Contract: W R Systems, $26.9M

W R Systems Ltd., Fairfax, Va., is being awarded a $26,946,956 contract for in-service engineering technical support services for various navigation systems. This contract combines purchases for the Navy, and foreign governments under the Foreign Military Sales Program. Three percent of the work will be done in Pascagoula, Miss., and 75 percent in Hampton Roads, Va. Other sites are in Hawaii, California, Connecticut, Florida, Texas, Washington and foreign military sites and is expected to be completed by October 2010. The Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center Atlantic is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 10/30/09)

Contract: L-3, $24.6M

L-3 Communications Vertex Aerospace LLC, Madison, Miss., is being awarded a $24,605,198 modification to a previously awarded contract to exercise an option for organizational, selected intermediate and limited depot level maintenance for F-16, F-18, H-60 and E-2C aircraft operated by the adversary squadrons based at Naval Air Station, Fallon, Nev. Work will be performed in Fallon, Nev., and is expected to be completed in October 2010. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 10/30/09)

Micro UAV training program launched

A new joint training program has been launched at a Navy outlying field near Holley in Santa Rosa County, Fla. The Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems will teach special operations personnel from all branches how to operate Battlefield Air Targeting Micro Vehicles, unmanned aircraft now used in Iraq and Afghanistan. The training center falls under the Air Force Special Operations Command at Hurlburt Field. There was a ribbon-cutting Thursday. The first class has 11 students. (Source: Northwest Florida Daily News, 10/29/09)

AF releases short list for F-35

Eleven Air Force and Air Guard bases are on the short list to gain hundreds of F-35 fighters, the Air Force announced. Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., was chosen some time back as the Joint Strike Fighter Training Center, but since then other communities with bases have launched efforts to get the Air Force to choose them for other F-35s to replace retiring F-16s and F-15s. The Air Force proposed operating F-35s out of Hill Air Force Base, Utah; Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho; Shaw Air Force Base, S.C.; and two Air Guard bases. The 11 bases were selected after the Air Force evaluated 205 of its installations. (Source: Air Force Times, 10/29/09)

Contract: Bell, $13.2M

Bell Aerospace Services Inc., Bedford, Texas, is being awarded a $13,199,152 contract to provide up to 145,152 hours of contractor engineering technical services on-site proficiency training for the airframe, avionics, and electrical systems of the H-1 aircraft. Nine percent of the work will be performed in New Orleans, La., and 53 percent in Camp Pendleton, Calif. Other sites are Cherry Point, N.C., New River, N.C., Johnstown, Pa., Okinawa, Japan, and Atlanta, and is expected to be completed in October 2012. The Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division, China Lake, Calif., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 10/29/09)

Boeing puts second 787 line in S.C.

Boeing has chosen its North Charleston, S.C., facility as the location for a second final assembly site for the 787 Dreamliner program. In addition to serving as a location for final assembly of 787 Dreamliners, the facility also will support the testing and delivery of the airplanes. The Washington Roundtable, a group representing executives of private sector employers in Washington state, said the decision shows the group needs to work harder to make changes to make the state more competitive. (Sources: Boeing, Business Wire, 10/28/09) Gulf Coast note: The decision is of interest to the Gulf Coast, where Boeing is competing against the Northrop Grumman/EADS team to build tankers for the Air Force. EADS wants to assemble them in Mobile, Ala.

Leaders to debate next step in space

Aerospace industry leaders will meet in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 2 to debate the future of America’s space programs in light of the recent findings by the Augustine Commission. It’s also occurring after the successful launch of Ares I-X on Wednesday. The half-day event will feature panelists from leading space exploration companies as well as from NASA and academia. It’s organized by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. (Source: Business Wire, 10/27/09) Gulf Coast note: The Gulf Coast is involved in the space program through Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans and Stennis Space Center in Mississippi.

Contract: McDonnell, $72M

McDonnell Douglas Corp., of St. Louis, Missouri, was awarded a $72,022,275 contract to provide 2,925 Lot 14 guided vehicle kits for joint direct attack munition purposes. At this time, the entire amount has been obligated. 678 ARSS/PK, Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 10/28/09)

Northrop won't rule out tanker boycott

Reuters is reporting that Northrop Grumman left open the possibility it might boycott the Pentagon's aerial tanker competition, faulting draft bidding rules and expanding a complaint that rival Boeing was given an unfair edge. Northrop, partnered with Europe's EADS, said Wednesday the proposed rules set up a cost shootout with Boeing that would spur a race to the bottom and reduce the capabilities of the refueling tankers. (Source: Reuters, 10/28/09) Gulf Coast note: The Northrop/EADS team wants to assemble the tankers in Mobile, Ala.

Ares I-X launched

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. - NASA successfully launched the Ares I-X rocket Wednesday after scrubbing the launch Tuesday due to weather. The prototype rocket was scheduled to fly about two minutes before the first-stage booster burns out and drops in the Atlantic for recovery. The Ares I-X is part of the Constellation Program, which is designed to return astronauts to the moon and beyond. The rocket is 327 feet tall. (Source: NASA, 10/28/09) Gulf Coast note: Both Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans and Stennis Space Center in Mississippi are involved in the Constellation Program.

College names scholarship for Goldman

Meridian Community College in Meridian has established an engineering scholarship in honor of alumnus Gene Goldman, director of NASA's John C. Stennis Space Center in Hancock County. The first $1,000 scholarship will be awarded to an engineering student attending MCC during the 2010 spring semester. As an MCC graduate, Goldman went on to earn the Registered Professional Engineer-Civil certification and a Bachelor of Science degree in civil engineering from Mississippi State University in Starkville. (Source: NASA, 10/23/09)

Tanker fight escalates - again

Lawmakers who support Boeing and those who support Northrop Grumman/EADS in the battle over a $35 billion Air Force tanker project are concerned about the fairness of the draft request for bids issued last month. In separate letters, Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Ala., and Rep. Norman Dicks, D-Wash., expressed concerns. The battle for some times now has been less about planes and more about jobs. Boeing wants to build them in Washington, and Northrop/EADS want to build them in Mobile, Ala. Both sides have major lobbying efforts. Northrop is expected to hold a press conference Wednesday to respond to the draft request. (Source: Multiple, including AP, 10/27/09)

Ares I-X launch scrubbed

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. - NASA scrubbed the launch of its Ares I-X rocket because of the weather, but the agency will try again on Wednesday. The flight is part of the Constellation Program, NASA’s bid to return astronauts to the moon and beyond. Should it launch Wednesday, the test will last a matter of minutes. The rocket is a sub-orbital prototype for a new booster for the shuttle’s replacement, Orion. (Source: Multiple, 10/27/09) Gulf Coast note: Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans and Stennis Space Center in Mississippi are both involved in the Constellation Program.

Ares I-X set to launch

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. – The Ares I-X is scheduled to take off Tuesday at 8 a.m. EDT in a test launch of the brand new rocket that’s part of NASA’s Constellation Program. The flight will last just minutes. NASA will broadcast the launch live on NASA TV, which will be webcast simultaneously. The rocket is a sub-orbital prototype for a new booster for the shuttle’s replacement, Orion. The rocket is 327 feet tall. (Source: Multiple, 10/26/09) Gulf Coast note: Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans and Stennis Space Center in Mississippi are both involved in the Constellation Program.

JASSM passes test

EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. - The Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile, JASSM, successfully completed Lot 7 Reliability Assessment Program flight tests with 15 successes out of 16 flights Oct. 22. The tests were conducted by the Air Force at White Sands Missile Range, N.M., using B-52 bombers from Barksdale Air Force Base, La., and F-16 fighters from Eglin against a wide range of targets and various scenarios. The tests pave the way for awarding the Lot 8 production contract to Lockheed Martin. JASSM is a stealthy, conventional, precision, launch-and-leave, standoff missile that can be launched from fighters and bombers. A 2,000-pound class weapon with a combination penetrator/blast fragmentation warhead, JASSM cruises autonomously using an infrared seeker in addition to the anti-jam GPS to find a specific point on the target. Eglin is home of the Air Armament Center, which oversees the development of air weapons systems. (Source: Eglin Air Force Base, 10/23/09)

Four-state lobbying group announced

BAY MINETTE, Ala. – The battle between two regions over the Air Force tanker project escalated Monday when the governors of Alabama and Mississippi jointly announced formation of the Aerospace Alliance, a four-state effort to promote the Gulf Coast region's aerospace activities. It's first task will be to support Northrop Grumman and EADS’ effort to win the $35 billion Air Force tanker project. EADS wants to assemble the planes in Mobile, Ala., while competitor Boeing wants to build them in Washington state and Kansas. A large number of people, many of them elected officials, turned out for the announcement at Faulkner State Community College. Alabama Gov. Bob Riley was there and Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour spoke to the gathering via satellite. Joining them were representatives from Northrop Grumman and EADS. Boeing has its own large lobbying effort that includes backing from congressional delegations in Kansas and Washington, labor unions, and others. Northrop/EADS won the contract in 2008 but a Boeing protest was upheld. The new group’s Web site is at http://www.aerospacealliance.com/. (Source: Tcp, 10/26/09)

Eglin group wins DoD award

EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. - The 708th Armament Systems Group has been recognized for unprecedented acquisition management success with selection by the Department of Defense as the winner of 2009 David Packard Excellence in Acquisition Award. The award singles out the group as the best acquisition team in the Air Force. The 708th delivered a new laser-guided version of the Joint Direct Attack Munition to warfighters in 11 months. The award will be presented Nov. 3. (Source: Eglin Air Force Base, 10/23/09)

NASA Global Hawk returns to flight

EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. - NASA and Northrop Grumman Friday announced the initial return to flight of a Global Hawk planned for environmental science research. Dryden Flight Research Center and Northrop are returning NASA's two Global Hawks to flight under a Space Act Agreement signed in 2008. The two aircraft were among seven Global Hawks built and flown in the original Advanced Concept Technology Demonstration program. The aircraft that flew for about four hours Friday last took to the skies in May 2003. (Source: NASA, 10/23/09) Gulf Coast note: Portions of current Global Hawks are built in Moss Point, Miss.

Boeing won't release pricing

Reuters reports that Boeing declined a Pentagon request to release its pricing information from the last aerial tanker competition to Northrop Grumman. The Pentagon gave Boeing information on the winning bidders pricing after Boeing lost the contest in 2008 to the Northrop Grumman/EADS team. That’s common. But Boeing’s protest of the award was upheld and the battle over the tanker contract has been renewed. That led Northrop to seek Boeing’s pricing information. A Pentagon general counsel told Northrop in a letter Sept. 23, a copy of which was obtained by Reuters, that the Pentagon "sought Boeing's permission to release this information, and Boeing declined," according to the letter. (Source: Reuters, 10/23/09) Gulf Coast note: Northrop/EADS plan to assemble the tanker in Mobile, Ala., if they win the contract.

Frontier to restart New Orleans service

NEW ORLEANS, La. - Frontier Airlines will return to the Louis Armstrong International Airport next year for the first time since Hurricane Katrina, offering a daily service to Denver beginning June 15. In addition, Southwest Airlines, which trimmed New Orleans service after the hurricane, is adding two daily trips in May. One is a direct flight to St. Louis and the other is a second flight to Denver. (Source: New Orleans Times-Picayune, 10/23/09)