSC is where NASA and commercial engines are tested. The most recent commercial company to set up shop at SSC is SpaceX, one of the really hot companies in the commercial space game. If all the pieces fall into place, the Stennis-Michoud corridor could take off as a major research and advanced manufacturing center.

Now step back for a moment and look at the entire region between New Orleans and Northwest Florida and the aerospace activity that are in place. You have space activities in the western portion, aircraft assembly in the center in Moss Point, Miss., and Mobile, Ala., and military aviation and weapons development in Northwest Florida.

A lot of sharp folks in this region embrace the idea that there's something to be said for showing off the capabilities of the entire region. Yes, economic development is local, but it swims in a regional pool. Troy Wayman, vice president of economic development for the Mobile Chamber of Commerce, put it succinctly at this week's World Trade Conference at Pensacola Beach.

Mobile of course points out its considerable capabilities and assets when talking to a prospect, but Wayman said it also claims the assets of its neighbors to the east and west as its own. It's clear Mobile itself can't handle all the activities that will come over time as a result of Airbus building A320s in Mobile. So why not point out the benefits of the rest of the I-10 corridor early and often.


Airbus
The trade conference I mentioned earlier? I went to one session about trade opportunities in the Gulf Coast Aerospace Corridor. The Airbus A320 final assembly line being built in Mobile, Ala., was of course discussed. The plant will open in 2015 and will produce its first plane in 2016. It will hit full stride around 2018.

Major sections for the A320s will be shipped to Mobile from Europe. And just how often will those shipments come in? Michelle Hurdle, director of economic and community development at Airbus in Mobile, said during the trade conference that originally the vision was one ship a month. Now? More like one ship a week, she said.

Europe's Airbus is just one example of foreign interest in the region. Crystal Sircy, senior vice president of business development for Enterprise Florida, that state's economic development group, said Florida is working 295 active economic development projects right now, and 35 percent are foreign direct investment. (Post)

-- Speaking of the Airbus plant, Rob't J. Baggett Inc., and B.L. Harbert International were awarded the final general contractor packages for the Airbus plant at the Mobile Aeroplex. (Post)

-- The Atlantic Council honored Airbus Group CEO Tom Enders with the 2014 Distinguished Business Leadership Award at its Annual Awards Dinner in Washington, D.C. Enders, who helped develop the close ties between Airbus and Alabama, accepted the leadership award from former Alabama Gov. Bob Riley. (Post)

-- The U.S. Army's decision to buy 100 more UH-72 Lakota helicopters for pilot training improves the potential for international sales of the aircraft, according to company officials. Airbus builds the Lakota in Columbus, Miss. The Army had planned to conclude its purchase of 340 Lakota UH-72s in 2015. The company plans to deliver the 300th aircraft to the Army in the coming weeks. (Post)


Unmanned
There was a story this week that said President Obama's proposed 2015 budget drops funding for purchases of the Navy's Fire Scout unmanned helicopter. The story said Fire Scouts are built in Mississippi, home state of Navy Secretary Ray Mabus.

OK, a couple of things. Fire Scouts are not built in Mississippi. Yes, Northrop Grumman does use the term "final assembly" for what's done at Moss Point, Miss., but it's actually finishing work. The first variant of the Fire Scout, the MQ-8B, used a Schweizer 333 built in New York. That company, by the way, was purchased by Sikorsky.

The current MQ-8C variant uses a Bell 407 that’s built in Canada. From Canada it's sent to Ozark, Ala., where the manned flight equipment is removed. It then goes to Moss Point, where workers fit it with unmanned systems architecture.

The second thing: This is the president's proposed budget, and who knows what it will say after it goes through Congress. Remember when the Pentagon wanted to kill the Global Hawk Block 30 because the U-2 supposedly did a better job? Well the U-2 is going away and Global Hawk is staying, and there are multiple variants of the unmanned aircraft to boot.

There was also a story pointing out that Fire Scout breached the Nunn-McCurdy Amendment for cost overruns, putting it at risk of being killed. But Navy officials said the Fire Scout’s redesign, including the shift to the larger Bell helicopter, is the main reason for the cost increase.

Here's something else to think about when it comes to the Fire Scout and drones as a group. Retired Marine Col. Robert Work was confirmed by the Senate at the end of last month as the new deputy secretary of defense. The former Navy undersecretary in July 2011 questioned whether the Navy's F-35C program could be reduced in favor of more unmanned systems.

One final thing with Fire Scout. Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems in San Diego the other day was awarded a $10.8 million contract for the development and integration of a Multi Capability Pod (MCAP) onto the MQ-8C Fire Scout, which provides multiple electronic warfare sensors for employment in the littorals.

I wouldn't bet against Fire Scout.


F-35
I don't want to give you the wrong impression when I pointed out that Bob Work in the past questioned the F-35C program. I mainly used that to show his belief in the future of drones. The F-35 program, A, B and C models alike, will be with us a long long time. And that means training F-35 pilots and maintainers at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., will be with us for a long long time.

This week, Pratt and Whitney Military Engines of East Hartford, Conn., was awarded a $105.2 million contract to procure long-lead components, parts and materials in support of 34 low rate initial production Lot IX F-135 propulsions systems for the F-35.

That includes 26 F-135-PW-100 for the Air Force F-35A; six F-135-PW-600 for the Marine Corps F-35B; and two F-135-PW-100 for the Navy F-35C. In addition, the contract provides for the procurement of 13 F-135-PW-100 and 6 F135-PW-600 systems for international partners and foreign military sales customers.

Work will be done in East Hartford (67 percent); Indianapolis, Ind., (16.5 percent); and Bristol, United Kingdom (16.5 percent); and is expected to be completed in September 2017. The contract combines purchases for the U.S. Air Force (31 percent); the U.S. Navy (26 percent); international partners (35 percent) and international participants (8 percent). (Post)


Space
One thing you've got to admit. Elon Musk is shaking things up.

The head honcho at SpaceX said late last week that he was going to sue the Air Force over awarding a multibillion-dollar contract to United Launch Alliance without seeking any bids. The company did just that on Monday.

A U.S. court issued a preliminary injunction late Wednesday blocking ULA, a joint venture of Boeing and Lockheed Martin, from buying Russian-made rocket engines. The ruling blocks payments to any entity subject to the control of Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin, including the Russian state-owned company that makes the rocket engines.

Rogozin heads Russia's defense industry and space program, and is on a sanctions list over the crisis in Ukraine. The injunction could be lifted if the U.S. Treasury, Commerce Department or State Department reviews the deal and finds it does not violate sanctions. (Post)

The Russian-made RD-180 that has powered ULA’s Atlas V for 20 years now isn't the only Russian-made engine used by American companies. Aerojet Rocketdyne's AJ-26 engines is a modified versions of the Russian-built NK-33 and NK-43 engines, which is no longer built. Tested at SSC, the AJ-26 powers Orbital Science's Antares rocket, used to launch the Cygnus spacecraft on cargo missions to the International Space Station.

SpaceX is one of the new kids on the block when it comes to the space program. It's already doing supply runs to the International Space Station, and has made no secret that it also wants to get involved in deep-space missions and, apparently, the satellite launch game cornered by ULA.

The I-10 region has reason to follow SpaceX and its exploits. It will be testing its deep-space rocket engine at Stennis Space Center, Miss. There's also reason to follow the activities of United Launch Alliance. Its Delta IV rocket, also used to launch satellites for the government, uses RS-68 engines tested at SSC.

One more "connection" if you will: ULA partner Lockheed Martin builds satellite core propulsion systems at SSC.

-- Alliant Techsystems (ATK) of Arlington, Va., is merging its aerospace and defense segments with Orbital Sciences, a Dulles-Va., commercial space firm. The $5 billion transaction is expected to be completed later this year.

The new company will be Orbital ATK, based in Dulles. ATK, a major ammunition maker, is spinning off its hunting gear segment into a separate company. ATK is looking to bolster its aerospace business and Orbital Sciences hopes to boost the scale of its existing operations and gain a foothold in the defense sector.

Last year Orbital's Cygnus spacecraft successfully docked with the International Space Station, the second commercial company to do so after SpaceX. ATK is also involved in space activities, building aerospace structures and rocket engines. This month it received a contract from ULA to deliver hardware for the Atlas V and Delta IV rockets.

Orbital Sciences' Antares rocket is powered by AJ-26 engines tested at Stennis Space Center, Miss.; ULA's Delta IV is powered by RS-68 engines tested at SSC; ATK also has operations in Huntsville, Ala., and an aerospace structures business in Iuka, Miss. (Post)

-- NASA picked 383 research and technology proposals for negotiations that may lead to contracts worth a combined $47.6 million. The proposals, from 257 U.S. small businesses and 29 research institutions, are part of NASA's Small Business Innovation Research Program (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Program. Eight selected proposals involve technology being administered by the Office of the Chief Technologist at NASA’s Stennis Space Center, Miss. (Post)

-- A host of products, including three with ties to Stennis Space Center, Miss., are featured in Spinoff 2013, an online publication that highlights commercial products created using NASA-developed technology. The SSC products include cloud based data sharing for emergency managers, an early warning system to identify potential threats to the nation's forests, and smart sensors to monitor components on rocket engine test stands in order to avert equipment failure. (Post)


Bases
The ninth annual Emerald Warrior military exercise got underway Monday in Northwest Florida and will continue until May 9. It's sponsored by the U.S. Special Operations Command, and is considered the premiere irregular warfare exercise.

Last year about 1,900 service members from different branches participated, and organizers expected the number to be about the same this year. About 90 aircraft will participate in the exercise, which includes Hurlburt Field, Eglin Air Force Base and Apalachicola, all in Florida, Camp Shelby and Stennis Space Center in Mississippi, Pelham Range, Ala., and Melrose Range, N.M.

Participants interact using not only actual aircraft and personnel, but virtual simulators and computer-generated emulators that will interact in a live scenario. (Post)

-- A Navy T-34C training aircraft crashed during a routine mission over the Gulf of Mexico during the week. The student-pilot and instructor from Naval Air Station Corpus Christi, Texas' Training Squadron 28 (VT-28) bailed out. T-34C Turbo Mentors have been used in primary naval aviation training for more than two decades, but have been replaced by the T-6A Texas aircraft at Florida's Naval Air Station Whiting Field's Training Air Wing Five. (Post)

Airport
The publication Airline Weekly said Louis Armstrong International Airport in New Orleans was the fastest growing United States airport in terms of passenger traffic from 2012 to 2013. The 7 percent growth rate beat Houston, Austin and San Jose, Calif., which all showed 6 percent growth. (Post)

Week in review (4/20 to 4/26)

SpaceX has certainly been in the news quite a bit. There are of course the successful missions to the International Space Station, and earlier this week it held a ribbon-cutting for its new operation at Stennis Space Center, Miss.

Now there's the suit against the U.S. Air Force. The company said Friday it will file suit over the awarding of billions of dollars to United Launch Alliance for national security launches in the Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle program. The suit reportedly will be filed Monday. (Post)

SpaceX, which is the most high profile of the commercial companies that has taken on the mission of sending cargo to the ISS, has its eye on even more. It has made no secret that it wants to go deeper into space, and a rocket engine that will take it there will be tested at SSC. And it also wants a piece of the lucrative national security launches.

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk pointed out when announcing the suit that the contracts to UAL, a joint venture of Boeing and Lockheed Martin, might even violate sanctions against Russia over that mess in the Ukraine. That's because UAL's Atlas V first stage uses Russian-built RD-180 engines. The other EELV launch system, UAL's Delta IV, uses an SSC-tested Rocketdyne RS-68 for the first stage.

But UAL, which makes the Atlas V and Delta IV in Decatur, Ala., has been highly successful with 68 successful launches in a row. And let’s face it, the military is conservative and likes to go with a proven product.

SpaceX has been highly successful with its ISS missions, and it's showing that it’s no slouch at venturing into other activities. But its launch system still has to be certified as meeting military standards, something that is expected.

Testing of that new, more powerful SpaceX engine that I mentioned above will begin within a month at NASA's rocket engine test facility in South Mississippi. A ceremonial ribbon-cutting was held Monday marking the start of a partnership.

SpaceX plans to test its methane-fueled Raptor rocket engine on the E-2 test stand. The reuseable engine is being developed for a heavy-lift launch vehicle that will make SpaceX a player in deep space.

"In partnership with NASA, SpaceX has helped create one of the most advanced engine testing facilities in the world, and we look forward to putting the stand to good use," said Gwynne Shotwell, president and chief operating officer of SpaceX.

"These types of activities are opening new doors of commercial space exploration for companies," said Stennis Center Director Rick Gilbrech. (Post)

Speaking of SSC and NASA, for the fourth consecutive year NASA tops the list of most innovative large federal agencies, according to the Partnership for Public Service. The agency scored 76 points out of 100 on the innovation scale. It also accomplished a first in 2013: NASA is the parent agency to the top five most innovative sub-agencies on the list, with John C. Stennis Space Center in Mississippi ranking No. 1. (Post)


F-35
Australia will order 58 more F-35 fighters for $11.61 billion. Australia approved the purchase of 14 of the stealth fighters in 2009, and the additional jets will provide the Royal Australian Air Force with enough aircraft to form three operational squadrons and one training squadron. The first F-35 aircraft will arrive in Australia in 2018 and enter service with the RAAF in 2020. Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is home of the F-35 training center. (Post)

At Eglin during the week, pilots from Hill Air Force Base, Utah, trained alongside the new F-35 fighter for the first time Thursday. The pilots didn’t fly the F-35 but did participate in a training mission in F-16s. Hill will receive 72 F-35s next year. The jets will be flown by 388th and 419th fighter wings. (Post)


Airbus
A Japanese-owned plant in Vietnam will make composite parts for the winglets on A320 aircraft, officials announced during the week. Nikkiso Vietnam will be a subcontractor for Korean Air Aerospace Division (KAL-ASD), which has been an Airbus supplier since 1998 and sole supplier of winglets since 2010. (Post)

Nikkiso Co. has operations worldwide and is involved in fields, including aerospace, which specializes in aerospace and manufactures carbon fiber reinforced plastic products for aircraft, space, and satellite components. The company established Nikkiso Vietnam in December 2008. It has also supplied components for GE Blocker Doors for the Boeing 777.

Its plant outside of Hanoi and will make composite vertical bars and armor plates of winglets beginning before the end of the year. KAL-ASD, by the way, delivered its 1,000th winglet, designed to improve air flow and reduce drag, in February of this year.


Airports
Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport (ECP) in West Bay, near Panama City, Fla., had a nearly 10 percent decrease in passengers, falling from 171,741 in March 2013 to 155,161 this year. ECP’s market share also dropped. It held a 19 percent market share between January and March, falling behind both Tallahassee Regional Airport and Northwest Florida Regional Airport in Fort Walton Beach, which held 21 and 20 percent, respectively. Pensacola currently holds 40 percent of the market. By comparison, ECP held 22 percent of the market between January and September of 2013, Tallahassee had 19, Fort Walton 20 and Pensacola 40 percent. (Post)


Bases
There was a ceremony at Hurlburt Field, Fla., Thursday marking the anniversary of Operation Eagle Claw, the ill-fated April 1980 attempt to rescue American hostages from Iran. As U.S. forces prepared to abort the operation, one of the helicopters crashed into a transport aircraft, which contained both service members and jet fuel. The resulting fire killed eight service members. Five were from Hurlburt Field. (Post)

-- Two Air Force installations were among the winners of the 2014 Secretary of Defense Environmental Awards. The Natural Resources Team at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., won the Natural Resources Conservation, Individual/Team award for offered long-range solutions that ensured regulatory compliance while maximizing the use of land and water ranges to maintain mission readiness. The other Air Force base was Wright-Patterson in Ohio, and the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center F-35 Environmental, Safety and Occupational Health Support Team. (Post)

-- It’s not until June 15 that Keesler Air Force Base’s 345th Tactical Airlift Squadron stands down, but there was a ceremony in Mississippi April 18 marking the end of the unit. Its C-130J aircraft will be sent to another base. The 345th is an active-duty component of the 403rd Wing. Earlier this week, Rep. Kevin McCarthy of California, the majority whip, visited Keesler and said he thinks the best place to keep the C-130J aircraft is at Keesler. (Post)


Fly-in
The city of DeFuniak Springs, Fla., on Saturday hosted its fourth annual fly-in aviation festival at the DeFuniak Springs Municipal Airport. Planes on display at the "Marvel of Flight" festival include a B-25, Chinese and Russian military planes, Huey and Cobra helicopters and more. (Post)


Contracts
Midwest Air Traffic Control Service Inc., Overland Park, Kan., and Readiness Management Support LC, Panama City, Fla., were each awarded contract for the procurement of air traffic management and electronic equipment maintenance services to support air traffic control operations, airfield management, air to ground communications operations and maintenance, surveillance and precision radar systems operations and maintenance, voice communications systems operations and maintenance, and aviation command and control operations and maintenance. Work will be performed in Southwest Asia.


Shipbuilding/maritime
JHSV: Navy’s first-in-class Joint High Speed Vessel, the Mobile, Ala.-built USNS Spearhead (JHSV 1), participated in exercise Obangame Express along with European, Atlantic and African partners in the Gulf of Guinea April 16-21. (Post)
Contract: Northrop Grumman, Annapolis, Md., was awarded a $25 million modification to a previously awarded contract for the continuation of depot level repair, maintenance, related engineering services and more for work related to mine detection. The Naval Surface Warfare Center Panama City Division, Panama City, Fla., is the contracting activity. (Post)
Contract: General Dynamics Bath Iron Works, Bath, Maine, was awarded a $28.7 million modification to previously awarded contract for Littoral Combat Ship class design services. One percent of the work will be done in Mobile, Ala. (Post)

Week in review (4/13 to 4/19)

Dignitaries will be out in force Monday for the ribbon cutting for SpaceX's new engine component research and development operation at Stennis Space Center in South Mississippi. Mississippi's governor will be there, as well as a senator and congressman. Gwynne Shotwell, the president of SpaceX, will also be on hand for the 3 p.m. ceremony. (Post)

SpaceX is familiar to folks who follow the growing field of commercial space. SpaceX of Hawthorne, Calif., was the first commercial company to successfully dock with the International Space Station in May 2012 (post), then followed it in October with its first successful resupply mission. On Friday at Cape Canaveral, Fla., SpaceX used its Falcon 9 rocket to launch an unmanned Dragon capsule for the company's third resupply mission to the ISS. SpaceX is due to complete 12 missions for NASA.

So when SpaceX announced in October 2013 that it would use SSC, NASA's largest rocket engine test facility, to test its next generation deep-space Raptor methane rocket engines, it was significant. It brings another piece of the commercial space ventures to the Gulf Coast region. (GCAC story)

Another company that sends cargo to the ISS, Orbital Sciences, also has ties to Stennis Space Center. Orbital's launch vehicle, the Antares, uses Aerojet AJ26 engines to lift it from the launch pad. Those engines also are tested at SSC.

SpaceX has plans for far more than missions to the ISS. SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, who is also cofounder of PayPal, has been keenly interested in flying manned missions to Mars. That requires powerful engines like those that have historically been tested at SSC.

Raptor is under development for a higher performance upper stage for SpaceX launch vehicles. SpaceX will use the E2 test stand for R&D of its methane-fueled Raptors, capable of generating nearly 300 tons of thrust. The E-2 can support both vertical and horizontal rocket engine tests. The state supplied $500,000 in incentives to improve the stand.

With the upgrades, the stand is one of the most sophisticated high-pressure test facilities in the world capable of supporting many potential users. It will remain the property of SSC for future use as needed.

After the SpaceX announcement in October 2013, Sen. Thad Cochran pointed out that talks had been going on with SpaceX for many years about working at SSC. "I hope this is just the beginning of their endeavors in our state," he said.

But the significance goes well beyond the Stennis-Michoud area of South Mississippi and Louisiana. For the rest of the Gulf Coast region vying for more aerospace activities, having SpaceX doing R&D in the region might well be the kind of information that seals a deal. The more high profile aerospace companies, the more significant their activities, the better for the entire region.

-- With testing of the J-2X engine completed April 10, engineers at Stennis Space Center are now preparing the RS-25 engine for the test stands. Four RS-25 engines, the same engines that powered the Space Shuttles, will power the core stage of Space Launch System that will take astronauts deeper into space than ever before.

More than 200 feet tall with a diameter of 27.6 feet, the core stage will store cryogenic liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen that will feed the RS-25s. Modifications to the engines, like higher thrust levels, were needed on the engines for the SLS. (Post)

-- NASA's Orion spacecraft passed a test designed to determine readiness for its first flight test, Exploration Flight Test-1. EFT-1 later this year will send the spacecraft more than 3,600 miles from Earth then back.

The spacecraft ran for 26 uninterrupted hours during the final phase of a major test series completed April 8 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Fla. Orion is built in part at Michoud Assembly Facility, New Orleans. (Post)

Airbus
A column about aerospace activities in the Gulf Coast region wouldn't be complete with some new information on Airbus, which is building an A320 final assembly line at the Mobile Aeroplex. Mobile officials are gearing up to apply for a highly competitive $10 million grant to renovate Broad Street from Water Street to the Mobile Aeroplex. That's according to a story in the Mobile Press-Register/al.com The goal of the project is to rebuild and revitalize 3.7 miles of the busy thoroughfare in preparation for the increased traffic and attention expected once the assembly line opens.

-- With the more fuel efficient A320neo set to start flight tests in October, industry sources claim Airbus is considering shifting its focus to avionics, cabin and other system improvements that could sustain the A320 well into the 2020s

Aviation Week says that according to sources, suppliers will meet with Airbus later this month to discuss various upgrade packages for the A320neo. The initiative could result in a series of systems and interior upgrades that would start being introduced as of early 2016 onto production aircraft. (Post)


F-35
Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is home of the F-35 training center, and news about that stealthy aircraft is of high interest to the folks over there. Along those lines, the Lockheed Martin F-35 fleet recently surpassed 15,000 flight hours. As of April 7, operational F-35s had flown 8,050 hours while System Development and Demonstration aircraft had accumulated 7,123 flight hours.

In 2014, F-35A test aircraft have flown 328 hours; F-35B test aircraft compiled 191 hours; and F-35C test aircraft have flown 91 hours. In comparison, operational F-35As have flown 963 hours, while their F-35B and F-35C counterparts have accumulated 1,012 and 98 hours respectively for the year. (Post)

-- Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., Fort Worth, Texas, was awarded a $54.6 million modification to a previously awarded contract for production non-recurring technical assistance in support of the F-35 Lot VII effort for the Navy, Air Force, and international partner governments.

Work will be done in California, Texas, United Kingdom, Florida, New Hampshire, Georgia, New York and Canada and is expected to be completed in January 2015. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity. (Post)


Investigation
Former Blue Angel Capt. Gregory McWherter has been relieved of duty as executive officer of Naval Base Coronado, Calif., pending an investigation into alleged misconduct while he was commander of the Blue Angels aerial demonstration team. McWherter was commanding officer and flight leader of the Pensacola, Fla.-based Blue Angels from November 2008 to November 2010, and from May 2011 to November 2012. (Post)


Shipbuilding/maritime
Contract: Alion Science and Technology Corp., Washington, D.C., was awarded a $25 million modification to previously awarded contract for additional professional support services in support of the Surface Warfare Directorate. Six percent of the work will be done in Pascagoula, Miss. (Post)

Week in review (4/6 to 4/12)

An airline changes some Airbus orders; UTC Foley will provide nozzle maintenance for an airline's A320s; the FAA wants to create a UAV center of excellence; the UK will train personnel to use Tritons in preparation for a possible purchase; an airport in Fairhope earns AdvantageSite designation; a grant to Enterprise will help provide infrastructure so an aerospace company can expand; Silver Airways is pulling out of the Hattiesburg airport; a Maryland security group will use facilities at Camp Shelby for training; Eglin's Armament Directorate celebrates a weapon milestone; and the last Holloman F-22 arrives at Tyndall Air Force Base were among the aerospace stories of interest to the Gulf Coast region.

Here's the week in review:

Airbus
A year after the ground breaking ceremony for Airbus' first A320 family assembly facility to be built in the United States, the plant in Mobile, Ala., is progressing. The main buildings are taking shape and the first workers have started on-the-job training in Germany.

The steelwork on the main building, the Final Assembly Line hangar where the A320 family aircraft will be assembled, started in April 2013 and is nearing completion. In addition, the powerhouse, which will provide utilities, is also nearing completion. The construction work continues with the assembly of the service building, housing the main offices, followed by the building of the logistics center. (Post)

-- American Airlines is changing 30 firm orders for 30 Airbus A320neo jetliners into options, according to an investor update. The planes were scheduled to be delivered in 2021 and 2022 and were part of the company's large order of 260 Airbus narrow-body aircraft announced in 2011. American also said it terminated its existing lease financing arrangements for 62 Airbus A320 that American is scheduled to receive between 2015 and 2017 and instead will the purchase the aircraft.(Post)

-- UTC Aerospace Systems' Aerostructures was chosen by Florida-based Spirit Airlines to provide nozzle maintenance for the Airbus A320 family aircraft in the carrier's fleet. Spirit operates more than 50 A320 family aircraft. The work for the three-year contract will be performed at UTC Aerospace Systems' Alabama Service Center in Foley, Ala.(Post)


Unmanned
The Southeast didn't get one of the six FAA test sites that will help integrate unmanned aerial systems into the national airspace, but now the FAA is looking to establish a center for excellence within the next year.

FAA is looking for government, industry and academic partners for the COE. Areas of interest include air traffic control interoperability, airport ground operations, pilot training and certification, human factors and privacy practices.

The FAA intends to release a draft request for proposal and publicly discuss program requirements in May. The Gulf Coast region has a keen interest in unmanned aerial systems. They are used at several military bases, and Fire Scout and variants of the Global Hawk are built in part in Moss Point, Miss. (Post)

-- Britain's Ministry of Defense is sending a team to train on Northrop Grumman's Triton unmanned system in preparation for a decision next year on whether to re-establish a maritime patrol capability. The government said that four personnel are scheduled to train on the MQ-4C Triton during June and August 2014 at Patuxent River Naval Air Station, Md. The Triton is the U.S. Navy’s version of Global Hawk. It’s in flight test phase ahead of delivery to the U.S. Navy. Tritons are built in part in Moss Point, Miss. (Post)


Airports
A 110-acre industrial park next to H. L. Sonny Callahan Airport in Fairhope, Ala., is the fifth Baldwin County site to earn the Alabama AdvantageSite designation. The program is designed to increase the marketability of locations in Alabama. The Fairhope Airport Industrial Park has 75 contiguous developable acres out of 110. It’s located 12 miles south of Interstate 10, next to the municipal airport and its 6,604-foot runway. The area is also the location of the nearly complete Aerospace Training Center. (Post)

-- A $500,000 grant is being awarded to Enterprise to help an aerospace company expand its aviation business. The company is Alabama Aircraft Support, which specializes in the maintenance, repair and overhaul of military and commercial helicopters and small aircraft. The Community Development Block Grant awarded to the city will provide infrastructure enabling the company to expand its business and construct a 64,800-square-foot aircraft maintenance building and hangar. Enterprise is west of Fort Rucker, the Army's helicopter aviation center. (Post)

-- Silver Airways plans to end service at Hattiesburg-Laurel Regional Airport. Airport Executive Director Tom Heanue said he got a call from airline officials Wednesday afternoon to let him know that Silver intended to file 90-day Notice of Termination papers.

Silver stepped in to serve the aiarport when Delta Air Lines said in the summer of 2011 that it was dropping 24 routes in smaller markets across the nation, including Hattiesburg. Silver Airways is a regional carrier based in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (Post)


Bases
A Maryland counterterrorism security training company will conduct specialized training at Mississippi’s Camp Shelby Joint Forces Training Center. ViaGlobal Group of Annapolis signed the agreement after several visits to the Mississippi National Guard installation south of Hattiesburg.

Camp Shelby's facilities include a state-of-the-art urban terrain site and live fire shoot house. The base is 135,000 acres with ranges for Abrams M1 tanks, Bradley Fighting Vehicles, MRAPs and more. There’s also an air-to-ground bombing range and a combat training runway designed for C-17 short-field landing operations. (Post)

-- The Armament Directorate at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., celebrated a milestone with delivery of the first production lot of Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile Extended Range missiles to Dyess Air Force Base, Texas, last month. The JASSM Program Office at Eglin Air Force Base, working with contractor Lockheed Martin Missile Fire and Control in Orlando Fla., jointly spearheaded the development, testing and fielding of this newest JASSM variant. Seventy percent of the hardware and 90 percent of software are common between the two variants. (Post)

-- Keesler Air Force Base's C-130Js were discussed again during two hearings in Washington. Rep. Steven Palazzo, in front of the House Readiness Subcommittee hearing, and U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker, in front of the Senate Armed Services Committee, grilled Air Force leaders about plans to move 10 aircraft to Little Rock Air Force Base in Arkansas. (Post)

Speaking of those aircraft, last weekend all of Keesler's C-130J and WC-130J aircraft were up in the air simultaneously as part of the 403rd Wing's training exercise. The exercise was one of the largest the 403rd Wing has conducted. The three-hour training exercise included dropping 15 pound sandbags to simulate a tactical air drop. (Post)

-- The last F-22 from New Mexico arrived at Tyndall Air Force Base this week. The four F-22 Raptors from the 7th Fighter Squadron at Holloman Air Force Base brings to 24 the number of Raptors transferred to Tyndall from Holloman. The move will ultimately involve 1,100 personnel. Seven T-38 Talons also were moved from Holloman to Tyndall. (Post)


Contract
Jacobs Technology Inc., Tullahoma, Tenn., was awarded a $67 million modification for an existing contract with multiple funding appropriations at the task order level for technical and engineering acquisition support services. Work will be done at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., with completion by Oct. 18, 2014. Air Force Test Center/PZZ, Eglin Air Force Base, is the contracting activity. (Post)


Shipbuilding/maritime
Avondale: Huntington Ingalls said it will conduct a study with Kinder Morgan Energy Partners LP to explore redeveloping Huntington Ingalls Industries' Avondale shipyard in Louisiana. (Post)
LHA 6: Ingalls Shipbuilding of Pascagoula, Miss., deliver the amphibious assault ship America (LHA 6) to the Navy during the week. (Post)
Ingalls: Brian Cuccias, Ingalls Shipbuilding's president, said the Pascagoula, Miss., shipyard is looking to hire 2,500 craft workers this year. (Post)
Railgun: The Navy plans to test an electromagnetic railgun aboard a Joint High Speed Vessel in fiscal year 2016. JHSVs are built by Austal USA in Mobile, Ala. (Post)

Week in review (3/30 to 4/5)

A new order for Fire Scout MQ-8C unmanned helicopters; a contractor picked to operate the Airbus paint facility in Mobile; a supplier conference; a contract extension for Orbital Sciences and SpaceX; a drop in the cost of the F-35 program; and a command change with Keesler Air Force Base's medical group were among the news items of interest to the Gulf Coast region during the week.

Here's the week in review:


Manufacturing
The South is already home to auto giants, and it's increasingly attracting some of the biggest names in aviation and aerospace, including Boeing in South Carolina, Airbus in Alabama, Gulfstream in Georgia and GE Aviation in North Carolina, Alabama and Mississippi.

Aerospace companies are moving manufacturing operations to Southern states, in part due to lower costs, state incentives and right-to-work laws. And it's a good sector to attract because it's growing. Sales grew 41 percent from 2002 to 2012, driven largely by military and international sales. And that growth won't ebb anytime soon. (Post)

One of the indications of that growth was the SpeedNews Aerospace Manufacturing Conference that was held in Mobile early this week at the Battle House Hotel. Organizer Joanna Speed told the Alabama Commerce Department's "Made in Alabama" that the first aerospace manufacturing conference was held in Charleston, S.C., because of the Boeing 787 assembly line.

She said it made sense to have the second in Mobile because of the Airbus final assembly line being built at the Mobile Aeroplex. The focus of the SpeedNews conferences is on the manufacturing supply chains for original equipment manufacturers. According to organizers, 225 companies and organizations attended the two-day Mobile  conference. We’ll have to take their word for that since the conference was closed to the media.

Speaking of manufacturers, I'll get a chance to meet some folks from Okaloosa County's Technology Coast Manufacturing and Engineering Network this week. I've been asked to speak before TeCMEN about the broader Gulf Coast Aerospace Corridor, which stretches from Southeast Louisiana to Northwest Florida.

In case you don't know, Okaloosa County has a unique niche within the 350-mile aerospace corridor and is hands-down one of the region's hot spots. It's a technology hub where most of the region's military-related research and development dollars are spent. It's also the center for F-35 pilot and maintainer training, and home of U.S. Air Force Special Operations, one of the areas of the military that's growing.


Airbus
The folks from TeCMEN no doubt are well aware of the Airbus A320 final assembly line being built to their west in Mobile. During the week Airbus Americas said ground will be broken in the second quarter on a $13 million paint shop hangar. The 34-employee facility on the Airbus site will be operated by MAAS Aviation Services, a division of the Expressair Aviation Group.

MAAS has options for expansion as Airbus’ production increases. Expressair Aviation Group is a privately owned, Irish registered holding company. MAAS has paint hangars in Ireland, the UK and Netherlands. (Post)

Meanwhile, Airbus is seeking to fill seven hourly aircraft quality inspector positions for its A320 final assembly line being built at the Mobile Aeroplex. The latest listings include one quality inspector for the flight line and six for the final assembly line. Pay ranges from $20 to $30 an hour. (Post)

-- Standex International Corp. announced that Spincraft, the company's engineered products metal fabrication business unit, received a life of program award from Senior Aerospace to produce exhaust plug and nozzle components for the nacelle on the Airbus A320neo.

Under the agreement, Spincraft will produce exhaust plug and nozzle sets, consisting of five individual components, for all the A320neo assemblies produced by SSP. SSP production is anticipated to represent up to 100 percent of the volume requirements on the UTAS nacelle for the Pratt & Whitney engine version of the aircraft. (Post)


Space
Orbital Sciences and SpaceX could be hauling cargo to the international space station through 2017 under a planned two-year contract extensions NASA announced March 31. NASA said it plans to extend the Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) contracts it gave Orbital and SpaceX in 2008 "for up to 24 months from December 2015 to December 2017."

It was unclear whether NASA will be ordering additional missions. Orbital's Antares launch vehicle uses Aerojet AJ26 engines tested at Stennis Space Center; SpaceX last year announced it will test its Raptor methane rocket engines at SSC. (Post)

-- The third Advanced Extremely High Frequency (AEHF) satellite has begun transmitting using its protected communications payload, joining two other satellites undergoing system test in orbit with a suite of user terminals.

AEHF satellites are produced by Lockheed Martin for the U.S. Air Force. Launched on Sept. 18, 2013, AEHF-3 arrived in its final orbit position and began transmissions in January. Core propulsion system work on the AEHF is done at Stennis Space Center, Miss. (Post)

-- Veteran Space Shuttle astronaut Tom Jones, a senior research scientist at the Florida Institute for Human and Machine Cognition in Pensacola, Fla., will be a featured speaker at the first X-STEM: Extreme STEM Symposium in Washington, D.C., on April 24.

The symposium for kids includes talks by 50 of the nation's most noted science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) professionals representing top universities, corporations, non-profits and governmental agencies.

"I'm honored to speak at X-STEM and get to meet some of our future explorers," said Jones, who flew on four shuttle missions. "Exciting our young people about science, technology, engineering and math … is crucial to America's future."

IHMC is a non-profit institute focusing on human-machine interaction. (Post)

OK, this one isn't space, but it does involve IHMC. Some of the world's most advanced robots will be on display April 10 at the Florida Institute for Human and Machine Cognition Robotics Lab in downtown Pensacola, Fla. The open house is 4-7 p.m. at 201 E. Wright Street.

Among the robots on display will be Atlas, a humanoid robot built by Boston Dynamics and used by IHMC in the DARPA Robotics Challenge in December 2013. IHMC, which wrote the programs that allowed Atlas to perform life-saving tasks during a disaster, finished second among 16 of the world's top robotics development teams.

Also on display will be FastRunner, a two-legged, fast-moving platform inspired by the ostrich, and NASA's X1 exoskeleton, designed to help astronauts exercise in space and to help disabled humans walk on Earth. The event is free and will feature demonstrations and tours. (Post)


F-35
The estimated acquisition cost of the F-35 program dropped $11.5 billion over the past year, the congressional Government Accountability Office reported early in the week in its annual report on U.S. arms programs.

GAO now estimates the Pentagon will spend $332.3 billion over coming decades to develop the radar-evading F-35 jet and buy a total of 2,457 aircraft, about 3.3 percent less than last year's estimate. The new estimate was provided in fiscal year 2014 dollars. Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is home of the F-35 training program. (Post)

-- BAE Systems Electronic Solutions, Nashua, N.H., was awarded a $47.4 million contract for the manufacture of the transmitter countermeasures T-1687A/ALE-70 (V) in support of the F-35 program. Work will be performed at Nashua and work is expected to be completed by April 2017. The NAVSUP Weapon Systems Support, Mechanicsburg, Pa., is the contracting activity. (Post)


Unmanned
Northrop Grumman Systems of San Diego won a $43.8 million modification to a previously awarded contract to build and deliver to the Navy five more MQ-8C Fire Scout unmanned helicopters and one ground control station. According to Flightglobal, the new orders bring to 19 the number of Fire Scout C variants in development and testing.

The C version of the Fire Scout has the same capabilities as the earlier MQ-8B, but is based on the airframe of a much larger Bell 407 helicopter. The Navy has 28 of the MQ-8Bs, which us a Schweizer 333.

Northrop Grumman said it will deliver the first operational MQ-8C to the Navy some time this summer. A joint Northrop-Navy team first flew the MQ-8C on Oct. 31, 2013 at Naval Base Ventura County at Point Magu, Calif.

Work on the latest order will be done in Dallas, Texas (32 percent); Ozark, Ala. (27 percent); Rancho Bernardo, Calif. (25 percent); Moss Point, Miss. (15 percent); and Point Mugu, Calif. (1 percent), and is expected to be completed in December 2015.


Bases
Col. David W. Hicks has been assigned as vice commander of the First Air Force (Air Forces Northern), Air Combat Command, Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla. Hicks was also selected for the grade of brigadier general. He’s currently vice director, operations, J-3, North American Aerospace Defense Command, U.S. Northern Command, Peterson Air Force Base, Colo.

Also, Brig. Gen. Jack L. Briggs II, current vice commander of the First Air Force at Tyndall, has been assigned to director of operations, J-3, Headquarters U.S. Northern Command, Peterson AFB, Colo. Briggs was also selected for the grade of major general. (Post)

-- In Mississippi, the "Dragon Medics" now has a new leader. Col. (Dr.) Thomas Harrell assumed command of the 81st Medical Group from Brig. Gen. (Dr.) Kory Cornum during a change of command ceremony at Keesler Medical Center's Don Wylie Auditorium at Keesler Air Force Base.

Harrell comes to Keesler from Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, where he commanded the Department of Defense/Veterans Affairs Joint Venture Hospital and also served as the Alaskan Command command surgeon. Cornum has been reassigned to Scott AFB, Ill., as Air Mobility Command command surgeon. (Post)


Contracts
BES Design/Build LLC, Fairhope, Ala.; Hernandez Consulting LLC, New Orleans, La.; and Hollon Contracting LLC, Dothan, Ala., were among 29 companies awarded a $20 million contract for the sustainment/repair and maintenance of National Guard military construction projects at Little Rock Air Force Base, Camp Joseph T. Robinson, and Fort Smith Regional Airport. … Technical Software Services Inc., Pensacola, Fla., was among nine companies awarded modifications under previously awarded multiple award contracts to exercise option two of the contracts. The contracts provide education training products and services for the Naval Education Training Command in conjunction with Naval Education Training and Professional Development and Technology Center which works to educate Navy sailors in a variety of ways. The maximum contract value for option two for all nine contracts combined is $33 million. Ninety percent of the work will be done in Pensacola. … Boeing, St. Louis, Mo., was awarded a maximum $80 million contract for Joint Direct Attack Munitions technical support for studies and analysis, product improvement, upgrades, integration (including, but not limited to, software integration, aircraft integration, and associated hardware) and testing. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center/EBDK, Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is the contracting activity. … Raytheon Missile Systems, Tucson, Ariz., was awarded a $7.6 million modification to a contract for production cut-in of an Advanced Range Telemetry (ARTM) transmitter into the AIM-120 Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missile. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center/EBAK, Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is the contracting activity.


Shipbuilding/maritime
LCS: The Austal and Lockheed Martin versions of Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) performed well in a major war game last week and surprised some "enemies" with their capabilities, a top Navy admiral said. One version of the LCS is built by Austal USA in Mobile, Ala. (Post)
Austal: Austal USA, Mobile, Ala., was awarded a $6.7 million modification to previously awarded contract for fabrication and assembly of a live fire test module in support of the Navy's Independence variant littoral combat ship survivability testing program. Work will be done in Mobile, Ala., and is expected to be completed by March 2015. The Supervisor of Shipbuilding Gulf Coast, Pascagoula, Miss., is the contracting activity. (Post)
Commissioning: The Navy will commission its newest littoral combat ship, the future USS Coronado (LCS 4) during a ceremony Saturday at Naval Air Station, North Island in Coronado, Calif. The ship was built by Austal, USA, in Mobile, Ala. (Post)
NSC: Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula, Miss., has received a $497 million contract from the U.S. Coast Guard to build a seventh Legend-class National Security Cutter (WMSL 756). Construction on the ship will begin in January 2015. (Post)
Change of command: Capt. Joseph M. Tuite relieved Capt. Stephen W. Mitchell as Supervisor of Shipbuilding Gulf Coast in a ceremony at Mississippi's Ocean Springs Civic Center March 28. The Supervisor of Shipbuilding Gulf Coast is in Pascagoula, Miss. (Post)

Week in review (3/23 to 3/29)

If you expect to attract aerospace companies, one important part is having a growing, vibrant population. And the most recent figures from the U.S. Census Bureau indicate that's the case for the Interstate 10 aerospace corridor.

Two metropolitan areas from the region were among the fastest growing in the nation between 2012 and 2013. They're Alabama's Daphne-Fairhope-Foley MSA and Florida's Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin MSA. They're 9th and 15th fastest growing, respectively. The Daphne MSA is all of Baldwin County, while the Crestview MSA is Okaloosa and Walton counties. (Post)

Additionally, four counties in the aerospace region were among the 100 fastest growing counties in the nation between 2012 and 2013. In Louisiana, St. Bernard Parish was 6th fastest growing, while Florida's Walton County was 16th, Baldwin County, Ala., was 55th and Orleans Parish was 72nd.

Taking a longer view, between 2010 and 2013 six counties in the aerospace region were among the 100 fastest growing: St. Bernard Parish, No. 2; Orleans Parish, No. 26; Walton County, No. 49; Baldwin County, No. 68; Okaloosa County (Fla.), No. 70; and Santa Rosa (Fla.), No. 98. (Post)


Conference
Aerospace industry manufacturers and suppliers will be in Mobile next week for the two-day SpeedNews Aerospace Manufacturing Conference at the Battle House Renaissance. It begins Tuesday. Delegates will be able to tour area aerospace facilities, including UTC Aerospace in Foley, ST Aerospace at the Mobile Aeroplex and the Airbus final assembly line under construction at the Aeroplex. (Post)


Airbus
Airbus during the week inked a new 10-year deal with China allowing Airbus to continue to assemble A320s at Tianjin until 2025. A deal was also signed to have China co-produce 1,000 French EC-175 helicopters over 20 years with Airbus Group's helicopter division and to co-operate on turbo-prop engines with France's Safran.

In addition to the aircraft work, the agreement signed in Paris also calls for China’s state-owned purchasing agency to get 70 planes, including 27 long-haul A330s and 43 single-aisle A320 family aircraft. (Post)

The orders are significant of course, but the ties being formed with China will have a long-term impact on Airbus. I wrote last weekend that Airbus and China are talking about a cabin completion plant in China for A330s. Smart move for Airbus. China within 20 years will supplant the U.S. as the single biggest market for Airbus.

-- ANA Holding Inc. of Japan has made a 70-plane purchase that included 40 long-haul models from Boeing and 30 narrow-body jets from Airbus. It’s the largest in the Japanese carrier’s history. (Post)

In addition to the ANA deal, Tiger Airways, the budget carrier partly owned by Singapore Airlines, ordered 37 Airbus jetliners, canceling some existing orders as it opts for more fuel-efficient models. The order for single-aisle A320neo planes is valued at $3.8 billion and is for delivery between 2018 and 2025. (Post)


Continental
Another tenant of the Mobile Aeroplex, Continental Motors, is partnering with ASI Innovation of Reims, France, to bring the 14-passenger Reims-Cessna F406 Caravan II back into production.

They acquired from insolvency the type certificate, inventory and manufacturing rights from Reims Aviation of France. The aircraft, first produced in 1983, can fill multiple roles, including passenger, cargo and mixed use applications. Once production resumes, buyers can equip their F406 with a Pratt & Whitney PT6 or a Continental Motors piston engine.

Continental Motors is a subsidiary of AVIC International Holding Co. of Beijing, China. Continental Motors has been powering aircraft for more than 80 years and now encompasses Continental Motors, Inc., Mobile, Continental Motors Beijing, Technify Motors GmbH, Germany, as well as Mattituck Services Inc. and Zulu Flight Training in Alabama. (Post)


Space
Sierra Nevada and Lockheed Martin showed off the work being done on the Dream Chaser crew vehicle at Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans. MAF is where a majority of the composite parts, including cabin support structures and wings, is being manufactured. Final assembly will be in Fort Worth, Texas.

Dream Chaser, designed to carry a crew of seven along with cargo to the International Space Station, looks like a small Space Shuttle. Its first unmanned flight is scheduled for 2016.

At MAF, Lockheed Martin is also working on NASA’s Orion space capsule. Fifteen Lockheed Martin workers are involved in Dream Chaser, 124 in Orion and another 20 or involved in building two massive liquefied natural gas tanks. (Post)

-- In Mississippi, Stennis Space Center, NASA's premiere rocket engine test facility, launched a program during the week to beam engine tests into some schools in Mississippi and Louisiana. The program will use technology that will allow students to watch a live stream of engine testing at Stennis, including the J-2X, an engine that's part of NASA's Space Launch System program. Through the virtual visit, NASA scientists and engineers will also appear on the screen to answer student's questions. (Post)


F-35
The Defense Department is considering approving the first trans-Atlantic flight of the F-35 fighter jet in July when warplane is expected to take part in two international air shows near London. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel is close to a decision that would allow two or three F-35s to fly at the Royal International Air Tattoo, an annual military air show, and the Farnborough air show.

Britain, which plans to buy 138 F-35s in coming years, asked for the jet's participation to help showcase the increasing maturity of the new radar-evading plane. Participating in the international air shows will allow the F-35 program to carry out additional training and learn how the plane's logistics, maintenance, aerial refueling, and security systems work overseas.

Lockheed is the main contractor, with Northrop Grumman and Britain's BAE Systems the biggest suppliers. Pratt and Whitney builds the engine and Rolls Royce Group builds the lift fan that enables the B-model of the F-35 to land like a helicopter. Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is home of the F-35 training center. (Post)

-- South Korea expects to pay around $6.79 billion for 40 Lockheed Martin F-35 fighters, two sources with knowledge of the matter said. South Korea also confirmed plans to buy four Northrop Grumman Global Hawk unmanned aircraft to monitor North Korea. The drones will be delivered starting 2018, one of the sources said. Global Hawks are built in part in Moss Point, Miss. (Post)

-- Several contracts were awarded during the week for work on the F-35.

Lockheed Martin Corp., Fort Worth, Texas, was awarded a $698 million contract to procure long lead parts, materials and components in support of 57 Low Rate Initial Production Lot IX F-35 fighters, including: 26 F-35A Conventional Takeoff and Landing (CTOL) aircraft for the Air Force; six F-35B Short Takeoff Vertical Landing (STOVL) aircraft for the Marine Corps; two F-35C Carrier Variant aircraft for the Navy; six F-35A CTOL aircraft for the government of Norway; one F-35A CTOL for the government of Italy; seven F-35A CTOL aircraft for the government of Israel; two CTOL aircraft for the government of Japan; six F-35B STOVL for the United Kingdom, and one F-35B STOVL aircraft for the government of Italy. (Post)

Lockheed Aeronautics Co., Fort Worth, was awarded a $52.1 million modification to a previously awarded contract to execute phase 3 of the F-35 Autonomics Logistics Information System (ALIS) Standard Operating Unit Version 2 (SOUv2) capability development effort. Phase 3 includes integration of the SOUv2 with the ALIS sustainment system and the F-35 air system. (Post)

In addition, Pratt and Whitney Military Engines, East Hartford, Conn., was awarded a $10.2 million modification to a previously awarded advance acquisition contract for long-lead components, parts and materials associated with the low rate initial production Lot VIII of eight F135 conventional take off and landing propulsion systems for the governments of Japan (6) and Israel (2). (Post)


Triton
Northrop Grumman and the U.S. Navy successfully completed the first major milestone of the Triton unmanned aircraft system flight test program, clearing the aircraft to fly at various altitudes, speeds and weights. During the test program, known as initial envelope expansion, the team validated more than 568 test points. The flights took place at the company's manufacturing facility in Palmdale, Calif.

The Navy plans to build 68 Triton UAS and they will be used with the manned P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft to conduct persistent intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions across vast ocean and coastal regions. Triton is made in part in Moss Point, Miss. (Post)

Meanwhile, Guam MACC Builders A Joint Venture, Honolulu, Hawaii, was awarded $45.5 million task order under a previously awarded multiple award construction contract for the design and construction of a high bay maintenance hangar to support forward operations and maintenance functions for the Unmanned Aircraft System MQ-4C (Triton) Broad Area Maritime Surveillance platform at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam.

Work will be done in Yigo, Guam, and is expected to be completed by April 2016. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Pacific, Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, is the contracting activity. (Post)


Bases
Fort Rucker, Ala., stands to gain missions should there be another round of base consolidations and closure. That’s according to Rod Wolfe, a retired brigadier general who is a member of Friends of Fort Rucker.

Wolfe, who also serves on Alabama’s Military Stability Commission, points out that the base has an array of assets that could allow it to benefit from the next Base Realignment and Closure round. It would require millions of dollars to relocate the military’s largest helicopter training facility elsewhere, he said. In addition, Fort Rucker has about 58,000 acres of unused space. (Post)

-- Camp Shelby Joint Forces Training Center south of Hattiesburg, Miss., along with the state port at Gulfport, want to considered as a depot for the return, redeployment and disposal of military equipment from Afghanistan. The National Center for Freight and Infrastructure Research and Education at the University of Wisconsin-Madison signed an agreement with Camp Shelby Joint Training Center to help military planners understand the capabilities after researchers assessed the logistics potential and cost savings.

The Defense Department will spend $7 billion to ship nearly 750,000 pieces of equipment worth $36 billion as combat operations come to an end in 2014. Camp Shelby is 135,000 acres and has been used as a staging area to mobilize and demobilize troops. In addition, South Mississippi is home of the Naval Construction Battalion Center Gulfport, a “readiness center” that stores and ships equipment worldwide. The base is near an airport, seaport, two interstates and rail systems. (Post)

-- More than 50 organizations nationwide gathered on the Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., range March 3 through 14 for a cost-shared, data collection event known as Sensor Week. They came to test their electro-optical, infrared and radio frequency sensors and equipment against representative targets.

Customers come to Sensor Week to measure seeker/sensor data using their equipment on various scenarios such as ground threat vehicles or improvised explosive device scenarios. Customers get realistic scenarios to test sensors and tactics, including maritime operations in local waters, ground-based transport and attack maneuvers and up to 10 daily air operations using 15 aircraft types. (Post)

-- The Blue Angels flight demonstration team are back home at Naval Air Station Pensacola, Fla., from their winter home in California. The team have a full show schedule, including a July show before the hometown crowd at Pensacola Beach. Last year the air show season was barely underway when sequestration grounded the demonstration team. (Post)


Airports
Airport Authority board members halted plans for a $17 million federally approved crosswind runway at Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport (ECP), citing financial restraints. The crosswind runway at the airport near Panama City, Fla., would provide better wind coverage for smaller aircraft. The airport’s current runway doesn’t meet Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) wind coverage requirement for smaller general aviation aircraft. (Post)


Contracts
Kaman Precision Products Inc., Orlando, Fla., was awarded a $41.6 million modification to a contract for Lot 11 production of Joint Programmable Fuze systems. The contract modification provides for the exercise of an option for an additional quantity of 10,001 state-of-the-art fuze systems being produced under the basic contract. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center/EBDK, Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is the contracting activity. … Cubic Defense Applications Inc., San Diego, Calif., was awarded a $6.9 million contract for the procurement of P5 Combat Training System Depot follow-on CLS. The P5CTS consists of the airborne subsystem, or "pod," and the ground subsystem. The location of performance is San Diego, Calif., for the ground subsystem and Fort Walton Beach, Fla., for the airborne subsystem. The work is expected to be complete by March 5, 2015. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center/EBYK, Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is the contracting activity. … Rolls-Royce Corp., Indianapolis, Ind., was awarded a $107 million contract action to provide intermediate, depot level maintenance and related logistics support for about 223 in-service T-45 F405-RR-401 Adour engines. Work will be performed at Naval Air Station Pensacola, Fla.; NAS Meridian, Miss.; NAS Kingsville, Texas; and NAS Patuxent River, Md. and is expected to be completed in March 2015. … L-3 Communications Vertex Aerospace LLC, Madison, Miss., was awarded a $58.5 million contract to provide logistics services and materials for organizational, intermediate, and depot level maintenance required to support T45TS aircraft based at Naval Air Station Pensacola, Fla., NAS Meridian, Miss.; and NAS Kingsville, Texas. This requirement also includes the support and maintenance of the T-45 aircraft at all operational sites, numerous outlying fields, and various detachment sites. Work is expected to be completed in July 2014. … Companies in Texas, Colorado, Oklahoma, Virginia, and Maryland were awarded nine-month task order bridge contracts to continue extending physician, allied health, nursing, technologist, technician and assistant services currently being provided in support of the Naval Hospital Jacksonville, Fla.; Naval Health Clinic Pensacola, Fla.; Naval Health Clinic Corpus Christi, Texas, and their affiliated clinics within Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee and Texas. Work will be performed in Jacksonville, Fla. (46 percent); Pensacola, Fla. (44 percent); Corpus Christi, Texas (10 percent) and affiliated clinics within Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee and Texas, and work is expected to be completed January 31, 2015.


Shipbuilding/maritime
Signal: Signal International’s ship repair yard in Mobile, Ala., was awarded a $4.5 million contract to repair and drydock the 615-foot-long Navy tanker USNS Lawrence H. Gianella. (Post)

Week in review (3/16 to 3/22)

Since the announcement in 2012 that Airbus would build an A320 assembly line in Mobile, Ala., much of the interest in  the Gulf Coast region has been on grabbing a piece of the supply chain. Everybody knows the plant itself is just the start.

It's that supply chain that concerns at least one aircraft buyer. Airbus and Boeing risk over-stressing the aerospace supply chain as they ramp up plane production to unprecedented levels to meet demand. That's according to Steven Udvar-Hazy, chief executive of Air Lease Corp. He said the pressure of production acceleration could cause problems at the lower end of the supply chain.

"I'm less concerned about Boeing and Airbus assembling the airplanes," he told Reuters during the recent annual ISTAT air leasing conference in San Diego. "As you go down the supply chain, hundreds of suppliers, small suppliers, can they keep up with 100 single-aisle aircraft a month? That's a big concern of ours, because a little guy can slip up and then it holds up everything."

Airbus recently said it will lift production of its single-aisle A320 planes by nearly 10 percent, matching a similar move by Boeing. By 2017, Boeing and Airbus will be churning out 138 new jetliners a month. The plant being built in Mobile will help the company meet demand. (Post)

As if to underscore the popularity of new jetliners, it was reported during the week that Airbus Group is looking to win a Chinese order of at least 150 jetliners worth $20 billion. The deal is expected to be announced Wednesday when a Chinese delegation visits Europe. The agreement includes a large number of single-aisle A320neos, the new engine option variant of the popular plane.

Airbus and China also are in talks to open a second plant in China, the "cabin completion" plant for A330s. Five years ago Airbus opened its first final assembly plant outside Europe in Tianjin, where Chinese workers assemble A320 jets. China within 20 years will supplant the U.S. as the single biggest market for Airbus. (Post)

-- Airbus started final assembly of the first A320neo in Toulouse, France, with the attachment of the forward and aft fuselage sections that arrived from St. Nazaire, France, and Hamburg, Germany, respectively. The next step is to join the wing to fuselage.

It takes about a month to complete the final assembly of an A320. On average, every seven hours an A320 family aircraft leaves one of the three final assembly sites, in Toulouse, Hamburg or Tianjin, China.

The first flight of the A320neo is to take place in the fourth quarter 2014 with first delivery about a year later. Airbus claims an order count of 2,600 A320neos from 50 customers since its launch in 2010. (Post)

-- Airbus has been voted "most attractive company" by the French general public in 2014, according to the fifth Randstad Awards survey in France. The online survey was carried out in November 2013, with a panel of 12,000 people aged between 18 and 65. Airbus won the number one place out of some 250 companies. (Post)

-- The International Association of Machinists has its eyes on both the Boeing plant in North Charleston, S.C., and the Airbus plant in Mobile, Ala. It’s opened an office in Charleston in hopes of organizing the plant.

Tom Buffenbarger, president of the union in Washington, D.C., made it clear he wants to organize both plants to help union members in Puget Sound. He said the Machinists are working to organize those plants to "level the playing field, so these companies can compete on a level perspective, and that's what serves our members best in Puget Sound." (Post)


F-35
Pilots will begin training at night in the F-35 fighter for the first time at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., home of the F-35 training center. The first night-time sortie could occur as early as Monday. Nine of the F-35s are equipped for use in training pilots to navigate at night. F-35s have been flown at night at other bases, and the military decided they needed brighter lights. The F-35s that will be flying at night have the new lights.

Takeoff would be about 8 p.m. and flights would last about an hour. Air Force Lt. Col. Eric Smith, commander of the 33rd Fighter Wing’s operations support squadron, said they will use the same flight paths as they do during the day and that residents typically are out of earshot. (Post)

-- Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co. of Fort Worth, Texas, during the week was awarded three contracts related to the F-35 program. The largest award was for $118.9 million, a modification to a previously awarded contract for the repair and replenishment of government-owned F-35 Joint Strike Fighter aircraft assets. The assets include spare parts on JSF jets, training devices, support equipment and Autonomic Logistics Information System equipment. (Post)

A second contract for $65.3 million is a modification to a previously awarded contract for non-recurring efforts for the development of a Common F-35A Conventional Take-Off and Landing Air System comprised of the Air Vehicle and the Autonomic Logistics Global Sustainment System for the governments of Japan and Israel. (Post)

The third award was a $50.7 million contract for non-recurring efforts and integration tasks in support of the development of Japan's F-35A Conventional Take-Off and Landing Air System, which is comprised of the Air Vehicle and the Autonomic Logistics Global Sustainment System. (Post)

-- Italy could cut its planned order of 90 F-35 fighter jets as part an effort to trim its defense budget and other spending. Italy is trying to cut its defense budget by $4.2 billion over the next three years by taking measures like closing barracks and cutting the F-35 purchases. Italy has already reduced its orders from 131 to 90. (Post)


Space
The first test flight of NASA's Orion crew exploration vehicle has been delayed to early December to accommodate a U.S. military payload in United Launch Alliance's Delta 4 launch manifest. The unmanned Orion test flight was scheduled for launch in September or October aboard a Delta 4.

The Orion test flight will prove many of the spacecraft's key systems, such as computers, software and the capsule's 16.4-foot-diameter ablative heat shield. The first crewed Orion mission is scheduled for launch on the second Space Launch System flight in 2021.

Along the Gulf Coast, Stennis Space Center, Miss., tests engines for the SLS program and Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans built the Orion test vehicle and will build the core stage of SLS. (Post)

-- The Air Force is pressing ahead with funding and intense support from Congress for the "Space Fence" system to track debris in low-Earth orbit, following delays and cutbacks driven by sequestration. Gen. William Shelton, commander of Air Force Space Command, has said the program is critical to the health of military and commercial satellites.

The Air Force last year shut down a part of its network for tracking satellites and orbital debris because of budget cuts. To compensate for the loss, the Space Command modified operating modes for some of its other space tracking assets, specifically the Perimeter Acquisition Radar Characterization System at Cavalier Air Force Station in North Dakota and the space surveillance radar at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. (Post)


Airports/bases
The Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport board approved moving forward with further development of a 20-year, $33.6 million expansion plan for the airport near Panama City. Improvement projects will be carried out in phases as passenger activity increases throughout the next 20 years and beyond. (Post)

-- In Pensacola, Fla., Mayor Ashton Hayward signed a 10-year contact Friday with Missouri-based OHM Concessions Group to provide food and beverage services at Pensacola International Airport. The group replaces Varona Enterprises, which has had the food and beverage concession at the airport for more than two decades. The deal with OHM provides more money to the airport than the competing bid. (Post)

-- Lt. Gen. Bradley A. Heithold has been nominated for assignment as commander, Air Force Special Operations Command, Hurlburt Field, Fla. Heithold is currently serving as the vice commander, U.S. Special Operations Command, Pentagon, Washington, D.C. (Post)


Shipbuilding/maritime
LCS: The Navy was scheduled to christen its newest littoral combat ship, the future USS Jackson (LCS 6), in a ceremony at the Austal USA Shipyard in Mobile, Ala., Saturday. (Post)

Week in review (3/9 to 3/15)

Australia plans to buy Northrop Grumman MQ-4C Triton unmanned surveillance system to help patrol the vast ocean regions surrounding that country. It's the first foreign customer for the maritime variant of the Global Hawk.

How many of the aircraft will be purchased was not disclosed, though it’s believed six to eight will be required, according to Flightglobal. It's also unclear when this will occur. Tritons are made in part in Moss Point, Miss. (Post)

The Triton is the Navy's version RQ-4 Global Hawk. It's powered by an Allison Rolls-Royce AE3007H turbofan engine, the same engine used in the Cessna Citation X and Embraer ERJ 145. Triton has a wingspan of 130.9 feet and is 47.6 feet long.

Triton has a reinforced aluminum airframe and composite wings, along with de-icing and lightning protection systems. These capabilities allow Triton, which can fly at nearly 60,000 feet, to descend through clouds to get a closer view of ships and other targets at sea. The current sensor suite allows ships to be tracked over time by gathering information on their speed, location and classification.

The Navy's program of record calls for 68 Tritons.

Moss Point is fortunate to have gained a foothold in an industry firmly entrenched in the future. Unmanned aerial systems are on track to grow dramatically, and Northrop Grumman is at the front of the high-tech pack. (Post)


Airbus
You might think landing an Airbus jetliner plant like Mobile, Ala., did would be enough to satisfy any economic development appetite. But you would be wrong. The folks who run the nearly 1,700-acre Mobile Aeroplex, site of the future A320 final assembly line, are quick to point out there are still 200 acres and 850,000 square feet of building space available. And there’s also space at Mobile Regional Airport. (Post)

The Airbus final assembly line being built at Mobile Aeroplex celebrated with a topping out ceremony for the main hangar during the week. A 21-foot steel tree built by Dothan's Covenant Steel was ceremoniously installed as the highest structural element of the A320 final assembly line. The final assembly line, which will employ 1,000 workers, is scheduled to open in 2015 and the first A320 will roll out in 2016. (Post)

Airbus posted two new positions for the final assembly line. One posting is for a ground test inspector, which will pay between $18 and $30 per hour based on skills, experience and education. The second posting is for a manufacturing engineer paint coordinator. That position requires a professional degree in aerospace, industrial, mechanical or chemical engineering, preferably in the aviation field. (Post)

-- Airbus and Boeing have revised their 20-year market outlook for India, stating that the country will see more aircraft sales until 2032 than what they had estimated in 2012. Airbus says that between 2012 and 2032 India would need 1,290 aircraft valued at $190 billion. In 2012, its prediction for 2012-2032 was for 1,045 planes at $145 billion.

Boeing's outlook says that between 2013 and 2032 Indian airlines will buy 1,600 aircraft valued $205 billion. Last year, Boeing had predicted that in the same period India would need 1,450 planes valued at $175 billion. (Post)


ST Aerospace
In Florida, the Escambia County Commission during the week pledged $8 million in local option sales tax revenue to bring an aircraft maintenance and repair facility to Pensacola International Airport. Commissioners voted 4-1 in favor of the allocation, formalized by an interlocal agreement with the city of Pensacola. The agreement was ratified last month by the Pensacola City Council. The county will loan the city $3.2 million, to be repaid by 2020, and provide a further $4.8 million in direct contributions to get ST Aerospace and 300 jobs. (Post)

Meanwhile, in an effort to recruit and train prospective aerospace workers, CareerSource Escarosa is hosting a free information and recruitment session March 20 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. for individuals looking to learn more about career opportunities with ST Aerospace Mobile. The event is at Pensacola State College.

Those with minimum-skill qualifications will have access to ST Aerospace's human resources staff, who will be on site to answer questions regarding current employment opportunities at their facility in Mobile, Ala. Representatives from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, George Stone Technical Center and Pensacola State College will also be on site to provide information on available aeronautical programs. (Post)


Innovation
The Florida Institute for Human and Machine Cognition does a lot of neat stuff, and it's probably best known for the robot Atlas, which is making a great showing at international competition. But researchers there are also involved in aerospace activities, like creating a new type of aircraft display that simplifies all the dials dials, gauges, buttons and other confusing array of controls.

David Still, an IHMC researcher who earned a pilot's license, figured there had to be a better way. So he came up with OZ, and pilots that have used it fly better, one study showed. He's now building a kit airplane that will use the new display. (Post)


Economic development
It's been described as a place where airplanes go to die. True, but most of the aircraft that come to Bob Sikes Airport in Crestview, Fla., get refurbished or modified with the latest military gear and leave more capable than when they arrived. The airport is close to four military bases and has managed to carve a niche for itself. (Post)


Space
NASA has selected 108 research and technology proposals from U.S. small businesses that will enable NASA's future missions. The selected proposals now will enter into negotiations for contract awards as part of Phase II of the agency's Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program. The selected aerospace technology and innovation projects have a total value of some $87 million, supporting 99 U.S. firms in 26 states. Two selected proposals involve technology being administered by the Office of the Chief Technologist at NASA’s Stennis Space Center, Miss. (Post)


Acquisitions
Textron Inc. has closed on its purchase of Beech Holdings LLC, parent of Beechcraft Corp. It brings together its Textron’s Cessna business and Beechcraft to form a new segment called Textron Aviation, which together produced about $4.6 billion in revenues during 2013. Textron owns Texas-based Bell Helicopter, which said late last year that it will build a new line of helicopters in Lafayette, La. Textron Marine and Land Systems has a plant in New Orleans. (Post)


Shipbuilding/maritime
HII: Huntington Ingalls Inc., Pascagoula, Miss., is being provided $602 million under a previously awarded contract to fund construction and exercised options for one DDG 51 class ship in fiscal 2014. Most of the work will be done in Pascagoula. (Post)
NGI: The Northern Gulf Institute, headquartered at Stennis Space Center, Miss., has partnered with a group of institutions in Mexico to advance the study of the Gulf of Mexico's ecosystem. (Post)
Appointment: Ingalls Shipbuilding of Pascagoula, Miss., has announced that Mike Lipski will be the company's vice president of business development, effective April 1. (Post)
Keel laying: Austal USA of Mobile, Ala., held a keel laying ceremony for the future USNS Trenton early in the week. (Post)
Austal: Austal USA, Mobile, Ala., is being provided funding in the amount of $683.7 million under a previously awarded contract for construction of two fiscal 2014 littoral combat ships. (Post)

Week in review (3/2 to 3/8)

The March edition of the Gulf Coast Reporters’ League aerospace quarterly, which covers aerospace activities in the Gulf Coast Interstate 10 region, will be published Tuesday. The 8-page PDF will be available at Gulf Coast Aerospace Corridor.com. Individual stories also will be posted on the daily aerospace news feed during the week.

In the latest issue you'll find a story by former Mobile Press-Register reporter Connie Baggett about the Mobile Aeroplex, where Airbus is building its final assembly line. Think Mobile is done now that it's got an Airbus assembly line? Think again. There's also a piece about the Mobile Airport Authority's new branding campaign designed for an international audience.

Tom McLaughlin, a reporter with the Northwest Florida Daily News, wrote about Bob Sikes Airport in Crestview, which has found a niche providing services to four nearby military bases. The airport is also where one company salvages retired jetliners and refurbishes parts for resale.

Interested in drones? Lisa Monti, former business editor of the Biloxi Sun Herald, wrote about Northrop Grumman's Unmanned Systems Center in Moss Point, Miss. Workers there play a role in building the world's most capable, high-tech unmanned systems. And they're in a great field that's expected to grow dramatically.

Duwayne Escobedo is a former reporter and editor at several of this region’s publications. He recently visited the Institute for Human and Machine Cognition in Pensacola, Fla., and saw OZ. That's not the wizard variety, but an aircraft display being developed by the internationally known research institute. It's intended to make flying easier by eliminating the confusing array of dials. Experienced pilots who tried it found it made flying easier.

I also want to give a special thanks to our newsletter underwriters from Alabama, Florida and Mississippi. We don't run advertisements and don't charge anyone to read these stories. We want as many people as possible, here and abroad, to better understand this aspect of the Gulf Coast region. Our underwriters make it possible for us to continue this work. They sponsor the newsletter sight unseen because they believe there's a great story to be told.

The March issue is sponsored by Pensacola International Airport, Gulf Power, Santa Rosa Economic Development, Mobile Airport Authority, Mobile Chamber, Trent Lott International Airport, Mississippi Enterprise for Technology and the Baldwin County Economic Development Alliance.

Now for the week in review:


Space
NASA's $17.5 billion proposed budget for fiscal 2015 provides funding for the agency's top priorities. It includes $2.8 billion for the Space Launch System rocket and Orion multi-purpose vehicle; $848 million for the Commercial Crew Program that helps fund private efforts to sent astronauts to the International Space Station; and $3.05 billion to run the ISS, including money for continued cargo shipments by SpaceX and Orbital Science.

The NASA budget is important to Stennis Space Center, Miss., and Michoud Assembly Facility, New Orleans, both of which are involved in those programs. The budget also would ramp up funding to fly astronauts to an asteroid by 2025 as part of a steppingstone approach to Mars. The budget is $190 million below the fiscal 2014 level. (Post)


Airbus
Airbus is looking for a quality performance manager for its A320 final assembly line being built in Mobile. Ala. The position requires a minimum associate or technical degree with a focus on manufacturing, quality management, industrial engineering or business administration. It requires at least nine months training abroad. (Post)

That $600 million plant is being built to help ease the backlog of orders for the popular plane. We already told you in a previous post how severe that backlog has become. This week we heard about the downside of that backlog.

Case in point: Air Serbia and Mandala Airlines have canceled two separate orders for a combined 33 of the A320 family jetliners. The cancelations are linked to airline restructuring in Serbia and Indonesia. Mandala, now known as Tigerair Mandala, placed its order for 25 planes in 2007, but none was ever delivered and the order was canceled last month. Air Serbia's orders were made in 1998. (Reuters, Aviation Week blog)

True, the immediate cause for the cancelations is restructuring, but the broader picture shows the backlog is a problem because it gives far too much time to companies to change their mind. It makes it abundantly clear why Airbus needs the Mobile plant.

Two months ago Airbus said it had an order book of 5,559 airplanes, led by its A320 family. That represents more than eight years of assembly work. (Post) Last month Airbus said it would increase monthly production of the single-aisle aircraft from 42 to 46 in Q2 2016. That will happen gradually, with an intermediate step of 44 planes a month in Q1 2016. (Post)

-- One plane type that is unlikely to end up on the Airbus order book is Air Force One. The Presidential Aircraft Replacement Program has reappeared in the 2015 budget. So will Airbus compete? Unlikely, according to Allan McArtor, new CEO of Airbus Americas. He told reporters at a breakfast that Air Force One would be a tough business case and would require a tremendous amount of modifications to a very small fleet. One could safely assume that if new planes are built for the president, they'll like be made by Boeing. (Breaking Defense)


Jobs
Florida Gov. Rick Scott recognized three businesses during the week with the Governor's Business Ambassador Award for commitment in creating jobs. One recipient was Fort Walton Machining, a family-owned small business that provides assembly, metal finishing, and machining services to the aerospace, defense, medical, and high-tech commercial industries. Established in 1987, the company today employs 220 workers. (Post)


Airports/bases
In Pensacola, Fla., the Escambia County Commission pledged $8 million in local option sales tax revenue to bring the ST Aerospace aircraft maintenance and repair facility to Pensacola International Airport. The county will loan the city $3.2 million, to be repaid by 2020, and provide a further $4.8 million in direct contributions.

The Singapore-based company plans to hire 300 people for the Pensacola operation. The company also has a major operation in Mobile, Ala., where it has been one of the long-time tenants of the Mobile Aeroplex at Brookley. (Post)

-- Southwest Airlines this fall will temporarily cease direct service from Panama City, Fla.'s Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport (ECP) to Baltimore-Washington International Airport (BWI) this fall. Direct flights to Baltimore will not be available between Aug. 9 and Nov. 11 as part of a seasonal adjustment. (Post)

-- Cross Environmental Services Inc. was named a subcontractor for demolition and remediation services of maintenance facilities at Duke Field, Fla. The work is valued at $148,700. It's the start of a 3-phase project that requires abatement of asbestos material and the demolition of three one-story buildings. CES, headquartered in Crystal Springs, Fla., has branch offices in Fort Walton Beach, Fla., and New Orleans. (Post)


Unmanned
Because this area is highly interested in stories about unmanned aerial systems, here's an interesting item that occurred as the week drew to a close.

An administrative law judge struck down a $10,000 fine levied by the FAA against a man who flew a small model plane in 2011 for commercial purposes. The FAA, which called the model plane an unmanned aircraft system, says that's not permitted.

Raphael Pirker flew a Ritewing Zephyr "powered glider" over the University of Virginia to shoot video and photographs for compensation, according to FAA documents. The Zephyr is what most people might call a model airplane.

On Thursday an administrative law judge with the National Transportation Safety Board ruled in Pirker's favor. In his decision, Patrick Geraghty said to conclude that a model aircraft and its operator are subject to the same regulatory requirements as an aircraft and its operator would lead to the conclusion that the term "aircraft" encompasses all types of flying devises, including "paper aircraft, or a toy balsa wood glider."

We'll keep a close watch on this case since the FAA plans to appeal. (Flightglobal)


Contracts
Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., Fort Worth, Texas, was awarded a $7.7 million modification to the previously awarded low rate initial production lot 6 advanced acquisition contract for F-35 aircraft. The modification provides for the procurement of non-recurring sustainment activities for the government of the United Kingdom. Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is home of the F-35 training center. … Concurrent Technologies Corp., Johnstown, Pa., was awarded a $15.3 million contract to provide engineering services in support of the continued modification of the carriage, stream, tow and recovery system to incorporate airborne countermeasures capabilities. The Naval Surface Warfare Center Panama City Division, Panama City, Fla., is the contracting activity. … Arête Associates, Tucson, Ariz., was awarded a $10.2 million modification to previously awarded contract (N6133-11-C-0007) for Coastal Battlefield Reconnaissance and Analysis (COBRA) Program Systems Support for the AN/DVS-1 COBRA Block 1 System and support equipment. The Naval Surface Warfare Center Panama City Division, Panama City, Fla., is the contracting activity.