First, cowbells; now, drones

STARKVILLE, Miss. - A camera hovers hundreds of feet above Davis-Wade Stadium on the Mississippi State University campus on a sunny football Saturday. The high-tech tool captures stunning game-day video of the No.1 ranked Bulldogs and game-day festivities below for uploading online for viewers around the world. But, it’s prohibited by the Federal Aviation Administration. With the proliferation of low-cost drones, sporting events around the U.S. are seeing an increase in their numbers hovering over stadiums. Mississippi State University’s chief research officer, Davd Shaw, says these operators are flying in restricted airspace and is a risk to people on the ground. The FAA has specific rules about where drones can fly. According to the FAA, the airspace above the stadium - and other such venues - are “national defense airspace” on game days; and restrictions extend three miles in diameter and 3,000 feet overhead. Anyone knowingly or willfully violating the rules pertaining to operations in this airspace may be subject to certain criminal penalties; and all of these type commercial activities must have an approved certificate of operation. As a result, MSU has developed a university policy prohibiting any outdoor operation of drones - except when specifically authorized. (Source: Mississippi Business Journal, 10/30/14)

Ebola protocols not same

The Defense Department has placed stringent quarantine restrictions on military personnel returning from deployment to Ebola-affected areas of West Africa - far surpassing federal government standards. Military personnel diagnosed with Ebola would be transferred to the U.S. for treatment. But currently, there is only one type of aircraft designated to transport a sick individual from West Africa to the states. The aircraft can only transport one at a time; and make four trips a week, according to Maj. Gen. Lariviere, who testified before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. DOD has plans to buy isolation pods that could carry 15 people inside the C-17 military transport, but that purchase won’t begin until January, the general testified. The C-17 Globemaster serves as the Air Force’s primary strategic lift aircraft for global transport of troops and equipment; and is operated by the Air Mobility Command at five AFBs across the country – including Dover, Del.; Lakehurt, N.J. and Charleston, S.C. (Source: The AP, 10/31/14) Central Mississippi Note: The Air National Guard also flies C-17s from the 172nd Airlift Wing based in Jackson, Miss.

Miss. native earns undersea bronze

PANAMA CITY, Fla. - Clarksdale, Miss., native Dr. Kerry Commander was awarded the 2013 Undersea Warfare Bronze Medal Award for Technical Merit by the National Defense Industrial Association. Commander was chosen for the distinction based on numerous technical fleet program achievements he helped lay the foundation. His recognition marks the 10th Naval Surface Warfare Center Panama City, Fla., worker to earn the NDIA Bronze Award distinction for technical merit since 1998. Commander is NSWCPC’s senior leader of technical research and development initiatives within the S&T division working in support of mine/undersea warfare and expeditionary warfare. (Naval Coastal Systems Center 10/28/14)

Columbus ANG supports CONR

TYNDALL AFB, Fla. - Forty four Mississippi Air National Guardsmen from Meridian played key roles last week in support of Continental U.S. NORAD Region (CONR)-1st Air Force's (Air Forces Northern) role in the annual Vigilant Shield training exercise in Northwest Florida. The 286th Air Component Operation Squadron, a tenant of the 186th Air Refueling Wing at Key Field, augmented personnel in logistics, intelligence, communications and operations during the 10-day exercise simulating a threat against North America. The 286th ACOS’ mission is to augment CONR in its homeland defense mission. The 286th had a variety of personal staff represented," said its commander, Col. Larry Griffin. "We contribute continuity to the staff that is already in place at AFNORTH," he continued. It was the Columbus squadron’s fifth year supporting Vigilant Shield. (Source: 286th ACOS, 10/26/14).

B-29s headed to NOLA expo

BATON ROUGE, La. - The B-29 Superfortress is best known for dropping atomic bombs on Japan during WWII, but flew countless other raids. Karnig Thomasian's final mission on a B-29 ended in flames over Burma in 1945 when bombs collided in a mid-air explosion that forced him to bail out; and spend six months as a Japanese prisoner of war. On Oct. 23, he was again in a B-29 flying from Baton Rouge to this weekend’s WWII AirPower Expo in New Orleans. (Source: The Associated Press 10/24/14)

AHI to feature Astar

Airbus Helicopters Inc. will feature the Seminole County (Fla.) Sheriff’s Office new AS350B3e AStar helicopter at the 2014 International Association of Chiefs of Police Conference in Orlando from Oct 25-28. The Seminole AStar is equipped with an advanced avionics and mission equipment suite that enhances crew safety and law enforcement operational capabilities. AHI’s AS350 series helicopters are the most widely purchased (220) by U.S. law enforcement agencies. AHI leads the U.S. market in sales of new helicopters to federal, state and local law enforcement agencies over the last decade. AHI is the U.S. affiliate of Airbus Helicopters, the largest helicopter manufacturer in the world, and a subsidiary of the Airbus Group, and with a large manufacturing and production facility in Columbus, Miss. (Source: PR Web 19/12/14)

GTRA simulates tragedy

The Golden Triangle Regional Airport drew first responders from across the region Oct. 21 in a training exercise in case of a worst-case scenario. The Columbus, Miss., airport conducts required FAA training exercises every three years to ensure local responders are prepared, said GTR Executive Director Mike Hainsey. (Source: Starkville Daily News 10/22/14)

Airbus D&S contract: $82.9M

Airbus Defense and Space Inc. of Herndon, Va., was awarded an $82,917,199 modification contract to acquire 17 Lakota UH-72A helicopters with 231 airborne radios. Fiscal 2014 other procurement (Army) funds in the amount of $82,917,199 were obligated at the time of the award. After award of this modification, the total cumulative contract value will be $2,660,632,872. Estimated completion date is Jan. 31, 2016. Work will be performed at Columbus, Miss. (Source: DoD, 10/22/14)

Northrop to supply Airbus helos

ORLANDO, Fla. - Northrop Grumman has been selected by Airbus Helicopters to certify and deliver its new LCR-350 Attitude and Heading Reference System (AHRS) for several helicopter platforms. Developed by Northrop's subsidiary in Germany, LCR-350 AHRS can be used in civil and military applications on rotary- and fixed-wing platforms, providing flight control data regarding an aircraft's heading and attitude. (Source: Northrop Grumman, 10/21/14) Central Mississippi Note: Airbus Helicopters builds Lakota helicopters in Columbus, Miss.

Ex-MSU prez markets Stark

Israel Aerospace Industries is offering a lightweight UAV, a countermine package for ground vehicles, and other gear at the AUSA expo in DC this week. Subsidiary Stark Aerospace of Columbus, Miss., is offering its ArrowLite, a 5-pound, hand-launched UAV that carries day and night sensors and is designed to give ground troops better intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities. Marketing IAI’s products to US clients is the job of IAI North America’s new CEO, Robert “Doc” Foglesong. A retired vice chief of staff of the Air Force and former president of Mississippi State University, he took over the post in August while serving as CEO of IAI subsidiary Stark Aerospace. (Source: C4ISR & Networks 10/17/14)

Stark TacSA system drone

The Association of the United States Army convention in DC was an obstacle course of contractors and robot-makers this week. Despite the drawdown in Afghanistan, the military wants robotic systems to detect IEDs, tactical intelligence and to peak around corners. A young Israeli firm (Roboteam) is marketing a variety of robotics including a Tactical Situational Awareness (TacSA) system, a piece of battlefield intelligence software that manages camera and other data feeds on its Micro Tactical Ground Robot (MTGR) and other bots. The software is undergoing beta-testing and the firm plans to officially unveil it in January. The firm wants to integrate multi-robot control into an interface so users can pilot two at the same time – like an MGTR, bot and drone from Stark Aerospace. The drone would hover in "loiter mode" collecting video and other data while an operator controls the MTGR and can switch back forth. (National Journal 10/16/14) Central Mississippi Note: Stark Aerospace is a global defense contractor with main facilities located at the GTR Global Industrial Aerospace Park in Columbus, Miss. Stark operates Unmanned Aerial Systems, Sensors, Production Services and Engineering divisions.

AW contests Army’s Lakota plan

The Army’s tentative plan to acquire up to 110 Airbus UH-72A Lakota primary helicopter trainers, a military variant of Airbus Helicopter Inc.’s EC145 built at Columbus, Miss., has been met with a legal challenge from AgustaWestland alleging that the service “acted unlawfully and unreasonably” by restricting requirements and competition to AHI’s EC145. AW filed a complaint contesting the Army’s sole-source contract plans to replace its fleet of TH-67s. AW is seeking a federal temporary restraining order to block the acquisition. AW’s move is seen as primarily political. The Army has not determined how it will go about contracting for the new trainers. The decision is expected in January. (Source: AIN Online 10/16/14)

NASM celebrates Navy b-day

Naval Air Station Meridian celebrated the Navy’s 239th birthday Oct. 4. Capt. Scott A. Bunnay, base commander, was guest speaker. The traditional cake cutting was done by the most senior and junior sailors present: Command Master Chief Hayden Jones and Aviation Maintenance Administration Airman Recruit Rebecca Dobbert. In 1972, CNO Adm. Elmo Zumwalt authorized recognition of October 13 as the Navy's birthday. (NAS Meridian 10/08/14)

Stark intros ‘ProtectLite’

Stark Aerospace of Columbus, Miss., will introduce a new, lightweight armor called ‘ProtectLite’ at the 2014 AUSA Annual Meeting & Exposition Oct. 13-15 in DC. Comprising a matrix of ceramic cylinders, ProtectLite armor offers a cost effective lightweight, highly resilient, survivability solution for vehicle armor. Stark-Columbus’ Aerospace’s Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) team also produces ArrowLite, Hunter MQ-5B and Heron UAS and at its technologically advanced Columbus production center. (Source: Defense Update 10/13/14)

DOT rejects Jackson airport

Direct flights to Florida from Jackson-Municipal Airport took a nose dive Sept. 30. The U.S. Department of Transportation rejected its application for a Small Community Air Service Grant. The application was to be used to restore a “fare-reasonable” airline to replace the departed Southwest Airlines’ Orlando direct-to-Orlando flights. Other airport carriers have added flights to connecting flights via Atlanta and Houston. Allegiant Airlines flies to Sanford, Fla., in the Orlando area. (Source: Clarion-Ledger 10/09/14) Central Mississippi Note: Columbus received a grant this year for $750,000 to develop direct service to Houston, Dallas or Denver.

Aurora awarded SideArm pact

MANASSAS, Va. - Aurora Flight Sciences announced Oct. 7 it has been awarded a Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) contract for accelerated development of its SideArm launch technology and recovery system. Demonstration of SideArm technology was a key to Aurora's work on the Tactically Enhanced Reconnaissance Node (Tern) program. Phase 1 results indicated SideArm could fulfill the needs for aircraft launch and recovery technology goals enabling small ships to serve as mobile launch and recovery sites for medium-altitude, long-endurance unmanned aerial systems (UAS). AFS is a leader in the development and manufacturing of advanced aerospace vehicles with headquarters in Manassas and production plants in Columbus, Miss., and Bridgeport, W.Va. (Source: Aurora Flight Sciences 10/07/14)

Stark exec joins tourism board

COLUMBUS, Miss. - Stark Aerospace vice president of marketing Thomas “Tango” Moore has been appointed the newest member of the Columbus Lowndes Convention and Visitors Bureau Board of Trustees. Moore is a retired Marine and Stark executive. The appointment is the first time in 16 months the board has had a full complement of members. Moore's tenure begins this month. He is the third newcomer this year. Stark Aerospace, located in GTR Global Industrial Aerospace Park, operates Unmanned Aerial, Sensors, Production Services and Engineering divisions. The UAS Division produces the ArrowLite, and supports the Army’s Hunter MQ-5B. (Source: Columbus Dispatch 10/06/14)

WWI symposium, AF musicians

COLUMBUS, Miss. - Mississippi University for Women presents a WWI symposium entitled "Technology and the Trenches: Solving the Riddle of Attack on the Western Front" by Dr. Andrew Wiest of the University of Southern Mississippi on Oct. 6 at 5:30 p.m. in MUW's Parkinson Hall. Free to the public. On Oct. 14, the U.S. Air Force's "Tops in Blue" musical entertainment showcase event begins at 6:30 p.m. at MUW's Rent Auditorium. Doors open at 5:50 p.m. Admission is free. (Columbus Dispatch 10/05/14)

AF blasts IG's Reaper drone report

In a rare move, the Air Force blasted a Defense Department Inspector General report on the service’s acquisition program for the MQ-9 Reaper unmanned aerial system (UAS) and accused the IG of using outdated information. The IG report claimed the Air Combat Command failed to justify the need to buy 401 Reapers (for $76.8 billion) before submitting the plan to DOD’s Joint Requirements Oversight Council. AF Deputy Chief of Staff for Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Lt. Gen. Robert Otto said the IG based its evaluation on year-old data plans that were no longer accurate. The AF is only buying 346 aircraft (55 fewer than the IG report indicated), Otto said, and “we’ve only received about half that number” which was what the AF “originally estimated prior to sequestration.” The MQ-9 Reaper is the AF’s name for General Atomics’ Predator B UAS. (Source: Military Times 10/02/14) Central Mississippi: General Atomics’ Tupelo, Miss., facility does most of its work for the Navy including advanced launch and recovery systems for aircraft carriers.

L-3 earns Army contracts

L-3 Communications Aerospace LLC of Madison, Miss., was awarded an $8,627,576 labor-hours contract for a sole-source, 3-month bridge contract for aircraft production services - to include aircraft sheet metal mechanics, electrical mechanics, aircraft mechanic general mechanics, aircraft trade helpers, aircraft workers, aircraft painters, and maintenance trade helpers to support aircraft repair/overhaul. Work will be performed at Corpus Christi (Texas) Army Depot. Estimated completion date is of Jan. 28, 2015.
* L-3 was also awarded an $8,212,216 labor-hours similar contract to provide logistical, analytical, engineering, finance and budget, quality audit, computer operations, data entry, administrative support and facilities maintenance to support aircraft repairs/overhauls. Work will be performed at Corpus Christi Army Depot. Estimated completion date is Jan. 28, 2015. (DOD 10/03/14)

AFS, Eaton part of S-97 team

Sikorsky Aircraft has put its superfast X2 experimental-technology helicopter into a more mature package, called the S-97 Raider. It was unveiled Oct. 2. The firm hopes to find favor with the Army, seeking to replace its OH-58D Kiowa Warrior airframe. The S-97 is faster than conventional helos with a cruising speed of up to 253 mph. Kiowas had a cruising speed of 120 mph. S-97 also has a streamlined fuselage and striking reconfiguration with two stacked main rotors and a pusher propeller at the tail. The main rotors are coaxial and rotate in opposite directions driving both lift and forward flight. (Source: CNET website 10/03/14) Central Mississippi Note: Aurora Flight Sciences will design, manufacture and assemble the S-97 airframe at its Columbus, Miss., facility. Sikorsky also selected the Eaton Corporation to provide fuel lines, pumps and hydraulic system components; hardware and associated engineering support. Eaton also manufactures a broad range of components for Sikorsky helicopters. Eaton’s aerospace facility in Jackson, Miss., is home to one of the most advanced aircraft hydraulic test labs in the world.

AFS funded for VTOL X-Plane

MANASSAS, Va. - Aurora Flight Sciences announced Sept. 30 the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has awarded the firm Phase 1B funding to continue participation in the DARPA Vertical Take Off and Landing Experiment Plane (VTOL X-Plane) program. The project will be located at AFS' Columbus, Miss., production facility, according to a release from U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran. The award is intended to carry Aurora’s participation in the project through a Preliminary Design Review milestone in October 2015. Aurora's VTOL X-plane design seeks to use innovative distributed electric propulsion technology to achieve significant performance advances in both aerodynamics and propulsion. Aurora's team includes Rolls-Royce LibertyWorks, Honeywell, and ThinGap. (Source: Aurora Flight Sciences 09/30/14)

Thailand requests 9 more Lakotas

Thailand has requested to buy nine more UH-72A Lakota helicopters in a Foreign Military Sales (FMS) deal worth an estimated $89 million. The U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Agency notified Congress on Sept. 26 of the potential follow-on FMS deal. The Royal Thai Army was already approved to receive six Lakotas. (Source: Flight Global 10/02/14) Central Mississippi Note: The twin-engine EC145s are produced at Airbus Helicopters Inc.’s facility in Columbus, Miss.

CAFB med clinic upgrades

COLUMBUS AFB, Miss. - Columbus Air Force Base held a ribbon cutting ceremony Oct. 2 to mark the Phase I completion of a two-phase renovation to the 14th Medical Group's Koritz Clinic. Among the areas renovated were the Family Medicine and Flight Medicine clinics, Pharmacy, Immunizations and Laboratory. The renovation project began in August 2013. Phase II is scheduled to be completed in July 2015. (Source: Columbus AFB 10/02/14)

AF didn’t justify GA Reaper fleet

The Air Force didn’t justify its plans to buy a total of 401 MQ-9 Reaper drones worth about $77 billion, according a Defense Department audit. The Air Combat Command, headed by Gen. Gilmary Hostage and based out of Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Va., failed to get the OK from the Joint Requirements Oversight Council for an increase in procurement of the Reaper unmanned aircraft, according to a summary of the document released Oct. 1. They also didn’t maintain “consistent … verifiable” records for determining the proper number of the General Atomics-made drone. “As a result, the AF risks spending approximately $8.8 billion to purchase, operate, and maintain 46 MQ-9 aircraft it may not need,” the report states. Lt. Col. Chris Karns, a spokesman for the AF, said the audit provides an incomplete picture of the acquisition program. (Source: DOD Buzz 10/01/14) Central Mississippi Note: The MQ-9 Reaper is the AF’s name for General Atomics’ Predator B UAS. GA’s Tupelo, Miss., facility does most of its work for the U.S. Navy, including advanced launch and recovery systems for aircraft carriers, including the Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78).

GTRA garners $750K grant

COLUMBUS, Miss. - The U.S. Department of Transportation has given a $750,000 grant to the Golden Triangle Regional Airport to help recruit new westbound air service from the Eastern Mississippi region that includes Columbus, Starkville and West Point. The grant was awarded under the Small Community Air Service Development Program. GTRA Executive Director Mike Hainsey says the industrial growth in the area has prompted the airport to seek additional flights to meet the demand, especially westbound. Delta currently has three roundtrip flights to Atlanta from the GTRA. (Source: The Associated Press 10/01/14)

Contract: L3 Vertex, $12.3M

L3 Communications Vertex Aerospace LLC, Madison, Miss., has been awarded a $12,336,919 modification to exercise option A00053 to previously awarded contract FA3002-11-C-0001 for trainer maintenance services. Work will be performed at Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas, and Naval Air Station Pensacola, Fla., and is expected to be completed by Sept. 30, 2015. Fiscal 2015 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $1,028,076 are being obligated at the time of award. The 82nd Contracting Squadron, Sheppard Air Force Base, is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 10/01/14)

Miss. parachute firm expanding

COLUMBIA, Miss. – Officials from Columbia Parachute Co., a manufacturer of government parachutes, announced Sept. 30 it is expanding operations and relocating within Columbia. The firm, located in the Pioneer Aerospace facility, will relocate to an 11,000-square-foot space in the Marion County BusinessPlex, the former Columbia Training School campus. (Source: Hattiesburg American 09/30/14)