AF seeks commercial expertise for T-1A upgrades

The Air Force announced a “Request For Information” (RFI) document Jan. 9 to the commercial aerospace industry for expertise in upgrading the avionics systems of its T-1A trainer jets used to train AF pilots and Combat Systems Officers. The trainer is a commercial derivative of the Hawker Beechcraft 400A (Jayhawk). The AF has 178 total active T-1A jets. Twenty-one T-1As have been modified for CSO training. The T-1A currently utilizes a nearly-obsolete ProLine 2/4 avionics suite. The AF is conducting market research to interface the T-1As with a modern replacement. Interested commercial aviation firms should send company literature and responses to the contract officers at Tinker AFB, Okla., by Feb. 14. Source: DC Aviation News Examiner, Jan. 10, 2014.


[Central Mississippi/Golden Triangle Note: Some of the T-1A aircraft – and simulators - are based along the Gulf Coast at Columbus AFB, Miss., and Pensacola, Fla., Naval Air Station.]

Plane crashes in Afghanistan / 1st MC-12 was assigned to Key Field

A U.S. Air Force MC-12 twin-prop, multi-mission Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance aircraft crashed Friday morning (Jan. 10) in eastern Afghanistan killing three Americans – part of the International Security Assistance Force service members and an ISAF civilian, according to a statement released by NATO. There is no indication the MC-12 was downed by enemy fire, a Defense Department official indicated. News of the tragedy follows two earlier-week American helicopter crashes. The MC-12 supports all aspects of the Air Force’s Irregular Warfare mission. Source: ABC News, Jan. 9, 2014.

[Central Mississippi/Golden Triangle Note: The first MC-12 on active duty was assigned to the Air Force’s Key Field in Meridian, Miss., on April 28, 2009.]

Hattiesburg firm gains Defense contract

The Merchants Co. of Hattiesburg, Miss., was awarded a maximum $12,316,254 fixed-price bridge contract for prime vendor food and beverage support through July 12, 2014. This contract was a sole-source acquisition. The using military services will be Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, and Air National Guard. Contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pa. Source: Defense Department, Jan. 9, 2014.

Columbus’ AE changes name to Airbus Helicopters

European Aeronautic Defence and Space [EADS] has changed its name to Airbus Group and will integrate its Cassidian, Astrium and Airbus Military businesses. The name change also affects its American Eurocopter assembly facility at Columbus, Miss. It is now know as Airbus Helicopters. Additionally, Allan McArtor, chairman of Airbus Americas, will replace Sean O'Keefe as CEO of Airbus Group Inc., the company's North American unit on March 1. McArtor will be a member of the Airbus Group Executive Committee, the company's top decision-making body. (Source: Airbus Group, Jan. 7, 2014. Previous McArtor.) [Gulf Coast Note: Airbus is building an A320 final assembly line in Mobile, Ala., where it also has an engineering center.]

Naval Air Station Meridian to get new dining facility

Naval Facilities Engineering Command Southeast has awarded six award design-build construction contracts valued at $95 million - including an initial $8.7 million task order for the design and construction of a dining facility at Naval Air Station Meridian, Miss. JCON Group of Miami was awarded that initial task order. Among Gulf Coast regional contractors selected for additional, but unspecified contracts, are Orocon-Carother Joint Venture 1 of Oxford, Miss.; and Gorrie LLC of Madison, Ala. Each firm was awarded multiple design-build construction project-contracts within the Southeast. Ninety-six percent of the work will be in Mississippi and the Florida Panhandle. All task orders are expected to be completed by December 2018. The 21,500 square foot Meridian project will represent a “great step forward” for the base’s reduction footprint and energy saving efficiencies, said Capt. Charles C. Moore II, commanding officer. It also replaces a deteriorated galley with a down-sized galley (7,000 sf) that is designed to allow immediate energy savings and efficiencies. The low-rise dining facility will be designed to serve about 1,100 meals a day. The existing galley (Bldg. 207) and a vacant barracks will be demolished as part of the project, which is expected to be complete by October 2015. Source: Naval Facilities Engineering Command Southeast, Jan. 2, 2014.

Nabors takes command at Key Field

Colonel Mike Nabors took command in mid-December of the 186th Air Refueling Wing at Key Field in Meridian, Miss. Nabors, a 30-year veteran of the Air Force and Air National Guard, was commander of flight operations for the 186th ARW and a KC-135 Stratotanker pilot before being tapped by Mississippi National Guard Adjutant General to command. Among his responsibilities will be overseeing the wing’s mission, recruiting new Guard members and all operations – from logistics, training and personnel - at Key Field. Source: The Meridian Star, Dec. 16, 2013.

Lowndes to grant tax exemption to Aurora

Lowndes County, Miss., has granted Aurora Flight Sciences a 10-year ad valorem tax exemption beginning next year for its investment in the third expansion of its plant adjacent to the Golden Triangle Regional Airport at Columbus. Without the exemption, the unmanned aircraft manufacturer would have paid $9 million in taxes through the next decade to the county or equal to what Aurora invested in building the 30,000-square-foot addition and for new equipment. Aurora missed the deadline for filing for the ad valorem tax exemption which means the firm will pay its accrued taxes – which was not disclosed - this year. Aurora received 10-year agreements from Lowndes for each of the other expansion projects since 2007 after moving from temporary spaces at Mississippi State University property. Aurora employees about 250 workers. Source: Columbus Dispatch, Dec. 31, 2013.

FAA picks drone sites

The Federal Aviation Administration announced Dec. 30 that six organizations in Alaska, Nevada, New York, North Dakota and Virginia, will develop unmanned aerial system test and evaluation sites that will help integrate drones into the nation's air space. The University of Alaska's proposal includes seven climatic zones and test site range locations in Hawaii and Oregon. New York's site at Griffiss International Airport will look into integrating drones into congested airspace. Virginia Tech's proposal includes test ranges over both Virginia and New Jersey. The congressionally-mandated test sites will conduct research into the certification and operational requirements necessary to safely integrate UAS into the national airspace over the next several years. (Source: FAA, 12/30/13) Previous; FAA Roadmap.

Raytheon’s Forest plant garners piece of order

Raytheon Technical Services of Indianapolis, Ind., was awarded a $40,911,284 delivery order against a previous Navy agreement for the repair of 40 Weapon Replaceable Assemblies of the APG 65/73 Radar System used in support of F/A-18 Hornet aircraft. The large majority of the work will be in Indianapolis (57%); but Raytheon’s Forest, Miss., plant will take on 17 percent of the work. The Mississippi plant produces hundreds of radars that use a revolutionary type of sensing technology known as active electronically scanned arrays (AESA). The company is now the world’s biggest producer of tactical AESA radars. Work is expected to be completed no later than December 2015. Naval Supply Systems Command, Weapon Systems Support, Philadelphia, Pa., is the contracting activity. (Source: Defense Department, Dec. 27, 2013)

ANG to purchase buffer acreage around Camp Shelby

The Army National Guard is scheduled to purchase more than 1,500 acres in South Mississippi around the Camp Shelby Joint Forces Training Center to establish a buffer zone to limit the effects of commercial encroachment and in support of the base’s mission. The announcement will be made Monday, Dec. 30, at the Mississippi Armed Forces Museum at 1 p.m. The 1,522-acre purchase, owned by Weyerhauser, will be obtained through the Defense Department’s Readiness and Environmental Protection Integration (REPI) Program. Camp Shelby is the largest reserve component training site in the United States. A portion of the property will be registered as carbon offset credits through the state of California's carbon market. The project is expected to generate an estimated $10.5 million which will be utilized for future Army Compatible Use Buffer projects at Camp Shelby. Source: Camp Shelby JFTC media release, Dec. 27, 2013; Previously in Gulf Coast Aerospace Corridor, Dec. 13. [Gulf Coast Note: Similar land purchases through REPI have occurred in NW Florida around NAS Whiting Field and Eglin AFB.]

Mississippi awaits FAA’s drone decision worth billions

Economic development offices and major research universities across the nation, including at Mississippi State, are waiting with great anticipation for a decision from the Federal Aviation Administration as to where to place research and test sites for drones. The FAA decision could be worth billions of dollars in economic activity and tens of thousands of new jobs. Mississippi's site would be at Camp Shelby, near Hattiesburg, where the National Guard has been testing Predator drones for years, said James Poss, a retired Air Force major general, who now directs strategic initiatives at the High Performance Computing Collaboratory at Mississippi State University. (Source: Washington Post, ‘Government Beat’ blog, Dec. 19, 2013. GCAC, Dec. 14, 2013.)

Aurora-Columbus lands DoD X-Plane contract

Aurora Flight Sciences, a Columbus, Miss., firm that designs and builds robotic aircraft and other advanced aerospace vehicles for scientific and military applications, has been awarded a $14 million Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) contract to assist in development of an experimental Vertical Take-Off and Landing aircraft for the Defense Department. Work will be performed at the East Mississippi plant, according to a Saturday media release from U.S. Senator Thad Cochran (R-Miss.), vice chairman of the Senate Defense Appropriations subcommittee. This award, says Cochran, is “an example of Mississippi companies successfully competing for programs that bring high tech jobs to our state, while providing the best equipment and capabilities to our Armed Forces." Source: The Associated Press, Dec. 15, 2013.

Unmanned program launched from Camp Shelby

The ‘Open Source Unmanned Remote and Autonomous Vehicle Systems’ program launched Friday from Camp Shelby, Miss., could be an attraction for firms interested in unmanned systems to come to south Mississippi, according to John Weathersby, executive director of the Open Source Software Institute. OSSI, along with the U.S. military and Department of Homeland Security, launched a program that merges two technology trends: Unmanned vehicle systems and open source software. The program outlined at Camp Shelby is designed to drive innovation and reduce costs in part by utilized open source software. The research program is to be based out of Camp Shelby and administered in conjunction with the Air Force, Army, Navy, DHS, Defense Acquisition University and non-government entities. Weathersby said economic development opportunities are very likely, and a UAS conference, tailored specifically for the OSS community, is being scheduled for Fall 2014. Commercial entities are being invited to visit or set up shop at Camp Shelby throughout the South Mississippi Defense Corridor, Weathersby said. (Source: GCAC, Dec. 13, 2013)

GE Ellisville delivers first nacelles component

The Nexcelle joint venture between Safran and GE Aviation marked a first with the shipping of its first major production component for the next generation for GE Aviation’s Passport business jet engine. The Nexcelle air inlet component is the first element to be completed at the GE Composites factory in Ellisville, Miss. The Mississippi plant transported the air inlet to GE Aviation's Peebles Test Operation facility in Ohio, where it will be integrated with a Passport engine for propulsion system icing tests in Canada. (Source: Business Wire, Dec. 11, 2013)

Central Mississippi/Golden Triangle Note: Safran has an engineering operation in Mobile, Ala.; nacelles are also produced by UTC in Foley, Ala.; and Rolls-Royce tests airline engines at an outdoor test facility at Stennis Space Center, Miss.

Native American IT firm earns Columbus AF contract

WYANDOTTE, Okla. - Bearskin Services, a 100 percent tribally-owned Small Business Administration-certified firm, and established supplier of IT and telecom products and services, announced it has secured a $5.5 million base network and telephone systems contract for the Air Force's 14th Fighter Training Wing at Columbus, Miss. Bearskin technicians will furnish comprehensive base network and telephone services to support that mission. Source: Bearskin Services, Dec. 10, 2013.

Camp Shelby to launch UV robot innovation program

The U.S. military, Department of Homeland Security and the private sector will meet at the Camp Shelby, Miss., Joint Forces Training Center near Hattiesburg on Dec. 13 to launch an innovative, multi-agency technology systems research program for unmanned vehicles (UV). JFTC-Shelby will host the collaborative program, which will be administered in conjunction with military, DHS and non-government entities. The 'Open Source Unmanned Remote and Autonomous Vehicle Systems' program will be from 12 noon to 2 p.m. at the Shelby training center, the nation's largest Reserve mobilization station. Source: Camp Shelby Public Affairs, Dec. 10, 2013.

MDA to lead business on European mission

The Mississippi Development Authority plans to lead a state-business development delegation on a 5-day trip to Western Europe at the end of March 2014. The trip is to have stop-overs in France and the UK. MDA says the trip is designed to connect state businesses with expanded trade and business relationships with the European market. The Mississippi State Trade Export Promotion program, funded by the U.S. Small Business Administration, is helping to offset some of the costs. MDA did not identify any of the state companies. Source: MDA, Dec. 9, 2013.

Southwest Airlines to jilt Jackson

Southwest Airlines will cease flying out of the Jackson-Medgar Evers International Airport in Mississippi on June 7. Company spokesman Brad Hawkins said passenger numbers were no longer financially feasible and below expectations. SWA’s merger with AirTran, which once catered to second-tier markets, is expecting to move into the nation’s largest airports. Jackson has been a Southwest destination since 1997. It is the only legacy airport SWA is leaving, but the airline will also cease servicing Key West, Fla., and Branson, Mo., both previously served by AirTrain, in June. No other current Southwest destinations are slated for closure. SWA’s 37 Jackson airport workers will be offered jobs elsewhere with SWA. Delta, American [likely to merge next week with U.S. Air] and United remain the only airlines serving Jackson. Source: Mississippi Business Journal business blog, Dec. 6, 2013.

MSU/USM partner basic econ workshop

The University of Southern Mississippi’s Trent Lott National Center, in partnership with the Stennis Institute at Mississippi State University, will host its first workshops on basic community economic development for elected officials on both campuses at Hattiesburg and Starkville Dec. 11 and Dec. 18 respectively. The workshops will focus on the roles of elected officials. Key topics include: trends, infrastructure development, revitalization, financing, planning and partnership development in creating employment opportunities. Source: Hattiesburg American, Dec. 3, 2013.

Students encouraged to join NASA’s Rover Challenge

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has issued an engineering-design challenge to high school and college students to create a space-exploration vehicle that can travel across simulated other-word surfaces. The Human Exploration Rover Challenge is a more complex follow-up to NASA’s Great Moonbuggy Race. Competition registration closes Feb. 7 for American student-teams. The competition is slated for April 10-12 at the U.S. Space and Rocket in Huntsville, Ala., home to the U.S. Space Camp. Sponsors will award prizes for the winners. Source: NASA Press Release, Nov. 29, 2013.