 | |  | |  | |  | |  |
| Regional aerospace news 2008 |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
JUNE 2008
Larger Global Hawk delivered
The latest upgrade of the Northrop Grumman Global Hawk, the Block 20, has been
delivered to the 9th Reconnaissance Wing at Beale AFB, Calif. The Block 20 has a bigger
airframe and a wider wingspan than the Block 10. Northrop will also produce Block 30 and
Block 40 models of the Global Hawk, which are scheduled to be fielded in 2011. Portions
of the fuselage of the newly delivered Global Hawk were built in Moss Point, Miss.
(Multiple, 06/30/08)
Hixardt gets contract with Eglin
PENSACOLA, Fla. – Hixardt Technology, a Pensacola-based information technology firm,
received a five-year, $18 million contract from Eglin Air Force Base. Hixardt will provide
base level software support and manage all software purchases and licensing for Eglin.
(Source: Pensacola News Journal, 06/27/08)
Alabama Aircraft taking contract fight to court
Alabama Aircraft Industries Inc. said it is taking its fight for a tanker maintenance contract
to federal court. Birmingham-based Alabama Aircraft, formerly Pemco Aviation Group Inc.,
said it would file a lawsuit in the U.S. Court of Federal Claims challenging the Air Force’s s
selection of Boeing Co. for a $1.1 billion deal to maintain refueling tankers. Alabama
Aircraft had also protested the award to the Government Accountability Office. The GAO
in December sided with Alabama Aircraft in its objection to the a cost/price evaluation in
the contract award. Despite the GAO’s ruling the Air Force earlier this month gave Boeing
the go-ahead to do the maintenance work. (Source: Mobile Press-Register, 06/27/08)
American cuts service
American Eagle flights to Chicago from Mobile, Ala., Pensacola and Fort Walton Beach,
Fla., Gulfport, Miss., and Baton Rouge, La., will be cut as part of the company’s belt-
tightening. The cuts will end direct flights to Chicago from anywhere in the Central Gulf
Coast except from New Orleans. (Source: Mobile Press-Register, The Sun Herald,
06/27/08)
Faulkner State to offer avionics
Faulkner State Community College hopes to begin avionics classes in 2009, part of a
continuing state push to expand the training of aerospace workers. The Mobile Aviation
Center will likely lease a new building for students to work on planes, replacing a
damaged hangar. Gary Branch, president of Baldwin County's Faulkner state, said he
hoped the aviation electronics program would begin on the Bay Minette campus with 25 to
30 students. That program still needs state approvals. (Source: Mobile Press-Register,
06/26/08)
Groundbreaking canceled in Mobile
MOBILE, Ala. – Northrop Grumman has postponed the planned June 28 groundbreaking
for two facilities designed to produce Air Force tankers. The announcement comes in the
wake of the Government Accountability Office siding with Boeing in its protest over the
awarding of the $35 billion contract to Northrop and partner EADS. The Air Force, which
awarded the contract in February, now faces the possibility of having to open the
competition to re-bidding. The Air Force has 60 days to respond to the ruling. No new
date has been set for the groundbreaking. (Source: Multiple, 06/20/08)
Gulf Coast attendees at Farnborough will still promote region
Next month members of a delegation from Alabama, Mississippi and Florida will be in
London for the Farnborough International Air Show. One aim of the group had been to
attract suppliers connected to the Northrop Grumman-EADS aerial tanker project. But
Wednesday’s decision by the Government Accountability Office upholding Boeing’s
protest puts a different spin on the visit. “I think we say to people, we are a burgeoning
aerospace community. That has not changed,” said Bill Sisson, vice president of
economic development for the Mobile Area Chamber of Commerce. Cindy Anderson,
executive director of Florida’s Team Santa Rosa Economic Development Council, says
aerospace and defense has been a target industry for her county for the last decade and
that won’t change with the tanker deal. In Mississippi, George Freeland, executive director
of the Jackson County Economic Development Foundation, said regardless of the GAO
decision, “the assets within this aerospace corridor are still relevant.” (Sources: Mobile
Press-Register, Mississippi Press, 06/19/08)
GAO sides with Boeing
WASHINGTON – The Government Accountability Office has sided with Boeing in its
protest of the $35 billion contract the Air Force awarded to Northrop Grumman and EADS
to build aerial tankers. The agency recommended the competition be re-opened. That
process could delay the tanker a year or longer. Northrop and EADS had planned to build
the tankers in Mobile, and Boeing wants to build them in Washington State. (Source:
Multiple, 06/18/08)
Goodrich wins contracts
FOLEY, Ala – Goodrich Corp. said Tuesday that it has won contracts worth $600 million to
build nacelles and engine pylons as part of a downsized U.S. Air Force overhaul of its C-5
Galaxy cargo planes. Goodrich's Foley facility is expected to assemble pylons and also
put together jet engine nacelles. Most of the nacelle parts will be made at the company’s
factories in Chula Vista and Riverside, Calif. Almost 800 employees work at Goodrich’s
Foley plant, with 415 working to make new components. Jeff Raley, the general manager
for new equipment, said no new jobs are expected from the C-5 program. (Source:
Mobile Press-Register, 06/18/08)
Mistake made in long-term cost of tanker
The Boeing Co. said Thursday the U.S. Air Force erred in its calculation of the long-term
costs of its bid versus that of the Northrop Grumman/EADS North America team. Chicago-
based Boeing made the assertion in a filing with the Government Accountability Office,
which is set to issue a ruling next week on Boeing’s protest. A copy of the document, filed
with GAO on April 25, was reviewed by the Press-Register Thursday. Boeing claimed its
KC-767 tanker would cost less to operate over a projected 25-year life span than the KC-
45 offered by the Northrop team. Boeing claimed the mistake raised larger questions
about the integrity of the Air Force’s evaluation. (Source: Mobile Press-Register,
06/13/08)
Northrop exec says tanker will impact region
PENSACOLA, Fla. – A Northrop Grumman vice president predicts Boeing’s protest of
Northrop Grumman’s winning bid to provide aerial tankers for the Air Force will be rejected
by the Government Accountability Office. That’s what Leroy Barnidge told members of the
Gulf Coast Economics Club during a Tuesday luncheon. Barnidge, a retired Air Force
general, also thinks the GAO report’s release next week will launch a political wrestling
match among rival congressional delegations. Northrop and its partner, EADS, plan to
build the KC-45s in Mobile. Boeing wanted to build its aircraft in Washington State.
(Source: Pensacola News Journal, 06/11/08)
Segers Aero moving headquarters to Fairhope
FAIRHOPE, Ala. – Segers Aero Corp. has purchased a 130,000 square foot facility that
formerly housed L3 Crestview Aerospace in Fairhope and will employ about 100 people at
the site. Howard Hadley, president and CEO, says the company will relocate the Rolls-
Royce T-56/501 turbine engine repair and overhaul facility from Opa Locka, Fla., and
corporate headquarters in Crestview, Fla., to the Fairhope facility. Segers specializes in
parts management and logistics as well as engine maintenance repair and overhaul. It’s a
unit of privately held Segers Aviation SA, based in Gibraltar. The Mobile Press-Register
reported the company is expected to invest between $3 million and $6 million and said
operations could begin within three months. In 2005, the company said it would move the
Opa Locka operation to Crestview, but it never erected its planned building. Hadley said
Segers wanted to leave Opa Locka because of concerns about finding workers in South
Florida in the future. "We think Alabama, northwest Florida and southeast Mississippi
probably has a better potential for aerospace workers than our current location," he said.
(Source: Baldwin County Economic Development Alliance, Mobile Press-Register,
06/06/08)
Lockheed CEO speaks in favor of tanker contract
Lockheed Martin Corp. CEO Bob Stevens spoke in favor of the Air Force’s decision to
award a tanker contract to the transatlantic team of Northrop Grumman and EADS.
Speaking at a defense industry conference in Brussels, Stevens said international
partnerships like this are indispensable in a global economy. The Air Force decision, he
said, is an example of the growing willingness of the United States to look to global
sources for vital equipment.” The Air Force chose the Northrop-EADS team in February,
but losing bidder Boeing challenged. The Government Accountability Office is scheduled
to issue a ruling by June 19. (Source: Mobile Press-Register, 06/04/08)
Commuter flight sought
PASCAGOULA, Miss. – The Jackson County Airport Authority is applying for a grant to
help secure a commuter flight from Trent Lott International Airport to New Orleans as part
of a larger plan to boost federal funding for the airport. Airport Director Carol Snapp said
there are 230,000 air passengers in the county and of those, 42 percent fly out of
Gulfport, 39 percent out of Mobile and 19 percent out of New Orleans. What they’re
working toward is securing a small commuter flight to New Orleans so that businessmen
and other passengers can make connections to other cities. (Source: The Sun Herald,
06/03/08)
MAY 2008
CEO predicts contract will stand
Ron Sugar, chief executive of Northrop Grumman Corp., told investors at a conference in
New York Friday he expects the company will keep a U.S. Air Force jet tanker contract
despite a protest by rival Boeing Co. Northrop won the potential $40 billion contract on
Feb. 29, but Boeing filed a formal protest with the U.S. Government Accountability Office.
A ruling by GAO is expected by June 19. Northrop and partner EADS North America plan
to construct a $600 million, 1,500-worker assembly plant at the Brookley Field Industrial
Complex. Airbus, an EADS subsidiary, also plans to assemble A330 freighter aircraft at
the facility. (Source: Mobile Press-Register, 05/31/08)
Brookley to close runway
MOBILE, Ala. – Airport officials are getting ready to shut down a runway at Brookley
Industrial Complex to make way for two new plants. Much of the 7,800-foot north-south
runway would disappear under the planned aircraft plants where EADS North America will
assemble airplanes and Northrop Grumman Corp. will modify some of them for use as
military refueling tankers. Plans hinge on the federal government not overturning the $40
billion tanker contract on appeal. An application is being readied for the Federal Aviation
Administration, asking for the closing of runway 18-36. (Source: Mobile Press-Register,
05/25/08)
Groundbreaking for tanker complex set
MOBILE, Ala. – Northrop Grumman and EADS North America set June 28 as the date to
break ground on an aerial tanker assembly complex at Brookley Industrial Complex. The
two companies, which beat Boeing in the contract to build tankers for the Air Force, will
hold a ceremony marking the beginning of construction on two adjoining assembly plants.
Boeing is contesting the award. A decision is expected to come down next month from the
Government Accountability Office. Ronald Sugar, Northrop Grumman chairman and chief
executive officer, said the company is “committed to transforming Mobile into the
centerpiece of an expanding aerospace corridor.” (Source: Multiple, 05/12/08)
New test and evaluation center discussed
EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. – The Air Force on Monday discussed a new plan that
would put the 46th Test Wing at Eglin Air Force Base under a new Air Force
Developmental Test and Evaluation Center. That center would be at Edwards Air Force
Base in California. In 2006 the Air Force proposed moving the 46th Test Wing to
Edwards, but the new plan would place the wing under the center but keep it at Eglin, as
least for now. (Source: WEAR-TV 3, 05/12/08)
First series of Ares engine tests completed at Stennis
STENNIS SPACE CENTER, Miss. – NASA engineers Thursday completed the first series
of tests in the early development of the J-2X engine that will power the upper stages of the
Ares I and Ares V rockets that will be used in the Constellation Program. Ares I will launch
the Orion spacecraft that will take astronauts to the International Space Station and then
to the moon by 2020. The Ares V will carry cargo and components into orbit for trips to
the moon and later to Mars. NASA conducted nine tests of heritage J-2 engine
components from December to May to verify heritage J-2 performance data and explore
performance boundaries. Data from the tests will be used to refine the design of the J-2X
pumps and other engine components to provide the additional performance required. The
J-2X engine is being designed to produce 294,000 pounds of thrust; the original J-2
produced 230,000 pounds of thrust. Pratt and Whitney Rocketdyne will design, develop,
test and evaluate the engine. (Source: NASA, 05/09/08)
UAV flight tests in South Mississippi get nod
MOSS POINT, Miss. – Beginning in August, Fire Scout unmanned aerial systems can be
flight tested in the same location where final assembly is done – South Mississippi. The
FAA issued to the Navy the authorization for tests from Trent Lott International Airport
south to the Gulf of Mexico. Fire Scouts are unmanned helicopters that will be used by the
Navy for reconnaissance. Final assembly is done at the Northrop Grumman Unmanned
Systems Center in Moss Point. (Source: Tcp, 05/07/08)
Goodrich to expand work
FOLEY, Ala. – Goodrich Corp. said it won a deal to build and maintain housings for
engines that will go on two new regional jet models, opening up a new line of business for
the company’s nacelle division, which employs about 800 people in Foley. The company
said the business could be worth $5 billion in the 25 years after the Mitsubishi Heavy
Industries and Bombardier planes begin flying commercially in 2013. The work is for Pratt
& Whitney, the engine maker. (Source: Mobile Press-Register, 05/01/08)
APRIL 2008
Northrop wins BAMS contract
The Navy has chosen Northrop Grumman for a $1.6 billion contract to develop an
unmanned surveillance system using Global Hawks. Some of the work will be done at
Northrop’s Unmanned Systems Center at Moss Point, Miss., which builds fuselages for the
high-altitude, combat-proven UAV. Northrop beat Lockheed Martin and Boeing for the
project. Just two months ago Northrop beat Boeing for the Air Force aerial refueling tank.
The latest contract is the largest investment by the Navy in UAVs to date. (Source:
Multiple, 04/22/08)
Stennis Space Center chosen as historic site
STENNIS SPACE CENTER, Miss. – The American Institute of Aeronautics and
Astronautics designated NASA’s John C. Stennis Space Center as a historical aerospace
site. Stennis is the fourth NASA site given the designation. Stennis, chosen in 1961 as
NASA’s engine test site, conducted its first test firing in 1966. Stennis has a trio of engine
test complexes, including the A and B test complexes used for Saturn and space shuttle
main engine testing, and the E Test Complex. Workers are also constructing a new A-3
stand for testing the J-2X rocket engine under development for the Constellation program.
The institute established the Historical Aerospace Sites Program in 2000, and has so far
designated 42 sites in 21 states and six countries as historical sites. Other sites include
Kitty Hawk, N.C., White Sands Missile Range, N.M., the first balloon launch site in
Annonay, France, and Tranquility Base on the moon. NASA sites already on the list are
Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., Johnson Space Center in Houston and
Langley Research Center in Hampton, Va. (Source: NASA, 04/10/08)
Decision nears on Navy drone
A report by Reuters says the Pentagon’s acquisition chief and other top defense officials
were slated to review this week the Navy’s $3 billion Broad Area Maritime Surveillance
program, and that a contract winner could be announced as early as next week.
Lockheed is proposing the Predator, Boeing the Gulfstream G550 and Northrop
Grumman the Global Hawk. If Northrop wins, some of the work will be done at its UAV
center in Moss Point, Miss. (Source: Reuters, 04/07/08)
Goodrich to repair parts for Airbus
FOLEY, Ala. – Goodrich signed an agreement with Airbus to repair wing elevators, flaps
and slats, landing gear doors, and engine ducts at the Foley plant. Repairing Airbus parts
will help Goodrich Corp. diversify the work at its south Baldwin County plant, and could
lead to more jobs, officials said. (Source: Mobile Press-Register, 04/02/08)
NASA worried about gap between shuttle, Constellation
NEW ORLEANS, La. – The phase out of the space shuttle program could mean the loss
of up to 1,300 jobs at the Michoud Assembly Facility during the next five years. That’s
according to a report presented to Congress on Tuesday. But hundreds of new jobs will
be created in NASA’s Constellation program, which involves replacing the shuttle with a
new manned space exploration vehicle. It’s the gap between the two programs that
concerns NASA officials. (Source: New Orleans Times-Picayune, 04/02/08)
MARCH 2008
Global Hawk sets new endurance record
An RQ-4 Global Hawk set an endurance record for a full-scale, operational unmanned
aircraft this past weekend when it completed a flight of 33.1 hours at altitudes up to
60,000 feet over Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. Officials say the UAV still had two hours
of fuel remaining. Portions of the Global Hawk are built in Moss Point, Miss. (Source:
Northrop Grumman, 03/25/08)
Lockheed wins supercomputer contract
Lockheed Martin won a $344 million contract from the Defense Department to operate
and maintain supercomputers at four research centers. The contract awarded by the
General Services Administration in Atlanta includes a one-year, $85 million base and four
one-year options. The computer systems are at the Naval Oceanographic Office at
Stennis Space Center, MS, the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center in
Vicksburg, MS, the Air Force Research Laboratory at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in
Ohio and the Laboratory at Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD. (Source: Lockheed Martin,
03/24/08)
Cyber Command to be virtual with multiple locations
Several locations linked in a virtual command will apparently end up with pieces of the new
Air Force Cyber Command. The service, which named the command the 24th Air Force,
has yet to announce how it will split 541 headquarters positions. The new command's
mission is to protect computers and networks while trying to disrupt an adversary's
access. The Cyber Command’s provisional headquarters will remain for now at Barksdale
Air Force Base in Bossier, La. Several bases, in addition to Barksdale, have made pitches
to land the headquarters. The list includes Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi, Miss., Offutt
Air Force Base in Omaha, Neb., Langley Air Force Base in Hampton, Va., and Peterson
Air Force Base in Colorado Springs, Colo. The command’s provisional boss, Maj. Gen.
William Lord, said he has to get the command running by Oct. 1. (Source: Multiple,
03/15/08)
Aircraft engine testing ends at Hucknall
Rolls-Royce announced that it has stopped testing aircraft engines at its Nottinghamshire
plant, according to a story in the Worksop Guardian of England. Rolls-Royce said it’s still
committed to the Hucknall site, which employs more than 850 people producing engine
parts, and no jobs will be lost. Engines will now be checked in the United States. The
company in 2001 decided to move testing to the United States. It later chose NASA’s John
C. Stennis Space Center, where it refurbished a test stand at the South Mississippi facility.
(Source: Press Association, 03/14/08)
Northrop Grumman increases employment estimates
Northrop Grumman Corp. says its 230 suppliers in 49 states have completed a review of
their employment projections and found the KC-45A aerial tanker project will add 48,000
direct and indirect jobs in the United States. The total does not include additional jobs that
will be created in the U.S. with the future production of commercial A330 freighter aircraft
in Alabama. The company said that in the early stages of the proposal process it used a
conservative model on the number of jobs – 25,000 – that would be created. Four new
factories will eventually be built in the United States to support the program. Two of those
will be in Mobile, Ala. Another will go in West Virginia. General Electric is considering
locating final assembly of the KC-45A engines in a new facility in Evendale, Ohio.
(Source: Northrop Grumman, 03/11/08)
Boeing files protest
The Boeing Co. on Tuesday formally protested the Air Force decision to award a $35
million to $40 million contract to Northrop Grumman and EADS to building aerial refueling
tankers. The General Accountability Office has 100 days to consider the protest. Under
the contract to Northrop, the planes are to be assembled in Mobile, Ala. (Source:
Multiple, 03/11/08)
Northrop Grumman gets sensor award
WASHINGTON — Northrop Grumman Integrated Systems has received a $73.6 million Air
Force contract to procure radar system materials, according to the Defense Department.
The company will procure parts to begin production of three sensors for new radar
systems to be installed in Air Force Global Hawk unmanned aircraft. The sensors can
detect and track moving vehicles. (Source: The Associated Press, 03/11/08)
Boeing to protest Air Force tanker contract
Boeing Co. said Monday it would protest a U.S. Air Force decision to award a $40 billion
tanker contract to Northrop Grumman and EADS. The protest is expected to be filed
Tuesday with the U.S. Government Accountability Office. Chicago-based Boeing was
considered the favorite to win the contract to replace 179 air-to-air refueling tankers. It’s
the first of three awards worth up to $100 billion. Boeing proposed the 767 and
Northrop/EADS the A330. Should the award be upheld, the planes will be assembled in
Mobile, Ala. (Source: Multiple, 03/10/08)
Boeing protest hinges on debriefing
A top Boeing Co. official said the company will protest the U.S. Air Force tanker contract
only if it finds errors in the selection process. Jim Albaugh, who led Boeing’s tanker bid as
chief executive of its Integrated Defense Systems division, told investors at a New York
conference that the decision will be made after the Air Force debriefing Friday. He said
Boeing has never protested an award in his 33 years with the company. The Air Force
last week awarded the contract to build tankers to the Northrop Grumman/EADS team.
The planes will be assembled in Mobile. (Source: Mobile Press-Register, 03/06/08)
FEBRUARY 2008
Northrop Grumman winner of tanker contest
Northrop Grumman and EADS have won the $40 billion contest to build 179 aerial tankers
for the Air Force, beating out Chicago-based Boeing. The planes will be built in Mobile,
Ala., at the site of a former Air Force base. The announcement was a major win for
Mobile, a mid-size city along the Gulf Coast that has just last year also won the
ThyssenKrupp steel plant. The tanker project is expected to have an impact as well on
both Mississippi and Florida. (Source: multiple, 02/29/08)
Decision on tanker draws near
It’s down to the wire, now. The Air Force may say as early as Monday which of two
competing proposals will land a $40 billion, 179-plane aerial tanker contract. The
Pentagon’s Defense Acquisition Board will meet Monday and could announce a decision
shortly later. Boeing is offering the KC-767 tanker, while the Northrop Grumman and
EADS team is offering the KC-30. Should Boeing win the planes will be built in Everett,
Washington, while the Northrop team plans to build them in Mobile, Ala. (Source: multiple,
including the Mobile Press-Register, Seattle Times, Reuters and AP, 02/24/08)
New proposal would not move test wing
EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. – Cutting costs and using the savings to buy new
warplanes is the premise behind another proposal involving the 46th Test Wing. But this
one doesn’t involve moving the unit. The Air Force Materiel Command is looking at
realigning three units, including the test wing, into a new test center headquartered at
Edwards Air Force Base or Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. If implemented, the proposal
means the test wing would report to the test center instead of the Air Armament Center,
but would stay at Eglin Air Force Base. (Source: Northwest Florida Daily News, 02/15/08)
NASA taking applications for program
BAY ST. LOUIS, Miss. – Students grades 9-12 can apply for NASA’s Interdisciplinary
National Science Project Incorporating Research and Education Experience. Called
INSPIRE, it’s designed to reinforce students’ aspirations to pursue science, technology,
engineering and mathematics education and careers. Applications may be downloaded at:
http://www.nasa.gov/audience/forstudents/postsecondary/programs/INSPIRE_Project.html.
Contact Joy Smith at 228-688-2118 or e-mail her at Joy.L.Smith@nasa.gov with
questions. (Source: NASA, 02/08/08)
GAO rejects Air Force appeal
The Government Accountability Office rejected an appeal from the U.S. Air Force
regarding an aircraft maintenance contract awarded to Boeing Co. The decision keeps
alive a bid from Birmingham-based Alabama Aircraft Industries Inc. Alabama Aircraft is
challenging the Air Force’s September decision to award the contract to Boeing. The GAO
on Dec. 27 upheld at least part of Alabama Aviation’s protest, faulting the Air Force for
failing to document its analysis of the cost and risks associated with Boeing’s bid.
(Source: Mobile Press-Register, 02/05/08)
JANUARY 2008
Star Aviation to pursue marine work
MOBILE, Ala. – Star Aviation, an aircraft component engineering and manufacturing firm,
wants to move into the marine engineering market. It hired Garland Borowski, who had led
Borowski Engineering & Analytical Services. Star Aviation believes it can transfer its
expertise from aviation work to ships. Borowski provided computer modeling and
simulation and had one full-time and one part-time employee. Star Aviation has more than
110 employees. (Source: Mobile Press-Register, 01/31/08)
Gulfport-Biloxi among the fastest growing metro areas
The three-county Gulfport-Biloxi Metropolitan Statistical Area is ranked 9th fastest growing
small metro areas, according to the latest list in Forbes. The metro area’s gross
metropolitan product – the value of goods and services produced – is expected to grow
23.12 percent between 2007 and 2012. Its population alone will increase by nearly 17
percent. Forbes looked at the nation’s 363 metro areas and split the list between large
and small metro areas. Forbes used projections by Moody’s Economy.com. Topping the
list of small metro areas was Mobile. The GMP for Mobile will rise 34 percent between
2007 and 2012. The top large metro area was Austin, Texas. (Source: Tcp, 01/30/08)
South Mississippi vying for Cyber Command
BILOXI, Miss. – Add another base to the list of those vying for the Air Force Cyber
Command. Keesler Air Force Base has joined bases in Virginia, Nebraska, Colorado and
Louisiana in the competition for the command that’s been temporarily set up at Louisiana’
s Barksdale Air Force Base. The command is tasked with defending the nation’s strategic
computer systems against electronic warfare. Air Force officials say a list of three or four
candidate locations will be decided in February. Keesler is the electronics training center
for the Air Force. (Source: multiple, 01/24/08)
Ground broken on R&D building
NEW ORLEANS, La. – NASA and Louisiana leaders broke ground in December for a $40
million, five-story Research and Development Administration Building at NASA’s Michoud
Assembly Facility. Managed by the Marshall Center in Huntsville, Ala., Michoud contains
one of the largest production buildings in the nation, which includes a vertical assembly
building for stacking external tank components for the Space Shuttle Program. Michoud
was chosen by NASA to support major projects for the Constellation Program, which is
developing the next-generation of exploration and launch vehicles. The facility will
manufacture the upper stage of the Ares I crew launch vehicle, the core stage and Earth
departure stage of the Ares V cargo launch vehicle and the Orion crew exploration
vehicle, and conduct final systems integration and checkout of Ares I avionics systems.
The new facility will include 350 offices; education and training resources; a top-level
conference center; and collaborative research and development space for NASA and
Michoud’s key partner organizations. The building is scheduled to open in December
2010. (Source: NASA, 01/17/08)
Airport Authority hires architect for office building
MOBILE, Ala. – The Mobile Airport Authority hired Mobile-based TAG, The Architects
Group, to design the first of up to five office buildings planned for Brookley Field Industrial
Complex. The first building is projected to cost $4.5 million and have 28,000 square feet,
said Marc Pelham of the Mobile Airport Authority. The idea is to provide office space for
suppliers to Brookley anchors like ST Mobile Aerospace Engineering, the Airbus
engineering center, and the proposed Northrop Grumman and EADS airplane plants –
should those companies win an Air Force contract to build tankers. The buildings are
planned for land across the street from the Airbus building. (Source: Mobile Press-
Register, 01/16/08)
Mississippi tax system gets high marks
A new report lists Mississippi with high marks for having a mechanism in place to review its
tax systems in light of the changing economy. A study by the Pew Center on the States
says effective tax systems are important for a state’s competitiveness. Good ones provide
stable revenue, efficient tax collection, transparent information about incentives and give
localities a say in how tax dollars are used. The study says many state tax systems fail on
these measures and lack the ability to support new economic engines. In addition to
Mississippi, other states with effective systems are Iowa, Maine, Minnesota, Nebraska,
New Jersey, Texas and Utah. (Source: Governing, 01/08)
Mississippi No. 2 in R&D earmarks
The top 10 state recipients of R&D earmarks receive nearly half the total, according to an
analysis by American Association for the Advancement of Science. Mississippi received
$250 million, second only to California. Excluding earmarks divided among three or more
states, the 10 states receive 44 percent of all R&D earmarks in 2008 by value. The 10
represents a mix of the most populous states and smaller states with members of
Congress in key appropriations committee chairmanships. Congress inserted nearly $4.5
billion in federal R&D earmarks, spread over 2,526 projects, in spending bills for fiscal
year 2008, according to AAAS. The earmarks are for projects not included in agency
budget requests. After a one-year moratorium in the 2007 fiscal year for most domestic
earmarks, Congress resumed the practice for the 2008 fiscal year with new disclosure
requirements. (Source: AAAS, 01/07/08)
Final air tanker bids submitted
Boeing and the Northrop Grumman-EADS team Thursday submitted final proposals for
the $40 billion Air Force air tanker program. The tanker that wins will replace the Air Force’
s Boeing-built KC-135 tankers. Boeing is proposing the KC-767 and Northrop the KC-30.
If Northrop wins, the planes will be built in Mobile, Ala. A decision is expected in the first
quarter of this year. (Source: multiple, 01/04/08)
Larger Global Hawk delivered
The latest upgrade of the Northrop Grumman Global Hawk, the Block 20, has been
delivered to the 9th Reconnaissance Wing at Beale AFB, Calif. The Block 20 has a bigger
airframe and a wider wingspan than the Block 10. Northrop will also produce Block 30 and
Block 40 models of the Global Hawk, which are scheduled to be fielded in 2011. Portions
of the fuselage of the newly delivered Global Hawk were built in Moss Point, Miss.
(Multiple, 06/30/08)
Hixardt gets contract with Eglin
PENSACOLA, Fla. – Hixardt Technology, a Pensacola-based information technology firm,
received a five-year, $18 million contract from Eglin Air Force Base. Hixardt will provide
base level software support and manage all software purchases and licensing for Eglin.
(Source: Pensacola News Journal, 06/27/08)
Alabama Aircraft taking contract fight to court
Alabama Aircraft Industries Inc. said it is taking its fight for a tanker maintenance contract
to federal court. Birmingham-based Alabama Aircraft, formerly Pemco Aviation Group Inc.,
said it would file a lawsuit in the U.S. Court of Federal Claims challenging the Air Force’s s
selection of Boeing Co. for a $1.1 billion deal to maintain refueling tankers. Alabama
Aircraft had also protested the award to the Government Accountability Office. The GAO
in December sided with Alabama Aircraft in its objection to the a cost/price evaluation in
the contract award. Despite the GAO’s ruling the Air Force earlier this month gave Boeing
the go-ahead to do the maintenance work. (Source: Mobile Press-Register, 06/27/08)
American cuts service
American Eagle flights to Chicago from Mobile, Ala., Pensacola and Fort Walton Beach,
Fla., Gulfport, Miss., and Baton Rouge, La., will be cut as part of the company’s belt-
tightening. The cuts will end direct flights to Chicago from anywhere in the Central Gulf
Coast except from New Orleans. (Source: Mobile Press-Register, The Sun Herald,
06/27/08)
Faulkner State to offer avionics
Faulkner State Community College hopes to begin avionics classes in 2009, part of a
continuing state push to expand the training of aerospace workers. The Mobile Aviation
Center will likely lease a new building for students to work on planes, replacing a
damaged hangar. Gary Branch, president of Baldwin County's Faulkner state, said he
hoped the aviation electronics program would begin on the Bay Minette campus with 25 to
30 students. That program still needs state approvals. (Source: Mobile Press-Register,
06/26/08)
Groundbreaking canceled in Mobile
MOBILE, Ala. – Northrop Grumman has postponed the planned June 28 groundbreaking
for two facilities designed to produce Air Force tankers. The announcement comes in the
wake of the Government Accountability Office siding with Boeing in its protest over the
awarding of the $35 billion contract to Northrop and partner EADS. The Air Force, which
awarded the contract in February, now faces the possibility of having to open the
competition to re-bidding. The Air Force has 60 days to respond to the ruling. No new
date has been set for the groundbreaking. (Source: Multiple, 06/20/08)
Gulf Coast attendees at Farnborough will still promote region
Next month members of a delegation from Alabama, Mississippi and Florida will be in
London for the Farnborough International Air Show. One aim of the group had been to
attract suppliers connected to the Northrop Grumman-EADS aerial tanker project. But
Wednesday’s decision by the Government Accountability Office upholding Boeing’s
protest puts a different spin on the visit. “I think we say to people, we are a burgeoning
aerospace community. That has not changed,” said Bill Sisson, vice president of
economic development for the Mobile Area Chamber of Commerce. Cindy Anderson,
executive director of Florida’s Team Santa Rosa Economic Development Council, says
aerospace and defense has been a target industry for her county for the last decade and
that won’t change with the tanker deal. In Mississippi, George Freeland, executive director
of the Jackson County Economic Development Foundation, said regardless of the GAO
decision, “the assets within this aerospace corridor are still relevant.” (Sources: Mobile
Press-Register, Mississippi Press, 06/19/08)
GAO sides with Boeing
WASHINGTON – The Government Accountability Office has sided with Boeing in its
protest of the $35 billion contract the Air Force awarded to Northrop Grumman and EADS
to build aerial tankers. The agency recommended the competition be re-opened. That
process could delay the tanker a year or longer. Northrop and EADS had planned to build
the tankers in Mobile, and Boeing wants to build them in Washington State. (Source:
Multiple, 06/18/08)
Goodrich wins contracts
FOLEY, Ala – Goodrich Corp. said Tuesday that it has won contracts worth $600 million to
build nacelles and engine pylons as part of a downsized U.S. Air Force overhaul of its C-5
Galaxy cargo planes. Goodrich's Foley facility is expected to assemble pylons and also
put together jet engine nacelles. Most of the nacelle parts will be made at the company’s
factories in Chula Vista and Riverside, Calif. Almost 800 employees work at Goodrich’s
Foley plant, with 415 working to make new components. Jeff Raley, the general manager
for new equipment, said no new jobs are expected from the C-5 program. (Source:
Mobile Press-Register, 06/18/08)
Mistake made in long-term cost of tanker
The Boeing Co. said Thursday the U.S. Air Force erred in its calculation of the long-term
costs of its bid versus that of the Northrop Grumman/EADS North America team. Chicago-
based Boeing made the assertion in a filing with the Government Accountability Office,
which is set to issue a ruling next week on Boeing’s protest. A copy of the document, filed
with GAO on April 25, was reviewed by the Press-Register Thursday. Boeing claimed its
KC-767 tanker would cost less to operate over a projected 25-year life span than the KC-
45 offered by the Northrop team. Boeing claimed the mistake raised larger questions
about the integrity of the Air Force’s evaluation. (Source: Mobile Press-Register,
06/13/08)
Northrop exec says tanker will impact region
PENSACOLA, Fla. – A Northrop Grumman vice president predicts Boeing’s protest of
Northrop Grumman’s winning bid to provide aerial tankers for the Air Force will be rejected
by the Government Accountability Office. That’s what Leroy Barnidge told members of the
Gulf Coast Economics Club during a Tuesday luncheon. Barnidge, a retired Air Force
general, also thinks the GAO report’s release next week will launch a political wrestling
match among rival congressional delegations. Northrop and its partner, EADS, plan to
build the KC-45s in Mobile. Boeing wanted to build its aircraft in Washington State.
(Source: Pensacola News Journal, 06/11/08)
Segers Aero moving headquarters to Fairhope
FAIRHOPE, Ala. – Segers Aero Corp. has purchased a 130,000 square foot facility that
formerly housed L3 Crestview Aerospace in Fairhope and will employ about 100 people at
the site. Howard Hadley, president and CEO, says the company will relocate the Rolls-
Royce T-56/501 turbine engine repair and overhaul facility from Opa Locka, Fla., and
corporate headquarters in Crestview, Fla., to the Fairhope facility. Segers specializes in
parts management and logistics as well as engine maintenance repair and overhaul. It’s a
unit of privately held Segers Aviation SA, based in Gibraltar. The Mobile Press-Register
reported the company is expected to invest between $3 million and $6 million and said
operations could begin within three months. In 2005, the company said it would move the
Opa Locka operation to Crestview, but it never erected its planned building. Hadley said
Segers wanted to leave Opa Locka because of concerns about finding workers in South
Florida in the future. "We think Alabama, northwest Florida and southeast Mississippi
probably has a better potential for aerospace workers than our current location," he said.
(Source: Baldwin County Economic Development Alliance, Mobile Press-Register,
06/06/08)
Lockheed CEO speaks in favor of tanker contract
Lockheed Martin Corp. CEO Bob Stevens spoke in favor of the Air Force’s decision to
award a tanker contract to the transatlantic team of Northrop Grumman and EADS.
Speaking at a defense industry conference in Brussels, Stevens said international
partnerships like this are indispensable in a global economy. The Air Force decision, he
said, is an example of the growing willingness of the United States to look to global
sources for vital equipment.” The Air Force chose the Northrop-EADS team in February,
but losing bidder Boeing challenged. The Government Accountability Office is scheduled
to issue a ruling by June 19. (Source: Mobile Press-Register, 06/04/08)
Commuter flight sought
PASCAGOULA, Miss. – The Jackson County Airport Authority is applying for a grant to
help secure a commuter flight from Trent Lott International Airport to New Orleans as part
of a larger plan to boost federal funding for the airport. Airport Director Carol Snapp said
there are 230,000 air passengers in the county and of those, 42 percent fly out of
Gulfport, 39 percent out of Mobile and 19 percent out of New Orleans. What they’re
working toward is securing a small commuter flight to New Orleans so that businessmen
and other passengers can make connections to other cities. (Source: The Sun Herald,
06/03/08)
MAY 2008
CEO predicts contract will stand
Ron Sugar, chief executive of Northrop Grumman Corp., told investors at a conference in
New York Friday he expects the company will keep a U.S. Air Force jet tanker contract
despite a protest by rival Boeing Co. Northrop won the potential $40 billion contract on
Feb. 29, but Boeing filed a formal protest with the U.S. Government Accountability Office.
A ruling by GAO is expected by June 19. Northrop and partner EADS North America plan
to construct a $600 million, 1,500-worker assembly plant at the Brookley Field Industrial
Complex. Airbus, an EADS subsidiary, also plans to assemble A330 freighter aircraft at
the facility. (Source: Mobile Press-Register, 05/31/08)
Brookley to close runway
MOBILE, Ala. – Airport officials are getting ready to shut down a runway at Brookley
Industrial Complex to make way for two new plants. Much of the 7,800-foot north-south
runway would disappear under the planned aircraft plants where EADS North America will
assemble airplanes and Northrop Grumman Corp. will modify some of them for use as
military refueling tankers. Plans hinge on the federal government not overturning the $40
billion tanker contract on appeal. An application is being readied for the Federal Aviation
Administration, asking for the closing of runway 18-36. (Source: Mobile Press-Register,
05/25/08)
Groundbreaking for tanker complex set
MOBILE, Ala. – Northrop Grumman and EADS North America set June 28 as the date to
break ground on an aerial tanker assembly complex at Brookley Industrial Complex. The
two companies, which beat Boeing in the contract to build tankers for the Air Force, will
hold a ceremony marking the beginning of construction on two adjoining assembly plants.
Boeing is contesting the award. A decision is expected to come down next month from the
Government Accountability Office. Ronald Sugar, Northrop Grumman chairman and chief
executive officer, said the company is “committed to transforming Mobile into the
centerpiece of an expanding aerospace corridor.” (Source: Multiple, 05/12/08)
New test and evaluation center discussed
EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. – The Air Force on Monday discussed a new plan that
would put the 46th Test Wing at Eglin Air Force Base under a new Air Force
Developmental Test and Evaluation Center. That center would be at Edwards Air Force
Base in California. In 2006 the Air Force proposed moving the 46th Test Wing to
Edwards, but the new plan would place the wing under the center but keep it at Eglin, as
least for now. (Source: WEAR-TV 3, 05/12/08)
First series of Ares engine tests completed at Stennis
STENNIS SPACE CENTER, Miss. – NASA engineers Thursday completed the first series
of tests in the early development of the J-2X engine that will power the upper stages of the
Ares I and Ares V rockets that will be used in the Constellation Program. Ares I will launch
the Orion spacecraft that will take astronauts to the International Space Station and then
to the moon by 2020. The Ares V will carry cargo and components into orbit for trips to
the moon and later to Mars. NASA conducted nine tests of heritage J-2 engine
components from December to May to verify heritage J-2 performance data and explore
performance boundaries. Data from the tests will be used to refine the design of the J-2X
pumps and other engine components to provide the additional performance required. The
J-2X engine is being designed to produce 294,000 pounds of thrust; the original J-2
produced 230,000 pounds of thrust. Pratt and Whitney Rocketdyne will design, develop,
test and evaluate the engine. (Source: NASA, 05/09/08)
UAV flight tests in South Mississippi get nod
MOSS POINT, Miss. – Beginning in August, Fire Scout unmanned aerial systems can be
flight tested in the same location where final assembly is done – South Mississippi. The
FAA issued to the Navy the authorization for tests from Trent Lott International Airport
south to the Gulf of Mexico. Fire Scouts are unmanned helicopters that will be used by the
Navy for reconnaissance. Final assembly is done at the Northrop Grumman Unmanned
Systems Center in Moss Point. (Source: Tcp, 05/07/08)
Goodrich to expand work
FOLEY, Ala. – Goodrich Corp. said it won a deal to build and maintain housings for
engines that will go on two new regional jet models, opening up a new line of business for
the company’s nacelle division, which employs about 800 people in Foley. The company
said the business could be worth $5 billion in the 25 years after the Mitsubishi Heavy
Industries and Bombardier planes begin flying commercially in 2013. The work is for Pratt
& Whitney, the engine maker. (Source: Mobile Press-Register, 05/01/08)
APRIL 2008
Northrop wins BAMS contract
The Navy has chosen Northrop Grumman for a $1.6 billion contract to develop an
unmanned surveillance system using Global Hawks. Some of the work will be done at
Northrop’s Unmanned Systems Center at Moss Point, Miss., which builds fuselages for the
high-altitude, combat-proven UAV. Northrop beat Lockheed Martin and Boeing for the
project. Just two months ago Northrop beat Boeing for the Air Force aerial refueling tank.
The latest contract is the largest investment by the Navy in UAVs to date. (Source:
Multiple, 04/22/08)
Stennis Space Center chosen as historic site
STENNIS SPACE CENTER, Miss. – The American Institute of Aeronautics and
Astronautics designated NASA’s John C. Stennis Space Center as a historical aerospace
site. Stennis is the fourth NASA site given the designation. Stennis, chosen in 1961 as
NASA’s engine test site, conducted its first test firing in 1966. Stennis has a trio of engine
test complexes, including the A and B test complexes used for Saturn and space shuttle
main engine testing, and the E Test Complex. Workers are also constructing a new A-3
stand for testing the J-2X rocket engine under development for the Constellation program.
The institute established the Historical Aerospace Sites Program in 2000, and has so far
designated 42 sites in 21 states and six countries as historical sites. Other sites include
Kitty Hawk, N.C., White Sands Missile Range, N.M., the first balloon launch site in
Annonay, France, and Tranquility Base on the moon. NASA sites already on the list are
Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., Johnson Space Center in Houston and
Langley Research Center in Hampton, Va. (Source: NASA, 04/10/08)
Decision nears on Navy drone
A report by Reuters says the Pentagon’s acquisition chief and other top defense officials
were slated to review this week the Navy’s $3 billion Broad Area Maritime Surveillance
program, and that a contract winner could be announced as early as next week.
Lockheed is proposing the Predator, Boeing the Gulfstream G550 and Northrop
Grumman the Global Hawk. If Northrop wins, some of the work will be done at its UAV
center in Moss Point, Miss. (Source: Reuters, 04/07/08)
Goodrich to repair parts for Airbus
FOLEY, Ala. – Goodrich signed an agreement with Airbus to repair wing elevators, flaps
and slats, landing gear doors, and engine ducts at the Foley plant. Repairing Airbus parts
will help Goodrich Corp. diversify the work at its south Baldwin County plant, and could
lead to more jobs, officials said. (Source: Mobile Press-Register, 04/02/08)
NASA worried about gap between shuttle, Constellation
NEW ORLEANS, La. – The phase out of the space shuttle program could mean the loss
of up to 1,300 jobs at the Michoud Assembly Facility during the next five years. That’s
according to a report presented to Congress on Tuesday. But hundreds of new jobs will
be created in NASA’s Constellation program, which involves replacing the shuttle with a
new manned space exploration vehicle. It’s the gap between the two programs that
concerns NASA officials. (Source: New Orleans Times-Picayune, 04/02/08)
MARCH 2008
Global Hawk sets new endurance record
An RQ-4 Global Hawk set an endurance record for a full-scale, operational unmanned
aircraft this past weekend when it completed a flight of 33.1 hours at altitudes up to
60,000 feet over Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. Officials say the UAV still had two hours
of fuel remaining. Portions of the Global Hawk are built in Moss Point, Miss. (Source:
Northrop Grumman, 03/25/08)
Lockheed wins supercomputer contract
Lockheed Martin won a $344 million contract from the Defense Department to operate
and maintain supercomputers at four research centers. The contract awarded by the
General Services Administration in Atlanta includes a one-year, $85 million base and four
one-year options. The computer systems are at the Naval Oceanographic Office at
Stennis Space Center, MS, the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center in
Vicksburg, MS, the Air Force Research Laboratory at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in
Ohio and the Laboratory at Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD. (Source: Lockheed Martin,
03/24/08)
Cyber Command to be virtual with multiple locations
Several locations linked in a virtual command will apparently end up with pieces of the new
Air Force Cyber Command. The service, which named the command the 24th Air Force,
has yet to announce how it will split 541 headquarters positions. The new command's
mission is to protect computers and networks while trying to disrupt an adversary's
access. The Cyber Command’s provisional headquarters will remain for now at Barksdale
Air Force Base in Bossier, La. Several bases, in addition to Barksdale, have made pitches
to land the headquarters. The list includes Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi, Miss., Offutt
Air Force Base in Omaha, Neb., Langley Air Force Base in Hampton, Va., and Peterson
Air Force Base in Colorado Springs, Colo. The command’s provisional boss, Maj. Gen.
William Lord, said he has to get the command running by Oct. 1. (Source: Multiple,
03/15/08)
Aircraft engine testing ends at Hucknall
Rolls-Royce announced that it has stopped testing aircraft engines at its Nottinghamshire
plant, according to a story in the Worksop Guardian of England. Rolls-Royce said it’s still
committed to the Hucknall site, which employs more than 850 people producing engine
parts, and no jobs will be lost. Engines will now be checked in the United States. The
company in 2001 decided to move testing to the United States. It later chose NASA’s John
C. Stennis Space Center, where it refurbished a test stand at the South Mississippi facility.
(Source: Press Association, 03/14/08)
Northrop Grumman increases employment estimates
Northrop Grumman Corp. says its 230 suppliers in 49 states have completed a review of
their employment projections and found the KC-45A aerial tanker project will add 48,000
direct and indirect jobs in the United States. The total does not include additional jobs that
will be created in the U.S. with the future production of commercial A330 freighter aircraft
in Alabama. The company said that in the early stages of the proposal process it used a
conservative model on the number of jobs – 25,000 – that would be created. Four new
factories will eventually be built in the United States to support the program. Two of those
will be in Mobile, Ala. Another will go in West Virginia. General Electric is considering
locating final assembly of the KC-45A engines in a new facility in Evendale, Ohio.
(Source: Northrop Grumman, 03/11/08)
Boeing files protest
The Boeing Co. on Tuesday formally protested the Air Force decision to award a $35
million to $40 million contract to Northrop Grumman and EADS to building aerial refueling
tankers. The General Accountability Office has 100 days to consider the protest. Under
the contract to Northrop, the planes are to be assembled in Mobile, Ala. (Source:
Multiple, 03/11/08)
Northrop Grumman gets sensor award
WASHINGTON — Northrop Grumman Integrated Systems has received a $73.6 million Air
Force contract to procure radar system materials, according to the Defense Department.
The company will procure parts to begin production of three sensors for new radar
systems to be installed in Air Force Global Hawk unmanned aircraft. The sensors can
detect and track moving vehicles. (Source: The Associated Press, 03/11/08)
Boeing to protest Air Force tanker contract
Boeing Co. said Monday it would protest a U.S. Air Force decision to award a $40 billion
tanker contract to Northrop Grumman and EADS. The protest is expected to be filed
Tuesday with the U.S. Government Accountability Office. Chicago-based Boeing was
considered the favorite to win the contract to replace 179 air-to-air refueling tankers. It’s
the first of three awards worth up to $100 billion. Boeing proposed the 767 and
Northrop/EADS the A330. Should the award be upheld, the planes will be assembled in
Mobile, Ala. (Source: Multiple, 03/10/08)
Boeing protest hinges on debriefing
A top Boeing Co. official said the company will protest the U.S. Air Force tanker contract
only if it finds errors in the selection process. Jim Albaugh, who led Boeing’s tanker bid as
chief executive of its Integrated Defense Systems division, told investors at a New York
conference that the decision will be made after the Air Force debriefing Friday. He said
Boeing has never protested an award in his 33 years with the company. The Air Force
last week awarded the contract to build tankers to the Northrop Grumman/EADS team.
The planes will be assembled in Mobile. (Source: Mobile Press-Register, 03/06/08)
FEBRUARY 2008
Northrop Grumman winner of tanker contest
Northrop Grumman and EADS have won the $40 billion contest to build 179 aerial tankers
for the Air Force, beating out Chicago-based Boeing. The planes will be built in Mobile,
Ala., at the site of a former Air Force base. The announcement was a major win for
Mobile, a mid-size city along the Gulf Coast that has just last year also won the
ThyssenKrupp steel plant. The tanker project is expected to have an impact as well on
both Mississippi and Florida. (Source: multiple, 02/29/08)
Decision on tanker draws near
It’s down to the wire, now. The Air Force may say as early as Monday which of two
competing proposals will land a $40 billion, 179-plane aerial tanker contract. The
Pentagon’s Defense Acquisition Board will meet Monday and could announce a decision
shortly later. Boeing is offering the KC-767 tanker, while the Northrop Grumman and
EADS team is offering the KC-30. Should Boeing win the planes will be built in Everett,
Washington, while the Northrop team plans to build them in Mobile, Ala. (Source: multiple,
including the Mobile Press-Register, Seattle Times, Reuters and AP, 02/24/08)
New proposal would not move test wing
EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. – Cutting costs and using the savings to buy new
warplanes is the premise behind another proposal involving the 46th Test Wing. But this
one doesn’t involve moving the unit. The Air Force Materiel Command is looking at
realigning three units, including the test wing, into a new test center headquartered at
Edwards Air Force Base or Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. If implemented, the proposal
means the test wing would report to the test center instead of the Air Armament Center,
but would stay at Eglin Air Force Base. (Source: Northwest Florida Daily News, 02/15/08)
NASA taking applications for program
BAY ST. LOUIS, Miss. – Students grades 9-12 can apply for NASA’s Interdisciplinary
National Science Project Incorporating Research and Education Experience. Called
INSPIRE, it’s designed to reinforce students’ aspirations to pursue science, technology,
engineering and mathematics education and careers. Applications may be downloaded at:
http://www.nasa.gov/audience/forstudents/postsecondary/programs/INSPIRE_Project.html.
Contact Joy Smith at 228-688-2118 or e-mail her at Joy.L.Smith@nasa.gov with
questions. (Source: NASA, 02/08/08)
GAO rejects Air Force appeal
The Government Accountability Office rejected an appeal from the U.S. Air Force
regarding an aircraft maintenance contract awarded to Boeing Co. The decision keeps
alive a bid from Birmingham-based Alabama Aircraft Industries Inc. Alabama Aircraft is
challenging the Air Force’s September decision to award the contract to Boeing. The GAO
on Dec. 27 upheld at least part of Alabama Aviation’s protest, faulting the Air Force for
failing to document its analysis of the cost and risks associated with Boeing’s bid.
(Source: Mobile Press-Register, 02/05/08)
JANUARY 2008
Star Aviation to pursue marine work
MOBILE, Ala. – Star Aviation, an aircraft component engineering and manufacturing firm,
wants to move into the marine engineering market. It hired Garland Borowski, who had led
Borowski Engineering & Analytical Services. Star Aviation believes it can transfer its
expertise from aviation work to ships. Borowski provided computer modeling and
simulation and had one full-time and one part-time employee. Star Aviation has more than
110 employees. (Source: Mobile Press-Register, 01/31/08)
Gulfport-Biloxi among the fastest growing metro areas
The three-county Gulfport-Biloxi Metropolitan Statistical Area is ranked 9th fastest growing
small metro areas, according to the latest list in Forbes. The metro area’s gross
metropolitan product – the value of goods and services produced – is expected to grow
23.12 percent between 2007 and 2012. Its population alone will increase by nearly 17
percent. Forbes looked at the nation’s 363 metro areas and split the list between large
and small metro areas. Forbes used projections by Moody’s Economy.com. Topping the
list of small metro areas was Mobile. The GMP for Mobile will rise 34 percent between
2007 and 2012. The top large metro area was Austin, Texas. (Source: Tcp, 01/30/08)
South Mississippi vying for Cyber Command
BILOXI, Miss. – Add another base to the list of those vying for the Air Force Cyber
Command. Keesler Air Force Base has joined bases in Virginia, Nebraska, Colorado and
Louisiana in the competition for the command that’s been temporarily set up at Louisiana’
s Barksdale Air Force Base. The command is tasked with defending the nation’s strategic
computer systems against electronic warfare. Air Force officials say a list of three or four
candidate locations will be decided in February. Keesler is the electronics training center
for the Air Force. (Source: multiple, 01/24/08)
Ground broken on R&D building
NEW ORLEANS, La. – NASA and Louisiana leaders broke ground in December for a $40
million, five-story Research and Development Administration Building at NASA’s Michoud
Assembly Facility. Managed by the Marshall Center in Huntsville, Ala., Michoud contains
one of the largest production buildings in the nation, which includes a vertical assembly
building for stacking external tank components for the Space Shuttle Program. Michoud
was chosen by NASA to support major projects for the Constellation Program, which is
developing the next-generation of exploration and launch vehicles. The facility will
manufacture the upper stage of the Ares I crew launch vehicle, the core stage and Earth
departure stage of the Ares V cargo launch vehicle and the Orion crew exploration
vehicle, and conduct final systems integration and checkout of Ares I avionics systems.
The new facility will include 350 offices; education and training resources; a top-level
conference center; and collaborative research and development space for NASA and
Michoud’s key partner organizations. The building is scheduled to open in December
2010. (Source: NASA, 01/17/08)
Airport Authority hires architect for office building
MOBILE, Ala. – The Mobile Airport Authority hired Mobile-based TAG, The Architects
Group, to design the first of up to five office buildings planned for Brookley Field Industrial
Complex. The first building is projected to cost $4.5 million and have 28,000 square feet,
said Marc Pelham of the Mobile Airport Authority. The idea is to provide office space for
suppliers to Brookley anchors like ST Mobile Aerospace Engineering, the Airbus
engineering center, and the proposed Northrop Grumman and EADS airplane plants –
should those companies win an Air Force contract to build tankers. The buildings are
planned for land across the street from the Airbus building. (Source: Mobile Press-
Register, 01/16/08)
Mississippi tax system gets high marks
A new report lists Mississippi with high marks for having a mechanism in place to review its
tax systems in light of the changing economy. A study by the Pew Center on the States
says effective tax systems are important for a state’s competitiveness. Good ones provide
stable revenue, efficient tax collection, transparent information about incentives and give
localities a say in how tax dollars are used. The study says many state tax systems fail on
these measures and lack the ability to support new economic engines. In addition to
Mississippi, other states with effective systems are Iowa, Maine, Minnesota, Nebraska,
New Jersey, Texas and Utah. (Source: Governing, 01/08)
Mississippi No. 2 in R&D earmarks
The top 10 state recipients of R&D earmarks receive nearly half the total, according to an
analysis by American Association for the Advancement of Science. Mississippi received
$250 million, second only to California. Excluding earmarks divided among three or more
states, the 10 states receive 44 percent of all R&D earmarks in 2008 by value. The 10
represents a mix of the most populous states and smaller states with members of
Congress in key appropriations committee chairmanships. Congress inserted nearly $4.5
billion in federal R&D earmarks, spread over 2,526 projects, in spending bills for fiscal
year 2008, according to AAAS. The earmarks are for projects not included in agency
budget requests. After a one-year moratorium in the 2007 fiscal year for most domestic
earmarks, Congress resumed the practice for the 2008 fiscal year with new disclosure
requirements. (Source: AAAS, 01/07/08)
Final air tanker bids submitted
Boeing and the Northrop Grumman-EADS team Thursday submitted final proposals for
the $40 billion Air Force air tanker program. The tanker that wins will replace the Air Force’
s Boeing-built KC-135 tankers. Boeing is proposing the KC-767 and Northrop the KC-30.
If Northrop wins, the planes will be built in Mobile, Ala. A decision is expected in the first
quarter of this year. (Source: multiple, 01/04/08)