MSU: $9.8M tank research award

Mississippi State University of Starkville, Miss., was awarded a $9,843,755 cost contract to continue U.S. Army Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Command’s simulation-based reliability and safety program of modeling and simulation, and vehicle reliability prediction. Work will be performed in Starkville with an estimated completion date of May 30, 2022. FY 2016 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $365,188 were obligated at the time of award. U.S. Army Contracting Command of Warren, Mich., is the contracting activity. (Source: DOD 05/31/17)

L-3 earns TH-57 mod contract

L-3 Communications Vertex Aerospace of Madison, Miss., was awarded an $83,050,682 modification (P00021) to a previously awarded Navy requirements contract (N00019-13-D-0007) to exercise an option for the organizational and depot level logistics services required to support and maintain the TH-57 helicopter fleet. Work will be performed at the Naval Air Station Whiting Field and is expected to be completed in May 2018. Naval Air Systems Command of Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting. (DOD 05/30/17)

GT students in national fly-off

MAYHEW, Miss. – Six Golden Triangle Early College High School students were among 101 competitors in the world’s largest student rocket contest in mid-May near Washington, D.C. The team finished 44th. They were the only students from Mississippi to qualify for the 15th annual Team America Rocketry Challenge’s (TARC) Final Fly-off. Team members included Joe Cane of Starkville; Douglas Cockrell, Alexis Turner, and Georgia Wood all of Columbus; and Jakob Chrest and Dakota Oswalt of Caledonia. The competition required teams to use a model rocket to launch a raw egg exactly 775 feet into the air, and land the egg undamaged on the ground within 43 seconds of takeoff. Prior to the TARC fly-off, the GTECHS team competed against about 5,000 students nationwide. (Source: Meridian Star 05/30/17)

Aero major gets NOAA scholarship

STARKVILLE, Miss. - A Mississippi State University aerospace engineering major has been awarded the national Ernest F. Hollings Scholarship from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The scholarship designed to promote undergraduate training in ocean atmospheric science, research, technology and education. Martin McCandless, a junior from Ridgeland, Miss., will also have an opportunity to complete a paid internship at a NOAA facility. McCandless will go through an orientation with NOAA this summer, and spend 10 summer weeks in 2018 working at a NOAA facility. (Source: Mississippi State University 05/26/17)

NASM partnership for solar energy

An East Mississippi partnership will bring a solar-generating facility to Naval Air Station Meridian. It will consist of about 51,000 solar panels on 38 acres of land leased from the NASM for customers of the East Mississippi Election Power Association and Tennessee Valley Authority. The Navy and the Nashville-based Silicon Ranch Corp. partnership will be funded, built, owned, operated and maintained by SRC, a solar projects developer in Tennessee, Georgia, Arkansas and Mississippi. Navy’s energy objectives encourage flexibility and energy resiliency, according to a media release. In the event of a grid outage, energy from the solar facility may be directly routed to NASM. “NAS Meridian’s success in effectively managing energy resources has been recognized at the highest levels of the Navy,” said base commander Capt. Scott Bunnay, “and efforts like the solar project, to diversify energy sources help bases become more resilient and secure.” Under normal circumstances, generated energy will flow from NASM to the local EMEPA grid, which serves homes and businesses throughout Winston, Kemper, Lauderdale and Clarke counties and six other neighboring counties. NAS Meridian is EMEPA’s biggest industrial customer. (Source: Meridian Star 05/23/17) Gulf Coast Note: Military installations along the Gulf Coast that have similar solar projects - with various power entities, including Southern Company affiliates - include Saufley Field in Pensacola and Eglin Air Force Base in Florida, and the Army’s Fort Rucker in southeast Alabama.

GEA HondaJets’ efficiency

GE Aviation has taken delivery of the first of two HondaJets and is seeing dramatic benefits in productivity and efficiency from the little aircraft that could. It whisks executives to and from company sites in Alabama, Mississippi and Ohio. Production of the airline CFM Leap Engine has meant developing new processes and materials such as additive manufacturing and carbon matrix composites, and building new factories to feed assembly lines. The HondaJet fits well within the high-tech supply chain. “We’re flying the heck out of it,” says David Joyce, vice chair of GE and President/CEO of GE Aviation. GEA’s Cincinnati-based manufacturing executives that visit their Batesville, Miss., facility used to fly all day via Memphis and then drive to the state’s other GEA plant in Batesville. The HondaJet gets them there in the morning, allows them to leave before lunch before flying on to GEA facilities in Auburn, Ala., before returning home the same day. GE, whose GE Honda Aero Engines joint venture manufactures HondaJet’s powerplants, will also benefit by creating “our own fleet leader program on the engines,” said Joyce. The four meeting sites represented a week’s worth of airline travel in one day. “The most we’ve flown is 19 flights in one week,” said Brad Mottier, VP/GM of GEA’s business and general aviation and integrated systems operation. The company has identified 20 manufacturing sites that can be best serviced by HondaJet because of the lack of direct airline flights. GEA will take delivery of a second HondaJet in 2018. (Source: Aviation Week 05/22/17)

MS tactical vehicles work

Navistar Defense LLC of Lisle, Ill., was awarded an $18,778,845 firm-fixed-price Foreign Military Sales contract to Iraq for 115 medium tactical vehicles. Work will be performed in West Point, Miss.; Ooltewah, Tenn.; and Marion, Wis., with an estimated completion date of Jan. 13, 2018. U.S. Army Contracting Command of Warren, Mich., is the contracting activity. (Source: DOD 05/18/17)

UPDATE: 155th combat training

JACKSON, Miss. - The 155th Armored Brigade Combat Team (ABCT) of the Mississippi Army National Guard will participate in a combat training exercise at Fort Irwin, Calif., from May 18 through June 15. The training will showcase 155th ABCT and unit partners demonstrating the Army's Total Force Policy. The plan requires a force of ACDU Army, Army National Guard, and Army Reserves to provide operating forces in support of the National Military Strategy and Army commitments globally. Some 5,500 Army and Air Force personnel will participate in the joint exercise that also includes the Laurel (Miss.) 184th Sustainment Command, and personnel from 10 other Mississippi Army and Air National Guard units. The training replicates a realistic operational environment that war-fighters may face in combat. "This exercise will display the Mississippi National Guard's robust talent, joint capabilities, and commitment to national defense" at the National Training Center at Fort Irwin, said Maj. Gen. Janson D. Boyles, adjutant general of Mississippi. The 155th ABCT is HQ’s in Tupelo and has battalion headquarters in McComb, Senatobia, Starkville, Amory, Monticello, Meridian, and Kansas City, Kan. The 155th is the largest unit within the Mississippi National Guard with some 3,850 soldiers. (Source: DVIDS 05/15/17)


UPDATE From FORT IRWIN, Calif. - As more than 3,800 National Guard members arrive for their rotation at a sweltering desert location known as the National Training Center, the 184th Sustainment Command of the Mississippi Army National Guard will oversee logistics of the event to provide support for the 155th Armored Brigade Combat Team. The 184th SC leads Joint Task Force-Magnolia during the 155th's rotation at NTC this year. JTF-Magnolia is comprised of the 184th SC, 66th Troop Command, and Joint Force headquarters of the state of Mississippi; and is here to support its home units going through this NTC rotation. The 184th SC was chosen to lead JTF-M because of their personnel's specialties and knowledge.

MCC grad starts aero job Monday

Meridian Community College Precision Manufacturing and Machining student Hunter Smith was one of 556 to graduate May 12. Come tomorrow, the 22-year-old will be working full time as a computer numerical control (CNC) programmer with GMJ Aerospace Machine Works of Wilmer, Ala. He’s not the only one from that Precision Machining class to advance into the workplace or seek further education. There are five others. (Source: Meridian Star 05/13/17)

New IG for CAFB

COLUMBUS AFBASE, Miss. – Mississippi native Lt. Col. John Sullivan is the new Inspector General for the 14th Flying Training Wing at Columbus Air Force Base. Sullivan comes to CAFB from his last duty station at Anderson AFB in Guam. The new IG will be looking at things from a fresh perspective, but the team’s goal is to continue working towards improving and helping Team BLAZE be the best. The IG two primary focuses: Complaints and inspections. “We serve as the eyes and ears of the Wing Commander,” Sullivan said. The IG team is also responsible charged with identifying undetected non-compliance, in order to fix and make the unit more effective. (Source: 14th Flying Training Wing 05/12/17)

Fireworks on the Water 2017

COLUMBUS AFB, Miss. – In celebration of the Fourth of July, Columbus will once again be hosting “Fireworks on the Water” 2017 - a free, public initiative between Visit Columbus, the community, and Columbus Air Force Base - over the Stennis Lock and Dam with a patriotic salute to the nation’s 241st birthday. “Fireworks on the Water” has been a joint effort between CAFB and the community since 2006. Last year’s event drew more than 7,000 people. There are ways locals can volunteer. (Source: 14th Flying Training Wing 05/12/17)

Mag: Miss. #32 best biz state

For the 13th straight year, ‘Chief Executive Magazine’ named Texas as the best state in which to do business. The publication surveys hundreds of the nation’s top executives annually who rank all 50 of America’s states - from best to worst - based on a variety of factors including business climate, taxes and regulations, workforce quality, local attitudes towards business, and quality of life. (Source: Brietbart News Network 05/12/17) Gulf Coast Note: Florida was ranked second, followed by the Gulf Coast states of Alabama (19), Mississippi (32) and Louisiana (33).

Fired Comey boards MS jet for DC

After President Trump fired the director of the FBI, James Comey left Los Angeles on a Gulfstream jet owned by Tenax Aerospace of Madison, Miss. Prior to an FBI recruiting speech in Hollywood, Calif., Comey was talking with agents at the Los Angeles FBI field office when media reports began announcing his firing. FAA records indicate he boarded a 2012 Gulfstream 550 jet owned by Tenax. The company specializes in providing transportation for corporate executives and government officials. Tenax’s website indicates the firm provides “command and control long range aircraft to perform special mission operations for the highest levels of the US Government,” including the Defense Department, and agencies such as the Justice and Homeland Security departments. (Source: Clarion Ledger 05/10/17)

Golden Age Games on MS coast

The 31st National Veterans Golden Age Games, sponsored by the Biloxi VA, are going on across the Mississippi Gulf Coast through May 11 featuring athletic competition, military solidarity and a demonstration of the human spirit. The competition involves some 800 athletes representing 44 states in 14 events. It is mostly about taking care of veterans, and to promote healthy lifestyles, according to Mike Molina, the games’ public affairs officer. The Biloxi-based VA health-care system - which provides care from Biloxi to Panama City, Fla. - is providing about 500 volunteer staff for the events. The hub for the games are the Mississippi Gulf Coast Coliseum and Convention Center; Biloxi Natatorium; and Keesler AFB. Events are free and open to the public. (Source: Sun Herald 05/10/11)

HASC seeks more T-45 info

The U.S. House Armed Services Committee wants more information from the Navy as part of its ongoing investigation into problems with T-45C Goshawk training aircraft used by Naval Air Stations Meridian, Miss., Pensacola, Fla., and Kingsville, Texas. In a May 5 letter to the Chief of Naval Operations, the HASC requested a schedule of all tests and evaluations on equipment of the T-45; plus location of testing, frequency, and actions to the test results. The letter was provided to media by U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), an HASC member. Gaetz had criticized DOD for its slow response after T-45 pilots reported episodes of sudden-onset hypoxia while flying. After briefly halting T-45 training in April, the Navy resumed T-45 training below 10,000 feet with a modified oxygen mask. Students should be able to complete about 75 percent of their course work at that altitude, the Navy had said. At PNAS, the T-45 is used to train Naval Flight Officers and navigators. (Source: Pensacola News Journal) Gulf Coast Note: There was a Texas-based training mission that a pilot reportedly had issues with hypoxia-like symptoms below the 10,000-foot threshold. The T-45 is used for undergraduate jet pilot training at NAS Meridian.

Senate confirms AF Secretary

The U.S. Senate confirmed Heather Wilson as Secretary of the Air Force making her President Donald Trump's first service secretary nominee to be approved. The Senate voted 76-22 on May 8 to approve Wilson, who represented New Mexico in the U.S. House of Representatives before becoming a defense industry consultant. Her post-congressional work had drawn scrutiny from some Democrats. (Source: Fox News 05/08/17)

CAFB, partners brainstorm

COLUMBUS AFB, Miss. - Columbus Air Force Base hosted its second Air Force Community Partnership meeting May 3 where more than 70 base and community leaders shared ideas about how to create better partnerships. The 4-hour brain-storming workshop focused on objectives for potential partnerships, existing agreements, challenges, and opportunities. The session was broken into four focus groups: Work, Play, Live and Learn. After each of the focus groups concluded, a spokesperson from each area presented Top 10 recommendations. “There really isn’t any other program in the Air Force that is purely about working with the partners outside of the gates to help solve our problems,” said Lt. Col. Timorah Beales, partnership broker with the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force. The partnership program, one of the 13 “Make Every Dollar Count” initiatives launched by the AF, offers opportunities for military installations and local communities to achieve mutual value and benefit. (Source: Columbus AFB 05/05/17)

Three pillars of wisdom for grads

COLUMBUS AFB, Miss. - Colonel Dean Lee, safety director of the Air Education and Training Command, was guest speaker here April 28 for Class 17-08’s 16 graduates of the Specialized Undergraduate Pilot Training. Lee imparted three pillars of wisdom to the new pilots: Become a subject matter expert in your craft, have a warrior mentality, and have fun doing it. “You are now a part of an unbelievable fraternity,” he said, one of 14,812 Air Force pilots. “I can’t wait to see the awesome things you will do in the next 20 to 30 years,” he concluded. (Source: Columbus AFB 05/05/17)

Navy HURREX across Gulf region

Dozens of Navy facilities across the Gulf Coast region will participate May 8-19 in a natural disaster preparedness exercise called Hurricane Exercise/Citadel Gale 2017. HURREX/CG 17 is designed to prepare Navy's responses to adverse weather threats in coastal regions, including the Atlantic, and to maintain the ability to deploy forces under the most severe weather conditions. The drill will involve two simulated storm systems developing and intensifying to hurricane strength, threatening the Gulf and East Coast regions. Among the Gulf Coast states’ naval facilities participating is Naval Air Stations Meridian, Miss.; Pensacola and Whiting Field, Fla.; NAS/Joint Reserve Base New Orleans; Naval Construction Battalion Center Gulfport, Miss.; and Naval Support Activity and Surface Warfare Center at Panama City, Fla. The training allows Navy bases and tenants to ensure they are prepared to address the “ramifications that come with severe weather conditions," says NAS Meridian Commanding Officer Capt. Scott Bunnay. (Source: Meridian Star 05/05/17)

L3 delivers first KC-10 on time

NEW YORK - L3 Technologies announced May 4 it has delivered on time, the first KC-10 aircraft under the Air Force’s logistics support contract. The on-time delivery was a significant milestone for the KC-10 program. L3’s Vertex Aerospace division received the aircraft in January 2017 and, in collaboration with subcontractor HAECO/TIMCO of Greensboro, N.C., completed a heavy maintenance check in less than six months. L3 provides field service and maintenance support for 59 KC-10 aircraft. L3 Vertex Aerospace, located in Madison, Miss., is an aerospace and defense support services contractor specializing in the delivery of integrated contractor logistics support for aircraft, ground vehicles and other defense systems. (Source: Business Wire 05/04/17)

Jackson earns partial E-2D work

Northrop Grumman Systems Corp.'s Military Aircraft Systems of Melbourne, Fla., was awarded an $11,100,000 modification (P00040) to a previously awarded contract (N00019-13-C-9999) for the procurement of long-lead time materials, parts, components, and effort necessary to support the required delivery date of an E-2D aircraft for the government of Japan. Northrop's Jackson, Miss., facilities will perform 4.3 percent of the work that is expected to be completed in November 2019. (Source: DOD 05/04/17)

Aero engineering toy gun lockdown

ST. LOUIS - An engineering student in an Aerospace and Mechanical "Engineering Manufacturing Procedures" class did such a good job of creating a toy gun for assignment it prompted a campus-wide lockdown. The Catholic university warned all students to shelter in place for hours on May 3, and evacuated a residence hall after reports of a man with a gun. Police tracked the source of the scare to a toy rubber band gun. The university is asking all of the aerospace engineering students to bring those toy guns, in closed containers, to a university office so they can be destroyed. “It will be the last” time toy guns will be made for class assignments, the university said in a statement. (Source: The Associated Press 05/04/17)

AHI salutes CG milestone

DALLAS, Texas - Airbus Helicopters Inc. saluted the Coast Guard on May 3 for its recent milestone achievement of reaching 1.5 million flight hours with its 100 MH-65 Dolphin patrol and search-and-rescue helicopters. From patrolling the skies over the Gulf of Mexico – from New Orleans to Mobile, Ala. – to Lake Michigan, the Dolphins perform life-saving rescues, and has become the most recognizable SAR aircraft. The CG selected the Dolphin from the Airbus AS365 Dauphin product family. Airbus delivered the first Dolphin in 1984. (Source: Airbus Helicopters Inc. 05/03/17) Gulf Coast Note: AHI has a manufacturing facility located in Columbus, Miss., that builds UH-72A helicopters for the Army.

UMS cert @ USM first in nation

Fifteen students began classes April 30 at the University of Southern Mississippi (USM), where they are expected to be the first class in the nation to earn a certification in Unmanned Maritime Systems (UMS). “This program gives us a chance to continually and rapidly train and certify our personnel to be the best in the world," said Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command Deputy Commander Dr. Bill Burnett. The certification program is the only one of its kind in the U.S. Students will participate in a three-month training cycle, during which they will study nautical science, 3-D positioning, ocean policy, and autonomous systems. The inaugural class includes civilian and military personnel from the Naval Oceanographic Office, Fleet Survey Team and Naval Oceanography Mine Warfare Center based at Stennis Space Center, Miss.; Naval Oceanography Special Warfare Center in San Diego; Submarine Development Squadron 5 based in Bangor, Wash.; Naval Undersea Warfare Center in Newport, R.I.; and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in Norfolk, Va. (Source: DVIDS 05/01/17)

Omnibus bill has 28 Lakota helos

U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran (R-Miss.) gave his support to an omnibus appropriates bill that would fund the government through Sept. 30, the remainder of FY 2017. It would be the first government budget, beyond short continuing resolutions, since before the Obama Administration took office in 2004. The legislation is a package of 11 regular appropriations bills for the rest of FY-17; and funding sought for national defense and border security. If the bill isn’t passed by May 5, the government essentially will begin shutting down. Cochran highlighted a long list of to-be-funded programs in the legislation that would be beneficial for Mississippi. Among some of the funding includes $187M for 28 Lakota helicopters for the Army, built in Columbus, Miss.; and $21.2B for Navy shipbuilding (three DDG-51 destroyers, an LHA assault and an LHD transport ship) currently being built at HII-Ingalls in Pascagoula. (Source: Sun Herald 05/01/17)