Contract: Northrop Grumman, $9.5M

Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., Melbourne, Fla., is being awarded a $9,500,000 modification to previously awarded contract for continued post-delivery technical support for Rapid Airborne Mine Clearance System units, a helicopter-mounted anti-mine system. This contract will be used to modify and/or repair delivered hardware; modify or build new RAMICS system components; provide maintenance of delivered hardware and more. The system is deployed from surface ships and aircraft carriers in a carrier strike group or amphibious strike group. Work will be performed in Melbourne and is expected to be completed by September 2011. The Naval Surface Warfare Center, Panama City, Fla., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 12/02/10)

Admiral: Fire Scout a game-changer

PATUXENT RIVER, Md. - During the course of one day last month, the Navy's Fire Scout unmanned helicopter operated in four different locations across the United States and took off for the first time from a Littoral Combat Ship, USS Freedom. The Navy and industry partner Northrop Grumman tested the aircraft at Webster Field, Md., Yuma Proving Ground, Ariz., aboard the USS Halyburton (FFG-40) off the coast of Jacksonville, Fla., and USS Freedom (LCS-1) at the sea range in Point Mugu, Calif. "Flying in four locations in one day, off two classes of ships … marks a major milestone for our program and for naval aviation,” said Rear Adm. Bill Shannon, Program Executive Officer for Unmanned Aviation and Strike Weapons. He said it "sets the stage for the introduction of a game-changing capability to our warfighters." Fire Scout has surpassed more than 1,000 flight hours since the test program began in December 2006. (Source: NAVAIR, 12/01/10) Gulf Coast note: Fire Scouts are built in part in Moss Point, Miss.; Austal USA in Mobile, Ala., builds a version of the LCS.

AF tries to fix tanker foul-up

When the Air Force mistakenly sent data to Boeing that was intended for EADS and vice versa, Boeing didn't open the computer files but EADS did. To rectify that situation, the Air Force took the unusual step of deliberately re-sending the data to ensure neither could claim bias. The odd step was taken to ensure a level playing field, according to an Air Force spokesman. (Sources: Seattle Times, New York Times, 11/30/10) Gulf Coast note: EADS North America hopes to assemble the planes in Mobile, Ala., if it wins the $40 billion competition.

Boeing shifting some jobs to FWB

Boeing's Defense, Space and Security division plans to open a technical publication organization in Fort Walton Beach, Fla., and move jobs to the new location, according to the Wichita Eagle. It's not yet known how the change will impact the 700 employees who work in technical publications for Boeing's defense business, including 150 who work in Wichita, said Boeing Wichita spokesman Jarrod Bartlett. Decisions will be finalized next year with the site scheduled to open in 2012, he said. (Source: Wichita Eagle, 12/01/10)

Eglin team wins AFRL challenge

HANSCOM AIR FORCE BASE, Mass. – An Eglin Air Force Base team emerged victorious in the 2010 Air Force Research Laboratory Commander's Challenge, a competition where each team designs, develops and demonstrates a solution to an urgent warfighter need. The challenge for this year's competition involved developing a perimeter surveillance and detection system for a forward operating base and combat outposts, primarily in the Afghanistan theatre of operations. Both teams had a limited time and budget to produce a system that could be transitioned to the warfighter with very little follow-on effort. (Source: 66th Air Base Group Public Affairs, 11/29/10)

Aurora rolls out Orion UAV in Mississippi

Aurora Flight Sciences of Manassas, Va., rolled out the first of three planned Orion five-day-endurance unmanned aircraft demonstrators at its Columbus, Miss., plant Nov. 22. That's barely three months after being picked by the Air Force Research Laboratory for the first phase of the Medium-Altitude Global ISR and Communications (Magic) program. Aurora is in talks with potential system integrators to help put Orion into production if a U.S. Air Force-funded technology demonstration proves successful. Orion is designed to fly for 120 hours at 20,000 feet with a 1,000-pound multi-sensor payload. This compares with 24 hours for the MQ-1B Predator and its 450-pound payload. Sens. Thad Cochran and Roger Wicker attended the roll-out ceremony. (Sources: Aurora Flight Sciences, 11/22/10; Aviation Week, 11/26/10)

1,000th P5 pod delivered

DRS Training and Combat Control Systems of Fort Walton Beach, Fla., a business unit of DRS Defense Solutions of Bethesda, Md., has delivered its 1,000th airborne pod for the P5 Combat Training System/Tactical Combat Training System. The P5 CTS/TCTS allows the Navy, Marines, and Air Force and allies to train together using a common air combat training platform. Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., awarded the prime contract in 2003 to Cubic Defense Applications of San Diego, Calif., with DRS TCS as a principal contractor. DRS has received orders of more than $210 million for P5 pods. (Source: DRS, 11/22/10)

Two canned in tanker blunder

The Air Force said Tuesday that it fired two officials over the accidental release of bidding details to competitors for the aerial refueling tanker contract. Gen. Norton Schwartz dismissed initial reports that the release included confidential pricing information. Boeing is competing against EADS North America for the $40 billion aerial tanker contract. EADS wants to assemble the planes in Mobile, Ala. (Source: Mobile Press-Register, 11/23/10)

Airport: Feelings split on scanners

GULFPORT, Miss. - Gulfport-Biloxi International Airport gets as many comments from people who say they appreciate the enhanced safety of full body scanners as they do from those who feel it's intrusive, said Jeremiah Gerald, director of air service and business development. Air travelers at some U.S. airports are upset they must pass through full-body scannners or submit to a pat down. (Source: Sun Herald, 11/22/10) California-based Rapiscan is one of two companies making the scanners. Rapiscan has a production facility in Ocean Springs, Miss.

Goodrich ships XWB thrust reverser

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Goodrich Corp. has delivered its first thrust reversers for the Airbus A350 XWB twinjet. The thrust reversers will be installed on a Rolls-Royce Trent XWB engine to be used in the engine ground test program, scheduled to begin later this year. Goodrich shipped the thrust reversers from its facility in Chula Vista, Calif., which was also the site of final assembly. The reversers will be sent to the Rolls-Royce facility in Derby, England, for initial testing before being shipped to a Rolls-Royce ground testing site at John C. Stennis Space Center, Miss. (Source: Goodrich, 11/23/10) Goodrich's Alabama Service Center is located in Foley, Ala.

EADS, Airbus to open sourcing office

EADS North America and Airbus Americas will open a joint U.S. Sourcing Office at Airbus Americas' headquarters in Herndon, Va., in January 2011. EADS and Airbus have spent over $11 billion annually in the U.S. and support more than 200,000 American jobs. Airbus procurement from U.S.- based suppliers represents over 40 percent of its total global aircraft-related purchases. The office will be responsible for mapping out a U.S. sourcing strategy and implementing an active procurement marketing effort. The office is part of the Global Sourcing Network, an EADS-wide organization dedicated to promote the globalization of the EADS procurement activities. It has offices in China and India. (Source: EADS North America, 11/19/10) Gulf Coast note: EADS and Airbus have operations in Mobile, Ala., where EADS also hopes to assemble tankers for the Air Force if it wins a multibillion-dollar contract; EADS has a helicopter production facility in Columbus, Miss.

Contract: Lockheed Martin, $3.5M

Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., Fort Worth, Texas, is being awarded a $3,485,385,767 modification to a previously awarded cost-plus-incentive-fee contract that converts contract type from a cost-plus-incentive-fee to a fixed-price-incentive for the manufacture and delivery of F-35 Joint Strike Fighter low rate initial production Lot 4 aircraft. It provides for procurement of 10 conventional take-off and landing aircraft for the U.S. Air Force, 16 short take-off vertical landing aircraft (STOVL) for the U.S. Marine Corps; 1 STOVL for the United Kingdom Royal Navy; and four carrier variant aircraft for the U.S. Navy. The modification provides for the procurement of associated ancillary mission equipment, flight test instrumentation, and manufacturing support equipment. Work will be performed in Fort Worth, Texas, and is expected to be completed in March 2013. This modification combines purchases for the U.S. Air Force, U.S. Marine Corps, U.S. Navy and the United Kingdom. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 11/19/10) Gulf Coast note: Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is scheduled to be home of the F-35 training center.

AF sent info to wrong tanker rivals

The Air Force earlier this month sent letters to rival planemakers about their bids for the multibillion-dollar tanker contest - but delivered its technical assessment of Boeing's bid to EADS and vice versa. Air Force spokesman Col. Les Kodlick said the service is analyzing the information that was inadvertently disclosed and has taken steps to ensure that both competitors have had equal access to the same information. The service is trying to find out how the mistake happened to ensure it's not repeated. The Air Force expects to award the contract early next year. (Source: Defense News, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, HeraldNet, Mobile Press-Register, 11/19/10) Gulf Coast note: If EADS wins, the company plans to assemble the tankers in Mobile, Ala.

Contract: Bell-Boeing, $10M

Bell-Boeing Joint Project Office, Amarillo, Texas, is being awarded a $10,085,840 firm-fixed-price delivery order against a previously issued basic ordering agreement for non-recurring efforts required to complete the fuel jettison mission management restriction removal engineering change proposal (ECP) for the Air Force CV-22. This ECP will remove the fuel jettison restriction allowing the aircrew to rapidly manage CV-22 aircraft mission gross weight. Two percent of the work will be done in Fort Walton Beach, Fla. Other work sites are Ridley Park, Pa., Dallas and Fort Worth, Texas, and St. Louis, Mo. Work is expected to be completed in August 2013. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 11/19/10)

Cracks found in F35B test craft

Lockheed Martin discovered cracks in the rear bulkhead of an F-35B joint strike fighter jet undergoing fatigue testing, according to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. The cracks were found after the plane had been subjected to the equivalent of 1,500 hours of flight time. The B version is the Marine Corps variant of the stealth fighter. (Source: Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 11/17/10) Gulf Coast note: Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is scheduled to become home of the F-35 training center.

Contract: DTS, $6.7M

DTS Aviation Services Inc., Fort Worth, Texas, was awarded a $6,746,671 contract modification which will provide aircraft backshop maintenance, munitions, and equipment support services for the Air Armament Center and for Air Armament command, control, communications, computers, and intelligence systems testing for a 12-month period. At this time the entire amount has been obligated. AAC/PKOB, Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 11/17/10)

NASA teams with high schools

STENNIS SPACE CENTER, Miss. - NASA will team with students at 17 high schools in Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi and Tennessee to design and develop hardware and software products for use in America’s space program. Students will work with NASA engineers at Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., and Stennis Space Center on eight projects identified by the High Schools United with NASA to Create Hardware (HUNCH) initiative. One goal of the HUNCH initiative, launched in 2003 at Marshall, is to inspire high school students to pursue careers in science, technology or engineering fields. HUNCH teams include faculty leads and 10-15 student team members who will work with NASA mentors. Projects this year include, among other things, hardware mockup for use on the International Space Station, heavy lift space vehicle subsystems and a portable rocket engine test stand. (Source: NASA, 11/17/10)

Lockheed gets SSC contract

NASA has awarded the test operations contract at Stennis Space Center, Miss., to Lockheed Martin Services Inc. of Houston. The test operations contract is a performance based, cost-plus-award-fee contract, valued at $95.7 million, with a five-year period of performance consisting of a base period of 30 months and one option period of 30 months. As the test operations contractor, Lockheed Martin will be responsible for providing test operations, core operations and maintenance activities to support test projects at Stennis. (Source: NASA, 11/16/10)

New name eyed for Brookley

MOBILE, Ala. - Mobile Airport Authority members are considering removing the name "Brookley" from the industrial complex in downtown Mobile. Authority members Matt Metcalfe and Bert Meisler said they would prefer to see the word "Brookley" replaced by "Mobile." The discussion came up during a Monday meeting when airport staff has suggested rebranding the Brookley Field Industrial Complex as Brookley Aeroplex. Metcalfe said he would like the complex to be renamed Mobile Aeroplex. Authority members tabled the issue for a future meeting. (Source: Mobile Press-Register, 11/15/10)

NG pushes not to trim Global Hawk

Northrop Grumman launched an advertising campaign urging the public to lobby Congress not to cut budgets for Global Hawk unmanned aerial vehicle. It comes as the government considers cutting the defense budget by about $100 billion over the next five years. The campaign includes ads in newspapers and a website that makes it easy for people to email comments to members of Congress. (Source: San Diego Union Tribune, 11/15/10) Gulf Coast note: Global Hawks are built in part in Moss Point, Miss.