MSU leads research for FAA

STARKVILLE, Miss. - The Federal Aviation Administration announced results April 28 from a major study and peer review to understand risks of flying small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (sUAS) over people. Scientists at Mississippi State were a key contributor to the project. MSU scientists were charged with assessing what could happen if a drone struck a person’s head. They designed advanced, real-world simulations using supercomputing resources at the university’s High Performance Computing Collaboratory. The MSU-led Alliance for System Safety of UAS through Research Excellence (ASSURE) conducted the research that is designed to assist the FAA in managing the risks posed by sUAS to the public. (Source: Mississippi State University 04/28/17)

Blues' jets have in air paint-swap

PENSACOLA, Fla. - Two Navy Blue Angels jets made contact while conducting a flyover with the Air Force Thunderbirds on April 26 near Pensacola Beach. The close encounter occurred while the jets were flying in the Delta formation, according to Blues spokesman Lt. Joe Hontz. "Two of the jets ... encountered unexpected wake turbulence," Hontz said, "causing a very brief and minor contact between the aircraft." According to another Navy official, who spoke on background, the two FA-18s required minor maintenance following the paint-swap but are now back in service. Both pilots, who were not identified or plane numbers, have been cleared to resume normal operations. The team is scheduled to fly at MCAS Beaufort (S.C.) Airshow staring April 29. (Source: WKRG 04/28/17)

International partners at CAFB

COLUMBUS AFB, Miss. - Team BLAZE hosted a social for international students in the Specialized Undergraduate Pilot Training (SUPT) pipeline here on April 22 at the Columbus Club. CAFB has a large international training program with students from 21 countries participating in SUPT, Aviation Leadership Program (ALP) and Introduction to Fighter Fundamentals. International students attend SUPT under two different programs, Foreign Military Sales and ALP. ALP students fly the T-6 aircraft, but train using a more extensive syllabus. They spend about twice the amount of time in T-6s as an American Air Force student, and upon completion receive their pilot rating. Argentina AF 2nd Lt. Franco Zattara, an ALP student currently flying with Class 17-13, presented 14th Flying Training Wing Commander Col. Douglas Gosney with a framed gift from all international students. Gosney spoke about the importance of the partnerships between the air forces. (Source: Columbus AFB 04/28/17)

AF, Navy Texan II support contract

DynCorp International of Fort Worth, Texas, was awarded an undefinitized contract action not-to-exceed of $202,434,437 for contractor operated and maintained base supply services for the T-6A/B/D Texan II aircraft. DynCorp will provide serviceable aircraft material and support equipment to support Air Force, Army and Navy Texan II aircraft. Regional work will be performed at Columbus Air Force Base, Miss.; Naval Air Station Pensacola, Fla.; Naval Air Station Whiting Field, Fla.; and Naval Flight Officer aircraft at VT-86 at NAS Pensacola, Fla. This contract is expected to be complete by April 30, 2018. This is a bridge contract and a new Contractor Operated and Maintained Base Supply (COMBS) contract is currently in source selection. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center at Wright-Patterson AFB in Ohio is the contracting activity. (Source: DOD, 04/28/17)

More T-45 restrictions

Less than a day after T-45 Goshawk instructor-pilots took to the air after a 12-day safety grounding, one of two senior instructors from Naval Air Station Kingsville, Texas, reported headaches and oxygen deprivation during a flight that was designed to push new limitations and procedures. Following that incident, the Navy further restricted flying the T-45C to a 5,000 foot maximum altitude and 2-G maneuvers after a pilot reported headaches after performing dynamic flying in the two-seat trainer. The Texas-based instructor was intentionally performing maneuvers and pulling in excess of 4 Gs. The Navy had grounded all 197 of its T-45s this month after a reported 100 instructor-pilots refused to fly, citing concerns about the safety of the aircraft. The problem was highlighted after an instructor and student-aviator had to eject from a T-45 near NAS Meridian, Miss., after experiencing hypoxia-like symptoms. (Source: Military.com 04/21/17) Gulf Coast Note: NAS Pensacola, Fla., is a third Navy base flying T-45Cs for training. Training Squadron (VT) 86 conducts Naval Flight Officer training at Pensacola with the T-45C.

Challenger engineer at MSU

STARKVILLE, Miss. – Allan McDonald, then-director of the Space Shuttle Solid Rocket Motor Project for engineering contractor Morton Thiokol, was among millions watching in shock as Space Shuttle Challenger exploded shortly after liftoff on Jan. 28, 1986. He was at the Launch Control Center the night before arguing there was no guarantee the shuttle’s O-rings could safely handle the 20 degree launch-time temperatures. McDonald refused to sign the launch recommendation, but ultimately, was over-ruled. He spoke April 19 at Mississippi State University’s Bagley College of Engineering’s Distinguished Speaker series. (Source: Mississippi State University 04/20/17)

NASA joins T-45 insight team

Navy instructor-pilots are back in the air, under modified conditions, with their T-45C Goshawk training jets after a 12-day stand-down tied to concerns over hypoxia-like cockpit episodes. The temporary grounding occurred after about 100 instructors from Naval Air Stations Meridian, Miss., Pensacola, Fla., and Corpus Christi, Texas, went basically on strike. Today, the T-45 pilots cannot fly above 10,000 feet; and must wear masks disconnected from the onboard oxygen generating systems while engineers assess the on-going problems. Navy officials still don’t have definitive answers as to the cause. In addition, the Navy brought in a team of more than 100 people to work on it, including breathing-system engineering experts from NASA, said Capt. Todd St. Laurent, program manager for Naval Undergraduate Flight Training Systems. Others include defense contractors, physiologists and flight surgeons to offer insights. Also, the Navy is creating a website with information about solving the issue, and where pilots can share ideas and stay abreast of potential fixes. There’s no timetable on how long the flight modifications will remain in place, according to St. Laurent, or how Navy will cope with the prospective challenge of graduating trainees to the fleet, when they haven’t been able to fly the aircraft in full operational mode. “That is right now a future event,” he said. (Source: Military.com 04/20/17) Gulf Coast Note: The T-45C is used for intermediate and advanced portions of the Navy/Marine Corps pilot training program for jet carrier aviation, tactical strike missions at Corpus and Meridian, and for Advanced Tactical Maneuvering Stage of training for Naval Flight Officers at Pensacola.

O2 mask completion for MWDs

The U.S. Special Operations Command is hosting a competition June 1 for oxygen mask designs for use by military working dogs to wear during high altitude jumps with their Special Forces handlers. The MWDs jump from aircraft strapped to handlers’ chests when SOCOM leaders determine the need for dogs on missions. SOFWERX, a company in Ybor City, Fla., only minutes from SOCOM headquarters in Tampa, will host the competition. Applicants must register by April 21 if they want to participate in the competition taking place in June. (Source: Kit Up 04/14/17)

MSU to lead DHS’ UAS test site

STARKVILLE, Miss. - Mississippi State University has been selected to lead a major research and development project for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. The DHS Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) selected Mississippi as the new base of operations for small unmanned aircraft systems (sUAS), or drones, and a Mississippi State-led partnership will oversee the initiative. The new S&T Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems Demonstration Range Facility will support homeland security operations and training by providing UAS flight and exercise support facilities in a variety of support for operational evaluations, applications and scenarios. The Mississippi partnership will include the Mississippi National Guard’s Camp Shelby Joint Forces Training Center; Mississippi Air National Guard’s Gulfport Combat Readiness Training Center; NASA’s Stennis Space Center; Jackson County Port Authority and the Hancock County Port and Harbor Commission. (Source: Mississippi State 04/19/17)

Inquiry leads to MSU cyber program

STARKVILLE, Miss. - Mississippi State University will introduce a Master of Science Degree program in Cyber Security and Operations beginning in the Fall of 2018. Computer science professor David Dampier got the idea in 2015 after being approached by military officers from Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi. The officers were seeking to earn an in-state cyber security degree. Jason Keith, dean of Bagley College of Engineering at MSU, expects the program to provide added value to the university’s reputation in cyber security. Students from six different undergraduate disciplines may apply, including computer science, computer engineering and electrical engineering. Two concentrations are available to students in the program: Cyber defense and cyber operations. (Source: Mississippi State University 04/17/17)

UPDATE: T-45s back in air

The Navy will allow its fleet of T-45C Goshawk training jets to fly under modified conditions while it continues to determine causes for the lack of oxygen in some cockpits. About 200 of the T-45Cs were to resume flying as soon as April 17, U.S. Naval Air Forces commander Vice Adm. Mike Shoemaker said in a released statement on April 15. The jets have been grounded for more than a week. Pilots have been concerned after seeing a spike in incidents in which some personnel weren’t getting enough oxygen. Some of those pilots had declined to fly. The Navy operates the T-45 trainers at Naval Air Stations Meridian, Miss.; Pensacola, Fla.; and Kingsville, Texas. Two T-45s are at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Md., where teams are taking apart and examining the jets. (Source: The AP 04/15/17)

UPDATE: The Navy resumed T-45 training flights at Pensacola, Meridian, Miss., and Kingsville, Texas, naval air stations on April 17 after a nearly week-long halt to flights due to pilots’ concerns about the jets' oxygen systems. The training may continue as long as pilots remain below 10,000 feet, which avoids the use of the questioned On Board Oxygen Generator System, the Navy said. U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz, a member of the House Armed Services Committee, said April 17 that he was still concerned about the safety of pilots of the T-45C Goshawk. (Source: Pensacola News Journal 04/18/17)

Kaiser to lead CoE Vicksburg

Maj. Gen. Richard G. Kaiser, commander of Combined Security Transition Command-Afghanistan, U.S. Forces-Afghanistan, Operation Freedom’s Sentinel-Afghanistan has been reassigned to the post of commanding general of the Mississippi Valley Division of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in Vicksburg, Miss. Maj. Gen. Michael C. Wehr, commanding general of the Mississippi Valley Division has been reassigned to the post of deputy chief of engineers and deputy commanding general of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Washington, DC, offices. (Source: DOD 04/14/17)

New CO of 14th OSS

COLUMBUS AFB, Miss. – Lt. Col. James Winning became the new commanding officer of the 14th Operations Support Squadron during a change of command ceremony April 13 at Columbus Air Force Base. Winning was previously director of operations for the 14th Student Squadron at CAFB. (Source: 14th Flying Training Wing 04/14/17)

Golden earns $58.5M mod option

Golden Manufacturing Co. Inc., of Golden, Miss., was awarded a maximum $58,525,830 modification exercising the fourth one-year option period of a one-year base contract (SPM1C1-13-D-1047) with four one-year option periods for various types of coats. The modification brings the maximum dollar value of the contract to $105,029,845 from $46,504,015. Locations of performance are Mississippi and Georgia. Work is to be completed by April 17, 2018. Using military services are Army and Navy. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency's Troop Support of Philadelphia, Pa. (Source: DOD 04/13/17)

Prez lifts fed hiring freeze

WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump lifted his two-month-old hiring freeze on federal employees April 12, but will take several months before billets at the Defense Department and Veterans Affairs are filled. Office of Management and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney said he expects many government positions left open during the hiring freeze will never be filled in efforts to streamline federal operations and cut waste. In January, President Trump ordered a halt to all civilian hiring across the executive branch “regardless of the sources of their operational and programmatic funding.” The freeze didn't include military and exempted some key Pentagon intelligence and VA medical jobs. The freeze was set to end April 28. Federal agencies will have two months to examine their workforce and suggest ways to reduce staffing without compromising services. The Associated Press reported that despite the hiring freeze, the federal government added some 2,000 workers in February. (Source: Military Times 04/12/17)

L-3 earns $202M C-12 pact

L-3 Communications Vertex Aerospace of Madison, Miss., was awarded a $202,164,280 firm-fixed-price Navy contract for depot level maintenance, logistics, and sustaining engineering services in support of the C-12 utility lift aircraft for the Navy and Marines around the globe. Services are to include site support, aircraft depot and engine depot maintenance; aircraft/systems modifications, and potential site stand-ups and closures. The largest part of the contract will be performed at San Angelo, Texas (58.5%). Three percent will be performed at NAS/JRB New Orleans in Belle Chasse, La. Funds will only be obligated against individual delivery orders as they are issued. Naval Air Systems Command Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity. (DOD 04/12/17)

Aurora CEO new prez at AIAA

MANASSAS, Va. - Dr. John S Langford, chairman, founder and CEO of Aurora Flight Sciences Corp., has been elected president of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA). In May, he will begin serving as president-elect alongside current President James "Jim" G. Maser. Langford will assume the duties as president and will lead the AIAA Board of Directors beginning in 2018. He is a proponent of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education. Among Langford’s campaign was to expand AIAA's educational outreach, primarily collegiate-focused, and incorporate middle and high school-level programs. Aurora in HQ’d in Virginia and operates a production plant in Columbus, Miss. (Source: PR News Wire 04/12/17)

Space seminar at MSU

Mississippi State University’s Bagley College of Engineering welcomed guests from the Space Foundation to campus April 12 as part of its Distinguished Speaker Series. The seminar was on “Space: The Sky is not the Limit.” Space Foundation’s COO Shelli Brunswick and VP of education Bryan DeBates explored issues of working in the space industry, and the future of STEM education and its impact the global space economy. Brunswick, a retired Air Force officer, also serves as 2016-17 chairperson of Women in Aerospace (WIA). DeBates works to develop and implement global education programs focused on science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics (STEM). He oversees the SF’s Discovery Center space museum, education center, and labs, which include a Mars Robotics Laboratory and an AGI Space Missions Simulation Laboratory. WIA is an organization dedicated to expanding women’s opportunities for leadership and increasing their visibility in the aerospace community. (Source: Mississippi State University 04//12/17)

Keesler support contract

Vectrus Systems Corp. of Colorado Springs, Colo., was awarded a $97,269,360 firm-fixed-price, single award contract for the acquisition of base operations support services at Keesler AFB, Miss. The contractor will provide base operations support for 11 functional areas to include, installation and mission operations management, installation and facility engineering, emergency response management, grounds maintenance, supply services, community services, vertical transportation equipment, human resources support, and weather services at Keesler. Work is expected to be complete May 31, 2018. (Source DOD 04/11/17)

Admiral visits T-45C units

The Commander of Naval Air Forces, Vice Adm. Mike Shoemaker, spent two days at the end of this past week discussing issues with instructor-pilots, student-aviators and staff from three training air wings that fly T-45C aircraft at naval air stations Meridian, Miss.; Pensacola, Fla.; and Kingsville, Texas. The personnel had raised concerns and refused to fly the jet over safety and the risks associated with physiological episodes (PEs) caused by the oxygen breathing system in the T-45C. “It was important for me to hear directly” and share ongoing efforts to tackle this problem, Shoemaker said. The admiral indicated he’d been tracking events in both the T-45C and F/A-18 fleet of aircraft, but a “recent spike in T-45 events was cause for the Operational Risk Management (ORM) pause the pilots initiated” and a three-day directed operational pause that followed. The T-45C fleet was tentatively scheduled to be flying again early this coming week. (Source: Navy Live 04/09/17)

T-45 protest leads to pause

More than 100 Navy instructor pilots, including those from naval air stations Pensacola, Fla.; Meridian, Miss.; and Kingsville, Texas, were refusing to fly T-45 Goshawk training jets in protest of the service’s leadership to adequately address an urgent problem with the planes’ oxygen system. Over the past five years, disorientation and physiological episodes were in part caused by problems with the oxygen system. It had nearly quadrupled with the T-45, according to congressional testimony by senior naval aviators. The Navy’s top naval aviator told Fox News that the T-45 issue is the Navy’s No. 1 safety priority, but that there was no smoking gun” as to the cause.

UPDATE: Navy officials announced April 5 that Naval Air Forces has directed a three-day "safety pause" for the T-45 aviation community.

However, the Navy is considering grounding, according to multiple pilots, the entire fleet. The boycott has unofficially and effectively grounded hundreds of training flights. “Pilots don’t feel safe flying this aircraft,” according to one instructor. Last week, a student-pilot at Training Squadron (VT) 86 in Pensacola had to be “dragged out” of the jet because he became “incapacitated” from a faulty oxygen system, according to instructors. Anticipating pilot protests, the Navy sent a team of civilian engineers and specialists to T-45 training bases in Kingsville, Meridian, and Pensacola for discussions with pilots. In Meridian, the meeting “got heated” over documented information not reaching experts at the Naval Air Systems Command, Fox reported. Six months ago, the Navy sent Sorbent tubes to all its jet squadrons to measure the air pilots were breathing. After each flight, the tubes were sent to a lab in Maryland for analysis. After 1,500 flights worth of air samples, the results were inconclusive. Among the student-pilots affected by the safety concerns and training is Marine 1st Lt. Michael Pence, son of Vice President Mike Pence. (Source: Fox News 04/04/17)

OA upgrading for next-gen SLVs

DULLES, Va. - Orbital ATK (OA), an aerospace and defense technologies firm, announced April 3 that it has made important progress in the last 18 months in developing advanced solid rocket propulsion and other technologies to be used in a new generation of intermediate and large scale space launch vehicles (SLV). Through a combination of internal investment and a 2015 Air Force contract, OA’s Flight Systems Group recently completed design reviews, facility upgrades and tooling fabrication, and has now begun early production of development hardware for its Next Generation Launch (NGL) system. The next phase of the program is expected to commence when the AF awards Launch Services Agreements in 2018, which would entail full vehicle and launch site development, with work taking place at OA’s facilities in Iuka, Miss.; Promontory and Magna, Utah; Chandler, Ariz.; and Kennedy Space Center, Fla. (Source: Business Wire 04/03/17)