Biloxi native is BUMED SOY

FALLS CHURCH, Va. - The Navy's Bureau of Medicine and Surgery (BUMED) announced Jan. 27 that Biloxi, Miss., native Hospital Corpsman 1st Class Cameron Graham has been named its FY 2016 Sailor of the Year. HM1 Graham, who is assigned as an instructor at the Navy Medicine Training Support Center in San Antonio, was born in Biloxi and grew up in Spring Hill, Fla. He joined the Navy in 2007. Since then, Graham has served in several duty stations with the Marine Corps at Camp Lejeune, N.C,; Hawaii; Washington D.C., as well as three deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan. Graham will now compete for the Navy-wide Shore-based SOY competition later this year. (Source: Navy Bureau of Medicine and Surgery 01/30/16)

GA-Tupelo mod work on EMALS

General Atomics of San Diego was awarded a $532,614,821 modification to a previously awarded contract option for the manufacture, assembly, inspection, test and checkout of the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS) delivered onboard the USS Enterprise (CVN 80) aircraft carrier. The work includes installation and checkout spares, repairs, technical data, and drawing changes. Work will be performed in San Diego (26%); Mankato, Minn. (18.4%); and Tupelo, Miss. (18.1%), among other sites. Work is expected to be completed in September 2027. (Source: DOD 01/27/17) Central Mississippi Note: General Atomics has a high cycle test assembly plant at Shannon, Miss., near Tupelo, that conducts long-term reliability testing on the full-scale power train for EMALS.

MSU AFROTC earns top award

STARKVILLE, Miss. - Mississippi State University’s Air Force ROTC detachment has received the national 2016 Team Excellence Award for AFROTC, according to the Air Force’s Headquarters for Air Force ROTC. The detachment is under the command of Lt. Col. Joseph Cassidy, a professor of aerospace studies in MSU’s College of Arts and Sciences. Cassidy said support from the university and organizations such as the G.V. “Sonny” Montgomery Center for America’s Veterans, and community partners, including Columbus Air Force Base, make MSU’s detachment one of the best in the country. The national award comes shortly after Detachment 425 earned the Air Force ROTC Team Excellence Award for the Air Force ROTC Southwest Region. (Source: Mississippi State University 01/25/17)

Raytheon drops T-X competition

Raytheon and Leonardo will no longer jointly pursue the Air Force's T-X trainer competition. The companies had planned to build the plane in Mississippi. The two firms made the announcement Jan. 25, saying they were "unable to reach a business agreement that is in the best interest of the U.S. Air Force." It does not rule out Leonardo continuing to pursue the T-X competition with its T-100 offering, based on the M-346. The partnership was in danger during the fall before an Oct. 14 meeting seemed to clear the air. Sources tell Defense News the issue has focused on where the work on the plane would actually be done. The withdrawal narrows the field of competitors to Boeing with Saab, Lockheed Martin and Korean Aerospace, Northrop Grumman and BAE Systems; and Sierra Nevada and TAI. The Air Force last month released a request for proposals. (Sources: DefenseNews, Inside Defense, 01/25/17) Gulf Coast note: Raytheon in October 2016 had chosen a 130-acre site near the airport in Meridian, Miss., as the final assembly facility. (Post)

AF base access changes

Beginning Jan. 30, anyone seeking access onto Eglin (Fla.) Air Force Base with state identifications issued from Kentucky, Maine, Missouri, Montana, Pennsylvania, or a non-enhanced driver’s licenses from Minnesota and Washington will no longer be authorized access, without providing alternate identification credentials. Individuals who fall under this category, who do not have alternate IDs may be escorted onto the installation. Individuals will no longer be able to access any Air Force installations – including Keesler and Columbus in Mississippi - with a state-issued ID from Minnesota, Missouri, Washington or American Samoa beginning Aug. 15. The change aligns the AF’s installation access policy with requirements of the Real ID Act, which focuses on improving the reliability of state-issued identification documents and helps prevent a person’s ability to evade detection by using a fraudulent form of ID. (Secretary Air Force 01/25/17)

Petal firm part of AF med pact

Medical North America LLC JV of Petal, Miss., along with four other companies, have been awarded a combined $66,720,000 modification to previously awarded contracts for the Air Forces Medical Support Services program. These modifications extend the ordering period to May 24, 2018. The Air Force Medical Service has a requirement for medical support services to be provided at 67 military treatment facilities in the U.S., District of Columbia and Guam. The location of performance will be determined with each order. Work is expected to be complete by May 23, 2019. Air Force Installation Contracting Agency is the 773rd Enterprise Sourcing Squadron at Joint Base San Antonio, Texas. (Source: DOD 01/24/17)

Navy force protection exercise

Navy installations within the United States will be conducting Exercise Solid Curtain-Citadel Shield 2017 (SC-CS17) Jan. 30 through Feb. 10. All Navy installations across Florida, Louisiana and Mississippi will be participating. SC-CS17 is a two-part, anti-terrorism and force protection exercise for all state-side Navy installations. The annual exercise is designed to enhance the readiness of Navy security forces and ensure seamless interoperability among commands, services, and agency partners. Measures have been taken to minimize disruptions within local communities and to normal base operations, but there may be times when the exercise causes increased traffic around bases or delays in base access. Exercise SC-CS17 is not in response to any specific threat, but is a regularly scheduled exercise. (Source: Navy Installations Command 01/24/17)

SXP-Tunica part of Buffet takeover

Warren Buffet’s Precision Castparts, a division of Berkshire Hathaway, will buy the German company Willhelm Schulz GmbH, a maker of components for pipes, according to media sources. Mark Donegan, CEO of Precision Castparts, spoke in vague terms about the specifics of the deal, but did confirm that it would involve a takeover. Berkshire bought Precision Castparts in 2016. Schulz manufacturers high performance pipes used primarily in the oil and gas industry, with additional services for the aerospace business and other heavy industry interests. (Source: Investopedia 01/23/17) Central Mississippi Note: Schulz Xtruded Products in Tunica, Miss., specializes in a complete range of seamless stainless pipes, nickel-based and alloy pipes, metallurgically-bonded, seamless clad pipes - known as SX-Clad - and extruded shapes/profiles for aerospace applications. Clients range from oil and gas companies, power and nuclear power plants, water treatment centers, chemical and petrochemical companies and aerospace companies.

MSU-Morocco aerospace partners

STARKVILLE, Miss. - Mississippi State University’s partnership with Morocco’s Université Internationale de Rabat is being recognized as one of the top partnerships in international education. The Institute of International Education (IIE) announced Jan. 23 that the dual-degree program – in aerospace and automotive engineering - has received the 2017 IIE Andrew Heiskell Award for International Partnerships. With the recognition as America’s top international university partnership, the program will be featured as a “best practice” in international education by IIE. (Source: Mississippi State University 01/23/17)

Atlas V lifts from Cape

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – A United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket carrying the Space Based Infrared System (SBIRS) GEO Flight 3 satellite lifted off Jan. 20 from here at Space Launch Complex-41 at 6:42 p.m. CT. SBIRS GEO Flight 3 is considered one of the nation’s highest priority space programs. The mission was launched aboard an Atlas V Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle 401 configuration vehicle, which includes a 4-meter diameter large payload fairing. The Atlas V booster propulsion for this mission was powered by the RD AMROSS RD-180 engine, and the Centaur upper stage was powered by the Aerojet Rocketdyne RL10C engine. (Source: United Launch Alliance 01/20/17) Mississippi Note: Orbital ATK’s Large Composite Structures Center of Excellence in Iuka, Miss., manufactures large composite aerospace structures for the ULA Atlas V and Delta IV launch vehicles.

T-45 crash at NASM; pilots safe

MERIDIAN, Miss. - Naval Air Station Meridian reported a T-45C Goshawk jet aircraft assigned to Training Squadron Nine (VT-9) crashed in the early afternoon of Jan. 17 while conducting a training flight. The crash occurred off the east runway on base. The student and instructor pilot both ejected safely, and were taken to a local medical facility for evaluation and observation. (Source: Chief of Naval Air Training 01/17/17)

Aviation Industry Day conference

The 2017 Aviation Industry Day event will take place Jan. 17 at the Clyde Muse Center of Hinds Community College in Pearl, Miss. If you’re an architect, engineer, construction professional, attorney, real-estate professional, insurance professional, service provider, supplier, vendor, shipper or broker, the conference will assist with learning how joint ventures work, partnering, and business assistance. Among presenters will be Michael Russell, vice chair of Concessions International LLC and CEO of H.J. Russell & Co. Additionally, there will be presenters from the Jackson-Medgar Wiley Evers in Jackson, Golden Triangle Regional in Columbus, and Gulfport Biloxi International Airports. The event is free. For registration information call to (601) 664-3518 or visit the website http://jmaa.com/2017-aviation-industry-day. (Source: Mississippi Link 01/12/17)

Miss. EMS drones to the rescue

You've just exited a scenic mountain road when coming up on a tourist bus that was tipped over. After calling 911, you search the car for supplies when a flashing light appears overhead. You look to see a helping hand - an EMS response octo-copter drone drops down from above. It has been automatically guided to the location using a smartphone's GPS. Such a futuristic scenario will become reality if Dr. Italo Subbarao, senior associate dean at William Carey University College of Osteopathic Medicine in Hattiesburg, Miss., has anything to say about it. In December, Subbarao and a medical student demonstrated how two disaster drones they developed could deliver 'telemedical' packages to victims and rescue personnel in a simulated mass casualty event. EMS response drones can land places EMS ground vehicles either can’t get to or take too long. (Source: NBC News 01/12/17)

Biz trade trip to UAE, Jordan

JACKSON, Miss. - Mississippi companies interested in initiating or expanding trade with business prospects in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates and Jordan in the Middle East are invited to join a Mississippi delegation on a business development mission March 26-30. “The business development trip to Dubai and Jordan is a gateway for Mississippi businesses in a number of industries to gain access to these two Middle Eastern markets,” said Mississippi Development Authority Executive Director Glenn McCullough, Jr. The trip is open to all Mississippi-based companies. Sectors in the two markets include aerospace, aviation, communications, construction, defense, environmental, medical, oil and gas, safety and security and specialty foods and water. The deadline to register is Feb. 3. For more information call (601) 359-2952; email to asikora@mississippi.org or visit MDA’s website (Mississippi.org). (Source: Mississippi Development Authority 01/10/17)

Navy Week kicks off on Gulf Coast

Navy Week 2017 will kick off in Mobile, Ala., during February’s Mardi Gras season, and in late March in Biloxi/Gulfport, Miss., and across 13 other American cities. Navy Weeks, coordinated by the Navy Office of Community Outreach (NAVCO), are designed to give Americans the opportunity to learn about the Navy, personnel, and importance to national security. Since 2005, the Navy Week program has served as the Navy's flagship outreach effort in 71 cities across America. Navy Weeks are scheduled for the following cities in 2017: Mobile, Ala., Feb. 22-28; Gulfport/Biloxi, Miss., March 31-April 8. Additional Navy Week will be added during the year at a location and time to be determined. Last year's Navy Week program, through the execution of more than 900 individual outreach events, showcased the Navy to a combined audience of about 70 million Americans. (Source: Navy Office of Community Outreach 01/12/17)

Meridian CAP cadets’ DC adventure

Representatives of the Meridian Civil Air Patrol were among 18 cadets of the Mississippi Wing to traveled to Washington, D.C., in honor of the 75th anniversary of CAP. The CAP cadets completed the Laying of The Wreath Of the Unknown Soldiers. The group’s adventures included visiting the White House, Arlington Cemetery, and Aerospace Museum. The Mississippi Wing Civil Air Patrol cadets were the first to participate in wreath-laying at the tomb of the Unknown Soldiers. (Source: Meridian Star 01/11/17)

Meridian unit exercises with Keesler

KEESLER AFB, Miss. - The Air Force Reserve's 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron and the AF's 81st Medical Group participated in joint medical training exercise, Operation Magnolia Medical Enroute Care, on Jan. 4 at Keesler AFB and Gulfport Combat Readiness Training Center. The Keesler units partnered with the Mississippi Air National Guard's 172nd Airlift Wing and its 183rd Air Evacuation Squadron, based in Jackson, and the 186th Air Refueling Wing, based in Meridian. The joint training was very beneficial, said Lt. Col. Stan Martin, flight nurse with the 183rd AES. "When we do get deployed, we all work together as one big team, the active duty, the Reserve, and the Guard, so it's very rewarding to be able to do these kinds of missions," he said. (Source: Keesler AFB 01/10/17)

AF releases RFP for T-X trainer

WASHINGTON - The battle to build the Air Force’s $16.3 billion T-X trainer officially kicked off Jan. 6 with its release of the final Request For Proposals. The competition will likely pit defense contractors Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Northrop Grumman, Raytheon and Sierra Nevada Corp. against one another. The T-X will replace the T-38 and will be the first trainer designed to train F-22 and F-35 fifth-generation pilots. F-35 Air Force pilots and maintenance personnel are initially trained at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. T-38s are used at Tyndall AFB, Fla., to dogfight with F-22 pilots. The winner of the contract - planned for award this year - will likely be responsible for manufacturing all 350 aircraft. Initial operating capability for the T-X is planned for the end of FY 2024. Raytheon opted to update its T-100 existing design, and has partnered with Leonardo, Honeywell and CAE, to manufacture the trainers in Meridian, Miss. (Source: Defense News 01/06/17)

Aero aftermarket services

One of the more dynamic arenas in the aerospace industry across 2017 will be aftermarket services; and where Tier 1 suppliers will be looking to gain additional profits. The Tier 1’s will continue to take additional control - by signing long-term maintenance contracts or Pay-By-The-Hour agreements with airlines. The move does not come without resistance from the rest of the market, as they will be jostling with traditional MROs to operate in this space. (Source: MRO Network 01/04/17)

Aero-engines conference in SA

The international aero-engine community is scheduled to meet at the Aero-Engines Americas conference Feb. 2-3 at the Grant Hyatt in San Antonio, Texas. It is the only conference dedicated to the Americas' engine MRO industry and represents the opportunity to network with more than 250 attendees from airlines, OEMs, MRO service providers and suppliers. (Source: Aviation Week 01/03/17)