MSU, Stennis: UAS ecology demo

DAUPHIN ISLAND, Ala. - The Mobile County (Ala.) Commission approved a memorandum of understanding mid-month with the Raspet Flight Research Laboratory at Mississippi State University – the National Center of Excellence for Unmanned Air Craft Systems lead for the Federal Aviation Administration - giving approval for UAS flights from the Jeremiah Denton Airport on Dauphin Island. The project lead is the Office of Naval Research. MSU will assure that the aircraft and its operation plans are in full compliance with FAA regulations. Daniel P. Eleuterio of the ONR said by the end of May, and beginning in June, the Naval Meteorological and Oceanographic Command at Stennis Space Center, Miss., will begin a series of activities to display and evaluate UAS technologies from DI. Over the long term, he said, such future flights may lead to "a better understanding of coastal ecology and wetlands ecology." (Source: AL.com 03/30/17)

T-X deal may eliminate Meridian

TUSKEGEE, Ala. - The home of the Tuskegee Airmen, who shattered aviation and racial barriers in WWII, will compete to become the manufacturing site for Italian-based Leonardo DRS to land the contract for building the Air Force’s new training jet. Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley and Macon County officials announced March 30 that the state and community have put together a $100M incentive package to land Leonardo DRS in Alabama, should they be chosen by the AF to make the new trainer. At least four firms are competing for the T-X contract that's expected to be awarded this year. If successful, DRS would build a new factory at Moton Field, where the Tuskegee Airmen trained; and bring 750 jobs to the area. In a media event announcing the proposal, Bentley and DRS officials paid homage to the Tuskegee Airmen. Leonardo is offering its T-100 aircraft to the bid. (Source: Associated Press 03/30/17) Gulf Coast Note: The announcement may likely be a blow to Meridian, Miss., where Leonardo had planned to assemble the T-100 when it had partnered with former prime contractor Raytheon. Tuskegee is about 89 miles north of Fort Rucker, Ala., home to the Army Aviation Center of Excellence, and Army aviation training.

L-3 grabs $16M repair pact

L-3 Communications Vertex Aerospace of Madison, Miss., was awarded a $16,109,145 firm-fixed-price, cost-reimbursable, indefinite-delivery requirements contract for maintenance, repair, and logistics support for the Chief of Naval Air Training aircraft’s intermediate maintenance. Support to be provided includes labor, equipment, tools, services, and direct and indirect material. Work will be performed at Naval Air Stations Pensacola, Fla. (60%); and Corpus Christi, Texas (40). The work is expected to be completed in September 2022. No funds are being obligated at time of award. Naval Air Warfare Center Training Systems Division of Orlando, Fla., is the contracting activity. (Source: DOD, 03/29/17)

Depot work at NAS Meridian

Rolls-Royce Corp. of Indianapolis, Ind., was awarded $106,898,882 for modification to a previous Navy contract to provide intermediate, depot-level maintenance and related logistics support for some 209 in-service T-45 F405-RR-401 Adour engines. Work will be performed at Naval Air Stations Meridian, Miss. (42%), Kingsville, Texas (46); Pensacola, Fla. (11); and NAS Patuxent River, Md. (1). The contract is expected to be completed in March 2018. Funds will be obligated on individual delivery orders as issued. Naval Air Warfare Center Training Systems Division, Orlando, Fla., is the contracting activity. (Source: DOD 03/28/17)

Rogers to head MSU-led UAS center

Marty W. Rogers has been named the new director of the Mississippi State University-led Alliance for System Safety of UAS through Research Excellence (ASSURE), which is the Federal Aviation Administration’s Center of Excellence for Unmanned Aircraft Systems. For the last four years, Rogers was business director for the Alaska Center for Unmanned Aircraft Systems Integration and the Pacific UAS Test Range Complex, both of which are part of the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Rogers, a Mississippi native, also has extensive corporate background, including the role of vice president of the international division of a large research and development firm. He’s retired Air Force, and served as a member of the HQ staff of the Air Mobility Command at Scott AFB, Ill. “ASSURE will work with our partners in Mississippi, the Southeast, and beyond to grow UAS capabilities in support of low-altitude safety and beyond line of sight operations,” he said. (Source: Mississippi State University 03/27/17)

MS space grant applications

On March 13, 1969, the crew manning NASA’s Apollo 9 returned to Earth after a 10-day orbital mission. It was the first successful manned flight of a Lunar Module. Nearly 50 years later, NASA continues to fund space grant consortium programs in every state to promote space exploration. Applications for the Mississippi Space Grant Consortium are due Friday. According to its mission statement, the Mississippi Space Grant Consortium not only enhances and furthers the study, development and practice of aerospace science and technology, but also fosters education and career building for science, mathematics, engineering and technology (STEM) professions. The MSSGC was founded in 1991 when NASA awarded grants to the University of Mississippi, Jackson State University, University of Southern Mississippi and Mississippi State University. Another gateway for STEM career opportunities is the Graduate Research Fellowship Awards. Currently, fellowship awards are $20,000 a year with an option to re-apply and renew for up to three years. Between eight-to-10 students are awarded the fellowship annually. (Daily Mississippian 03/22/17)

Memphis aero repair firm sold

Aircraft Recycling International Ltd. has acquired the Memphis-based Universal Asset Management Inc., an aircraft recycling and repair firm. The new owner is a Hong Kong-based unit of China Aircraft Leasing Group Holdings Ltd. Christina Ng is chairman of UAM and said the Memphis company will continue to be led by CEO Keri Wright and President Shawn Kling. The transaction was announced March 20. The acquisition comes 3½ years after Wright bought UAM and its wholly owned subsidiary, Universal Air Repair LLC. Wright is a board member of the Memphis-Shelby County Airport Authority. UAM operates aircraft disassembly and parts distribution facilities in Tupelo and Verona, Miss., and has global sales offices in London and Singapore. (Source: Commercial Appeal 03/20/17)

New post for Vicksburg commander

Army Reserve Maj. Gen. Tracy A. Thompson, commander of the 412th Theater Engineer Command at Vicksburg, Miss., has been detailed to the post of deputy commanding general in support of individual mobilization augmentees with the Army Reserve Command at Fort Bragg, N.C.; and deputy commanding general for IMAs with the Army Reserve’s Training and Doctrine Command at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Va. Thompson has served as commander of the 412th since June 2014. TEC is a two-star Army Reserve command headquartered in Vicksburg. (Source: DOD 03/20/17)

OATK-Iuka again aids in launch

DULLES, Va. – The aerospace and technologies firm Orbital ATK provided the propulsion, composite and spacecraft technologies to enable the successful launch of both the United Launch Alliance's Delta IV rocket and the ninth Wideband Global SATCOM satellite March 19 from Cape Canaveral, Fla. “A launch like this one clearly demonstrates the breadth of our product lines in the launch and satellite sectors,” said Scott Lehr, President of Orbital ATK’s Flight Systems Group. Both the satellite and launch vehicle use cutting-edge technologies from multiple Orbital ATK facilities. For the Delta IV rocket, Orbital ATK provided four 60-inch diameter Graphite Epoxy Motors (GEM-60). The solid rocket boosters are produced in Magna, Utah, facility, where it has manufactured 84 GEM-60s since 2002. OATK also supplied a combined 18 Delta IV and GEM-60 key composite structures, which provide lower weight and higher performance. Those composite structures’ advanced wet winding, machining and inspection techniques are manufactured in Iuka, Miss., and Utah. (Business Wire 03/20/17)

Is Meridian still in T-X game?

After parting ways with Raytheon, the Italian-based Leonardo has gone solo in the US Air Force’s T-X trainer plane competition, but still plans to establish an American final assembly plant for its M-346 variant. The firm plans to announce that US location soon, according to Leonardo DRS chief executive Bill Lynn. Its T-100 will maintain the M-346’s two Honeywell F124 engines, which are manufactured in Arizona and CAE simulators in Tampa, Fla. DRS is Leonardo’s American presence. Boeing has now teamed with Sweden-based Saab; and Lockheed with Korea Aerospace Industries for the T-X trainer. Lynn declined to offer a short-list of assembly sites under consideration. Before dropping DRS as a partner, Raytheon had selected Meridian, Miss., as a final assembly location. Asked if Meridian remains in the running, Lynn declined to comment. Lynn was asked whether its status as a lone foreign company could affect its chances in the US competition. “This is going to be an American-built airplane with American jobs, so, I don’t think we run into any of these ‘buy America issues,’” he said. The foreign sourcing of the technology is similar for all three competitors. (Source: Flight Global 03/09/17)

Lakota helo in DOD spending bill

The U.S. House of Representatives passed a $578 billion FY 2017 defense spending bill March 8. Among measures are $8.2 billion to buy 74 additional F-35 Joint Strike Fighters, and $187 million for 28 UH-72 Lakota helicopters for the Army, which are built by Airbus Helicopters Inc. in Columbus, Miss., for pilot training at the Army Aviation Center at Fort Rucker, Ala. The bill passed by a bipartisan vote of 371-48. Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is home of F-35A/C maintenance and pilot training center for the Air Force, Navy and six partner-nations. The bill is making its way to the Senate for a vote. (Sources: The Hill, WEAR-TV, Alabama Today, Defense News, 03/08/17)

AHI salutes CG & Dolphin helo

DALLAS, Texas – Airbus Helicopters Inc. saluted the Coast Guard on March 8 for its recent milestone achievement of reaching 1.5 million flight hours with the service’s fleet of MH-65 Dolphin patrol and search-and-rescue (SAR) helicopters. From patrolling the skies over Lake Michigan to performing life-saving rescues in the Gulf of Mexico, the CG’s MH-65 Dolphin has become the most recognizable search and rescue aircraft in the world. “This is an enormous accomplishment for the U.S. Coast Guard, and for Airbus,” said Chris Emerson, AHI president. Airbus delivered the first of 100 Dolphins to the CG in 1984. The fleet played a critical role and performed lifesaving missions after Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans and the Mississippi Gulf Coast in 2005. The MH-65 fleet is expected to remain in service into 2035. The CG is expected to introduce a next configuration of the Dolphin, which will include an all-glass cockpit and advanced navigation capabilities, in 2018. (Source: AHI 03/08/17) Gulf Coast Note: Coast Guard Station New Orleans and the CG Aviation Training Center at Mobile, Ala., both fly the MH-65 Dolphin for SAR missions throughout the Gulf Coast.

AHI gets 5 REACH helo orders

GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas – California-based REACH Air Medical Services, a subsidiary of Air Medical Group Holdings, placed a first-time order for five new Airbus H125 helicopters for its single-engine platform solution. REACH selected the H125s after requesting a high-altitude demonstration and “fly-off” of Airbus’ H125 and H130, and the Bell 407 in Colorado last summer. The H125 emerged as the best performer, according to an Airbus Helicopters Inc. media release. Two H125s are scheduled for delivery to REACH in June. The remaining three are to be delivered in the third quarter of 2017. The new aircraft will primarily serve mountain communities with more than 30 bases in California, Oregon, Nevada, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado and Texas. AHI produces the H125 at its plant in Columbus, Miss. The H125 is the top-selling high-performance single-engine helicopter in North America. (Source: AHI 03/07/17)

Ex-MDA exec lands in NC

Jim McAuthur has been hired as an aviation executive economic developer at the Piedmont (NC) Triad International Airport and other regional airports and sites for potential aerospace tenants. His position is a collaboration of the Piedmont Triad Partnership, Piedmont Triad Airport Authority, Greensboro Chamber of Commerce, High Point Economic Development Corporation, and Winston-Salem Business Inc. McArthur is scheduled to begin work in April at the COC’s offices in Greensboro. Piedmont Triad Partnership was founded in 1991 as a leadership organization that supports regional development platforms including megasite development and the Piedmont aeroplex in north-central North Carolina. (Source: Triad Business Journal 03/07/17) Central Mississippi Note: McArthur previously served as deputy director with the Mississippi Development Authority from 2012-15 after being regional sales manager in energy and water management solutions for Itron Inc., a Washington state-corporation.

OPINION: AF’s forgotten trainer

In an effort to replace the T-38 trainer with the T-X, the Air Force is headed toward overspending billions of dollars to keep the T-1A Jayhawk forgotten trainer in service until 2050. It is supposedly already past its economic life-shelf and would be cheaper to replace than sustain and upgrade. Last year, about half the T-1A fleet was grounded for repairs to horizontal stabilizer rib cracks. On average, the aircraft had flown some 10,000 of an 18,000-hour service life. Mission-capability rates are running at about 80 percent or less for years. Fleet operations and maintenance costs are running around $400M annually. Over the next 30 years, the AF projects it will have to spend $12B to sustain the T-1A plus service-life extensions and upgrades. With a pilot shortage, the AF wants to significantly increase its number annually. Due to its age, the AF could save billions by replacing the T-1A with a new, off-the-shelf business jet to meet ever-increasing training requirements. With its low mission-capable rates and repair needs, there is little margin to increase T-1A training output. Currently, T-1As are being shuffled between bases to meet critical class schedules. (Source: Aviation Week OPINION 03/03/17) Gulf Coast Note: Columbus (Miss.) AFB’s 48th Flying Training Squadron has had as many as 47 T-1A Jayhawks as of 2015 for the purpose of pilot training.

CAFB earns ‘Environmental ‘Hero’

The 14th Flying Training Wing at Columbus (Miss.) Air Force Base was awarded the Environmental Hero award the Mississippi Recycling Coalition on March 2 at the state Capitol Rotunda in Jackson for being the top state-government recycler of the year. In 2016, CAFB recycled more than 295 tons of material – from cardboard and scrap metal to glass and batteries. Col. James Fisher, vice commander of the 14th FTW, was among base representatives to attend the presentation. (Columbus AFB 03/03/17)

L-3 mod pact for C-12 aircraft

L-3 Communications Vertex Aerospace of Madison, Miss., was awarded $15,049,163 modification to a previously awarded Navy contract for aircraft maintenance and logistical life cycle support for the C-12 utility-lift aircraft. Work will be performed in Corpus Christi, Texas (42 percent); and 4 percent in New Orleans. Work is expected to be completed in June 2017. Funds will be obligated on individual delivery orders as they are issued. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity. (Source: DOD, 03/02/17)

Orbital-Iuka’s ULA heat shield

Orbital ATK, a global aerospace and defense technologies firm, supported the March 1 launch of a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif. The rocket launched a classified satellite, designated NROL-79, for the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office in support of a national security mission. Orbital ATK provided advanced hardware from across multiple divisions to the ULA Atlas V launch vehicle. Orbital ATK produced the 10-foot diameter composite heat shield, which provides essential protection for the first stage of the launch vehicle. The assembly was fabricated using advanced fiber placement manufacturing techniques at the company’s Iuka, Miss., facility. It was the 70th Atlas V launch to use Orbital ATK-built composite structures. This flight also marked the 35th consecutive successful flight of the Orbital ATK retro motors. The next Orbital ATK launch of a commercial resupply mission to the International Space Station is tentatively scheduled to launch March 19 at about 9:56 p.m. CDT. (Source: Space Ref 03/01/17)