NASA unveils SLS

NASA unveiled plans for the Space Launch System rocket, designed to take astronauts into deep space. Administrator Charles Bolden said at a Wednesday news conference that the heavy-lift SLS, more powerful than the Saturn V, will fly in 2017. It will allow astronauts to reach asteroids and Mars. SLS will be designed to carry the Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle, as well as cargo, equipment and science experiments, and serve as backup for transportation services to the International Space Station. It will use technologies from the Space Shuttle and Constellation programs to leverage proven hardware and tooling and manufacturing technology. It will use a liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen propulsion system, which will include the RS-25D/E from the Space Shuttle for the core stage and the J-2X engine for the upper stage. (Sources: Multiple, including Huntsville Times, Space Travel, Los Angeles Times, 09/14/11) Gulf Coast note: Stennis Space Center, Miss., does rocket engine testing and assembly of the J-2X. It tested all the Space Shuttle Main Engines. Michoud Assembly Facility, New Orleans, has been working on Orion.(Story) It's likely to play a role in development of the SLS.

Flight worthy Orion build begins

NASA photo

NEW ORLEANS, La. - Construction began last week on the first new NASA spacecraft built to take humans to orbit since space shuttle Endeavour left the factory in 1991. Engineers at NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans started welding together the first space-bound Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle. The first welds were completed Friday using an innovative new friction stir welding process, developed especially for Orion construction. The process creates a seamless, leak-proof bond that has proven stronger and higher in quality than can be achieved with conventional welding. After welding is completed at Michoud, the Orion spacecraft orbital test article will be shipped to NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, where the heat shield will be installed. At Kennedy, it will undergo final assembly and checkout operations for flight. The first “flight worthy” Orion is set to launch in the summer of 2013. (Source: NASA, 09/09/11)

Navy to buy larger Fire Scouts

Northrop Grumman photo

The Navy is to award Northrop Grumman a contract to supply 28 MQ-8C Fire Scout "rapid deployment capability" unmanned helicopters using the larger Bell 407 helicopter airframe to increase endurance and payload. The notice of intent says the aircraft are to be fielded by the first quarter of 2014. The Navy also evaluated the Boeing Hummingbird and Lockheed Martin/Kaman K-Max, but opted for the 407 airframe jointly developed by Northrop Grumman and Bell as the Fire-X and first flown in December. The MQ-8C will use the same systems as the MQ-8B, which is on the smaller Schweizer 333 helicopter airframe. (Source: Aviation Week, 09/09/11) Gulf Coast note: The MQ-8B is built in part in Moss Point, Miss.

Development gets mine defense business

PANAMA CITY, Fla. - The St. Joe Co. on Thursday officially welcomed ITT Corp.'s mine defense business to the VentureCrossings Enterprise Centre at West Bay, the development's first corporate tenant. ITT will be moving into a 105,000-square-foot facility. VentureCrossings is St. Joe's initial project in the West Bay Sector Plan, a 75,000-acre development that will include office, industrial, manufacturing, hotel, retail and residential uses. Sites offer direct ramp access and access to the 10,000-foot runway at Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport. (Source: Panama City News Herald, 09/08/11)

Contract: CYE, $25M

CYE Enterprises Inc., Jacksonville, Fla., is being awarded a $25,000,000 firm-fixed-price contract to furnish all plants, materials, labor, equipment, and all operations in connection with repairing and replacing roofs, Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., per the statement of work and roofing specifications. AAC/PKOA, Eglin Air Force Base, is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 09/08/11)

Contract: Jacobs, $20.2M

Jacobs Technology Inc., Tullahoma, Tenn., is being awarded a $20,255,460 indefinite-delivery, quantity cost-plus-award-fee, and cost-reimbursement contract modification to provide technical, engineering, and acquisition support at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. AAC/PKES, Eglin Air Force Base, is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 09/08/11)

NG sees global sales opportunities

Northrop Grumman CEO Wes Bush said his company, which builds the Global Hawk surveillance plane, can bolster its international sales of unmanned systems. He also said at the Reuters Aerospace and Defense Summit that he felt the U.S. government was taking steps to try to loosen export curbs on some arms. The Obama administration has been consulting Congress on plans to sell unmanned Global Hawks to South Korea. International sales currently are less than 10 percent of Northrop Grumman’s overall sales. (Source: Reuters, 09/07/11) Gulf Coast note: Global Hawks are made in part in Moss Point, Miss.

Contract: MacAulay-Brown, $26M

MacAulay-Brown, Inc., Dayton, Ohio, is being awarded a $25,969,228 firm-fixed-price delivery order with estimated cost line items under General Services Administration multiple-award, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity alliant government-wide acquisition contract for information technology and intelligence services. Specialized Contracting, HQ AFSOC/A7KQ, Hurlburt Field, Fla., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 09/02/11)

Two more F-35s arrive

Lockheed Martin photo

Two Lockheed Martin F-35As arrived at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., this week, joining two earlier arrivals that will be used for training pilots and maintainers at the new F-35 Integrated Training Center. The jets left Wednesday from Fort Worth, Texas, along with two F-16 escorts for the 90-minute flight. The two F-35s are AF-10 and AF-11 from the second lot of low-rate production aircraft. (Source: Lockheed Martin, 08/31/11)

Recycler plans Pensacola operation

PENSACOLA, Fla. - Pennsylvania-based stainless steel scrap recycler Cronimet Corp. plans to locate a manufacturing facility in Pensacola in early November, creating 15 manufacturing and administrative jobs. Cronimet recovers and reprocesses stainless steel and high-grade alloys for manufacturers, including the aerospace industry. The announcement was made by Pensacola Bay Area Chamber of Commerce CEO Jim Hizer and chamber Chairman Collier Merrill. (Source: Pensacola News Journal, 09/01/11)

Accurate hurricane forecasting at risk?

There are concerns that budget cuts could jeopardize future accurate hurricane forecasting. Proposed cuts in the budget of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and in funding for new satellites could undermine the National Hurricane Center's forecasting ability. Florida Sen. Bill Nelson told reporters in a visit to NHC headquarters in Miami that defunding NOAA programs was "like cutting off your nose to spite your face." Nelson said there was also talk about possible Defense Department cuts to funding for the 10 C-130 Super Hercules "hurricane hunter" planes based in Biloxi, Miss. He vowed that the proposed cuts would be halted in the Senate, saying the "hurricane hunter" program was about "saving lives and trying to lessen property damage." (Source: Reuters, 09/01/11)

Contract: Raytheon, $569M

Raytheon Co., Missile Systems, Tucson, Ariz., is being awarded a $569,021,288 firm-fixed-price contract modification for 234 Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missile Air Intercept Missile (AIM)-120D All-Up-Round (AUR) missiles; four AIM-120D air vehicles instrumented; eight integrated test vehicles; 101 AIM-120D Captive Air Training Missiles (CATM); 203 AIM-120C7 Foreign Military Sales (FMS) AURs; warranty for 100 CATMs; warranty for 25 AIM-120C7 AURs (Bahrain); 103 non-developmental item-airborne instrumentation units; test equipment; Air Force AIM 120D guidance section; Personnel Reliability Program Phase IV; and FMS software and contractor logistics support. This contract supports foreign military sales (23 percent). AAC/EBAC, Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 08/31/11)

Contract: InDyne, $192.8M

InDyne Inc., Reston, Va., is being awarded a $192,811,018 cost-plus-award-fee contract which exercises option two, fiscal 2012 and 2013, of Eglin Test and Training Complex Range operations and maintenance for test and training areas, and technical facilities, to include test and training mission support; engineering support for range system design, modification, configuration; and range support services to accomplish authorized range activities. AAC/PKET, Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 08/31/11)

Contract: Boeing, $14.4M

The Boeing Co., St. Louis, Mo., is being awarded a $14,370,342 firm-fixed-price contract modification to provide a quantity of 602 Joint Direct Attack Munitions. Air Armament Center/EBDK, Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 08/31/11)

Contract: EADS, $43.8M

EADS North American Defense, Arlington, Va., was awarded a $43,811,456 firm-fixed-price contract. The award will provide for the modification of an existing contract to procure 32 security and support mission equipment package production cut-in. Work will be performed in Columbus, Miss., with an estimated completion date of Aug. 31, 2013. The U.S. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Ala., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 08/29/11)

Mk 38 Tactical Laser System concept tested

BAE Systems, Boeing, and the Navy recently conducted a successful test of the Mk 38 MOD 2 Tactical Laser System concept at Eglin Air Force Base in Eglin, Fla. The concept is a proposed high energy laser addition to the Mk 38 naval gun systems currently deployed on most surface combatants. The results of the field testing demonstrated a capability to identify and classify targets and provide rapid hand-off to the Mobile Active Targeting Resource for Integrated Experiments system for interdiction. The test system fired against air and surface maritime targets. Additionally, swarm tests were conducted to simulate an attack by a large number of fast, maneuvering small boats, intermingled with neutral boat traffic. These tests demonstrated a consistent ability to detect, track, classify and engage threat vessels at tactically relevant ranges. (Source: BAE Systems via Business Wire, 08/30/11)

NG to add to Fire Scout workforce

Northrop Grumman will add 100 workers in Rancho Bernardo, Calif., to enable the company to continue developing its Fire Scout unmanned aerial vehicle and a larger version called Fire-X. About 200 employees are already assigned to the program. The company also is negotiating with the Navy to add weapons to Fire Scout, says George Vardoulakis, Northrop's vice president of tactical unmanned systems. (Source: Signon San Diego, 08/28/11) Gulf Coast note: The Unmanned Systems Center in Moss Point, Miss., builds portions of the Fire Scout.

LM, AF sign sensors deal

The Air Force and Lockheed Martin signed a five-year deal to further sensors technology. The cooperative research and development agreement (CRADA) with Air Force Research Laboratory will assess the viability of Lockheed's cooled tri-mode seeker for integration onto Air Force weapon platforms. The seeker combines several sensors and a radar that run simultaneously and share information in flight. The work will be done with AFRL's Munitions Directorate at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., according to the Dayton Business Journal. AFRL, the U.S. Air Force's science and technology program, has a $2.2 billion annual budget and performs an additional $2 billion a year in customer funded research and development. (Source: Dayton Business Journal, Lockheed Martin, 08/26/11)

F-35 gets official rollout

EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. - The Air Force officially rolled out the F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter during a ceremony Friday at the 58th Fighter Squadron Hanger. Hundreds of people attended the event, hosted by Gen. Edward Rice, Air Education and Training Command commander. Eglin is home of the F-35 training center, where pilots and maintainers from the Air Force, Navy, Marines and foreign nations will train with three variants of the fighter. Florida Sen. Don Gaetz said the F-35 will have a big impact on Northwest Florida. (Sources, multiple, including WEAR-TV, WALA-TV, 08/26/11) In a related matter, the production version of the F-35 has been cleared to fly, according to Lockheed Martin. The entire JSF fleet was grounded Aug. 2 after one jet suffered a malfunction of the integrated power package. A dozen instrumented test aircraft were OKd to fly Aug. 18, and now a half-dozen production jets, including two at Eglin, can take to the air. (Source: Air Force Times, 08/25/11)

NASA takes over plant

STENNIS SPACE CENTER, Miss. - The 1.6 million square-foot former Mississippi Army Ammunition Plant was formally turned over to NASA's John C. Stennis Space Center Wednesday, increasing NASA's total facility space at SSC by about a third. The Army plant hasn't made munitions since 1990 and was deactivated in 1992. About half the space is already occupied by a dozen employers, including Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne, the Government Printing Office, Department of Energy and the Department of Homeland Security's National Center for Critical Information Processing and Storage. The ceremony was held in the Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne engine assembly portion of the plant. Attending were NASA Deputy Administrator Lori Garver and Sen. Thad Cochran of Mississippi, who said the economic development potential is "tremendous for the Gulf Coast." (Source: Sun Herald, 08/24/11)