Saturday, October 28, 2017

Week in review (10/22 to 10/28)

VT MAE, which will be opening a maintenance, repair and overhaul facility at Pensacola International Airport in May 2018, had a career information event at Pensacola State College's Hagler Auditorium Friday.

Bill Hafner, president of Mobile-based VT Mobile Aerospace Engineering, said the company will try to hire all 12 students graduating in December from George Stone Technical Center's Aviation Airframe Mechanics program, according to the Pensacola News Journal.

The information session was designed to brief the community on the upcoming hiring needs, employment procedures and subcontracting opportunities. The MRO will eventually hire 400 workers. The company's primary facility at the Mobile Aeroplex has about 1,000 workers.


Cyber
Come December a new group as part of the 96th Test Wing will be activated at Eglin Air Force Base.

The Air Force recently approved the 96th Cyberspace Test Group being formed from the existing 46th Test Squadron. There will be other test units at six separate geographic locations throughout the U.S.

The new group will include three subordinate squadrons: the 45th Test Squadron, 46th Test Squadron and the 47th Cyberspace Test Squadron. About 19 of 50 new positions are projected to be added to the group at Eglin over the next five years.

In addition, a business and logistics division will be established at Eglin to provide program management, budget and finance, as well as logistics, security and information technology functions.

The change brings current AFTC cyberspace test capabilities under a single command structure of the newly formed group, but leaves all the current jobs, missions and assets in place at their current operating locations. (Post)

This is all occurring at a time when this region is making a big push to train a new generation in cybersecurity.


F-35
The Pentagon is accelerating production of Lockheed Martin’s F-35 jet even though the planes already delivered are facing "significantly longer repair times" than planned because maintenance facilities are six years behind schedule, according to a draft audit.

The Government Accountability Office, Congress's watchdog agency, found the time to repair a part has averaged 172 days, twice the program’s objective. The shortages are "degrading readiness" because the fighter jets "were unable to fly about 22 percent of the time" from January through August for lack of needed parts. Eglin Air Force Base is home of the F-35 integrated training center. (Post)


Museum
The National Naval Aviation Museum at Naval Air Station Pensacola was named one of the Top 25 museums across the globe by TripAdvisor as part of its 2017 Travelers' Choice Awards.

The museum ranked No. 16 on the list that included such well-known museums as the 9/11 Memorial & Museum, and the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum. The rankings are based on quantity and quality of reviews and ratings for museums worldwide gathered by TripAdvisor over a 12-month period.

The 350,000-square-foot museum on 37 acres has a variety of attractions and more than 150 military aircraft representing the Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard. (Post)


Contracts
NASA awarded 24 Multiple Award Construction Contract Two (MACC-II) contracts to 20 small businesses and four large firms for general construction services at NASA's Stennis Space Center and several other agency locations. It has an anticipated value not to exceed $3 billion during an eight-year ordering period.

MACC-II project work includes, but is not limited to, alteration, modification, maintenance and repair, demolition, design-build and new construction of buildings, facilities and real property at Stennis; NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, including White Sands Test Facility near Las Cruces, N.M.; NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Fla.; and NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., including Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans.

Businesses in the Gulf Coast region awarded contracts are Healtheon and Pontchartrain Partners, both of New Orleans; ESA South Inc., Cantonment, Fla.; Orocon Construction and WG Yates & Sons Construction Co., both of Biloxi, Miss.; Drace Construction Corp., Ocean Springs, Miss.; CCI Energy and Construction Services, Shalimar, Fla.; and MOWA Barlovento JV-2, Gautier, Miss. (Post)

Saturday, October 21, 2017

Week in review (10/15 to 10/21)

The announcement that a new jetliner will be built in Mobile and a public rocket engine test in South Mississippi were just two of the news items during the week involving the Gulf Coast aerospace region. Here's your week in review:


Airbus
Airbus SE agreed to acquire a majority stake in Bombardier Inc.'s C Series jetliner program. The project includes assembling the C Series at Airbus’ plant in Mobile, Ala. But the details on the assembly have not been released.

Under the agreement, Airbus will provide procurement, sales and marketing, and customer support expertise to the C Series Aircraft Limited Partnership (CSALP), the entity that manufactures and sells the C Series. At closing, Airbus will acquire a 50.01 percent interest in CSALP. Bombardier and Investissement Québec (IQ) will own about 31 percent and 19 percent respectively.

CSALP’s headquarters and primary assembly line and related functions will remain in Québec, Canada, with the support of Airbus’ global reach and scale. The transaction is expected to be completed in the second half of next year. (Post)

The deal comes weeks after the United States said a 300 percent tariff would be imposed on the C Series following a complaint by Boeing that the plane, developed with government subsidies, is being sold with a huge discount.

But will the tariff be imposed on a plane assembled in the United States? Many observers say it won’t, but Boeing says it will make no difference. We’ll have to wait and see how all this plays out.


Space
More than 1,500 people watched a verification test of an RS-25 rocket engine during an open house at NASA’s Stennis Space Center in South Mississippi during the week.

Engine E2063, one of the engines that will power the Space Launch System (SLS), was tested for 500 seconds, the same duration the engine will power during an actual launch. Engine E2063 is scheduled for use on NASA’s second mission of SLS and Orion, known as Exploration Mission-2 (EM-2).

The first integrated flight test of SLS and Orion, Exploration Mission-1 (EM-1), will be an uncrewed final test of the rocket and its systems. The EM-2 flight will be the first to carry astronauts aboard the Orion spacecraft. (Post)

In another Stennis Space Center related item, Space Exploration Technologies Corp., better known as SpaceX, of Hawthorne, Calif., was awarded a $40.8 million contract modification for the development of the Raptor rocket propulsion system prototype for the Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle program.

Work will be performed at NASA Stennis Space Center, as well as Hawthorne, Calif.; McGregor, Texas; and Los Angeles Air Force Base, Calif.; and is expected to be complete by April 30, 2018. The Launch Systems Enterprise Directorate, Space and Missile Systems Center, Los Angeles AFB, Calif., is the contracting activity. (Post)


Airport
Frontier Airlines will begin service from Pensacola International Airport (PNS) this spring with nonstop, low-cost flights to Denver International Airport (DEN) and Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD) as part of its nationwide expansion. Service to Denver will begin April 22, 2018 while service to Chicago O’Hare is scheduled to begin May 12, 2018. (Post)

In another news item related to the Pensacola airport, VT MAE will host an information session Oct. 27 at 9:00 a.m. regarding its current operations, upcoming hiring needs, employment application procedures, and available subcontracting opportunities at its new aircraft maintenance facility being built at Pensacola International Airport.

The information session is at the Pensacola State College Hagler Auditorium, which is Building 2, 1000 College Blvd. in Pensacola. The event is for subcontractors and those seeking employment opportunities. (Post)


Contracts
Aermor LLC, Virginia Beach, Va.; American Systems Corp., Chantilly, Va.; and Qualis Corp., Huntsville, Ala., were awarded a $93,500,000 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for Air Force Operational Test and Evaluation Center test services. The contractors will provide advisory and assistance services in support of operational test and evaluation that include a broad range of engineering, technical, and analytical services. Eglin Air Force Base and Hurlburt Field, both in Florida, are among the work sites. Other locations are in New Mexico, Colorado, California, Washington, Utah and Nevada, and is expected to be complete by Oct. 19, 2022. Air Force Operational Test and Evaluation Center, Kirtland Air Force Base, N.M., is the contracting activity. … Textron Systems Marine and Land Systems, New Orleans, La., was awarded a $332.9 million contract for the procurement of up to 255 mobile strike force vehicles and related fielding hardware and field representative services for system de-processing. U.S. Army Contracting Command Warren, Mich., is the contracting activity. … Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., Fort Worth, Texas, was awarded an $11.6 million delivery order against a previously issued basic ordering agreement. This order provides support for the first of class flying trials and the release of the military permit to fly for F-35B aircraft to operate from Queen Elizabeth class carriers in support of the government of the United Kingdom. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, is the contracting activity. Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is home of the F-35 integrated training center. … Reliance Test & Technology, Crestview, Fla., was awarded a $27.3 million modification for Eglin operation and maintenance services. Work will be performed at Eglin Test and Training Complex, Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., and is expected to be completed by Sept. 30, 2026. Air Force Test Center, Eglin Air Force Base, is the contracting activity. … Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., San Diego, Calif., was awarded $15.2 million for modification to a previously awarded contract for the integration of the original equipment manufacturer ZPY-8A/N radar into the MQ-8C Fire Scout. Work will be performed in Fort Worth, Texas; Ozark, Ala.; San Diego; Edinburgh, United Kingdom; and Santa Clarita, Calif., and is expected to be completed in May 2020. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity.

Monday, October 16, 2017

Special review (10/16)

First Airbus. Now Bombardier.

I don't usually publish a "week in review" column on a day other than Saturday, let alone one about a single news item. But the news out of Amsterdam and Montreal on Monday warrants a column.

Airbus and Bombardier announced an agreement where Airbus gets a 50.01 stake in the Bombardier C Series, the single-aisle jetliner that has been slow to sell but is one of the most advanced in the world. Under the agreement, Airbus will provide procurement, sales and marketing, and customer support expertise. But for our neck of the woods, the really big news is that there will be a C Series assembly line in Mobile, Ala., where Airbus is currently building A320 series jetliners. And that will mean more jobs. But details are few right now.

All of this will take some time to come to pass, but in the future, Mobile and the Gulf Coast will be able to brag that it makes not only the popular, best-selling Airbus A320 series, but the Bombardier C Series jetliners. That's significant for the branding of this region as an international aerospace and aviation center, especially in light of all the other aerospace and aviation activities along the Interstate 10 corridor.

The Airbus final assembly line at the Mobile Aeroplex has already attracted plenty of suppliers, and having a Bombardier final assembly line for C Series jetliners is bound to attract even more, not only to Mobile proper but to its neighboring states.

The announcement comes within weeks of Bombardier being hit with a 300 percent import levy by the United States following a complaint by Boeing that the company was selling jetliners at a ridiculously reduced price. But that tariff isn't imposed on planes built in the United States by American workers for American customers like Delta Air Lines. The Atlanta-based company plans to buy 75 C series jetliners.

The move also gives Airbus an expanded global footprint through the partnership with the Bombardier final assembly line in Quebec, Canada, which will continue to build C Series jets but apparently not for the market in the United States.

Saturday, October 7, 2017

Week in review (10/1 to 10/7)

Everyone in our region is little doubt preoccupied with Hurricane Nate churning south of us. Nonetheless, work goes on. We'll publish the October issue of the Gulf Coast Aerospace Corridor newsletter Tuesday. As I wrote a couple of weeks ago, it has a cover story about the aerospace and aviation activities in Louisiana.

But there's more. We'll also bring you a story about the two companies in South Alabama that provide engine podding work for jetliners. Podding is the part of the aviation industry that builds up the structure that surrounds and engine and attaches to the wing pylon.

UTC Aerospace and Safran Nacelles are the two biggest nacelles companies in the world, and they have operations in Foley and Mobile. We'll also fill you in on recent news relevant to the nacelles industry.

We also have a column on some of the other recent happenings in the aerospace region, including the Gulf Power Economic Symposium. If you want to stay up to date on this region's aerospace and aviation activities, the bimonthly newsletter is a good start. You'll be able to find it next week after Tuesday on the opening page of our website.

Now for your week in review:


Space The public will get a chance Oct. 19 to view a test firing of an RS-25 flight engine that will be used to power NASA’s new Space Launch System. This engine, No. 2063, will be one of four that will be used for SLS on Exploration Mission-2, the first flight of the rocket that will carry astronauts.

The engine test is part of the Founder's Day Open House at Stennis Space Center, which commemorates the anniversary of the rocket engine test site. Open house activities, including exhibits, demonstrations and speakers, will be hosted by participating Stennis agencies prior to an afternoon test of RS-25 flight engine on the A-1 Test Stand. (Post)


Contracts
DCS Corp., Alexandria, Va., was awarded a $207.6 million contract to provide system engineering, analysis, research, development, logistics, and configuration and data management services to the Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division’s aircraft integrated pProduct teams, critical in the development, integration, test, evaluation, and fielding of new and upgraded capabilities to Naval aircraft, such as the F/A-18, EA-18G, F-35, AV-8B, AH-1/UH-1, and unmanned aerial systems. Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., will do seven percent of the work. Other work locations are in California, North Carolina, Arizona and Maryland, and is expected to be completed in October 2022. The Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division, China Lake, is the contracting activity. … COLSA Corp., Huntsville, Ala., was awarded a $56.2 million modification for technical and management advisory services command, control, communications, computer, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance and cyber support. Work will be performed at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., among other locations. Air Force Test Center, Eglin Air Force Base, is the contracting activity. … QuantiTech, Inc., Huntsville, Ala., was awarded a $39.6 million modification for technical and management advisory services range support. Work will be performed at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., among other locations. Air Force Test Center, Eglin Air Force Base, is the contracting activity. … Torch Technologies Inc., Huntsville, Ala., was awarded a $34.6 million modification for technical and management advisory services armament support. The contractor will provide additional diverse research, development, test and evaluation, and acquisition support services. Work will be performed at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., and other locations. Air Force Test Center, Eglin Air Force Base, is the contracting activity. … Bevilacqua Research Corp., Huntsville, Ala., was awarded a $31.2 million modification for technical and management advisory services platforms support. The contractor will provide additional diverse research, development, test and evaluation, and acquisition support services. Work will be performed at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla.; Duke Field, Fla.; Hurlburt Field, Fla.; Nellis Air Force Base, Nev.; Tinker Air Force Base, Okla.; and Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., and is expected to be completed by Sept. 30 2018. Air Force Test Center, Eglin Air Force Base, is the contracting activity.