The Space, Aerial and Nuclear Network Division here recently awarded a firm-fixed-price contract to Northrop Grumman Systems Corp. for long-term platform maintenance on four E-11A aircraft. The current amount awarded is $48 million, which is for a one-year base. There are four one-year options, which could eventually bring the value to $260 million. The E-11A…

Boeing and partner Orbital Sciences Corporation a step closer to helping the government of Mexico provide advanced communications services throughout the country and surrounding maritime area with the completion of the MEXSAT Bicentenario communications satellite. Orbital designed, manufactured and tested MEXSAT Bicentenario before shipping the completed spacecraft to Kourou, French Guiana, where it is scheduled…

A recent landmark aerodynamic test on a scale model of the C-5M Super Galaxy in Arnold Engineering Development Complex’s 16-foot transonic wind tunnel was all about efficiency and the bottom line. Jack O’Banion, Lockheed Martin’s director of air mobility improvements and derivatives, said the high cost of fuel is the driving force behind the recent…

New organic workload activated at Tinker Air Force Base, Okla., will bring an estimated 37,000 hours of repair work annually to mechanics in Bldg. 3001.

The 325th Fighter Wing, Tyndall Air Force Base Fla., resumed normal flight operations as the Wing Commander, Col. David Graff, flew one of the first F-22 Raptor missions Nov. 19 approximately 7:45 a.m. A total of eight F-22 aircraft completed training missions in the morning and six others flew in the afternoon. The wing commander…

The Joint Strike Fighter began the integration phase of weapons testing Oct. 26 when the F-35A Conventional Takeoff and Landing (CTOL) aircraft successfully completed the first in-flight test with an AIM-120 Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missile. It was the first time a weapon communicated with the aircraft during flight using a data link. The program’s…

The pilot of a F-22 Raptor, assigned to the 43rd Fighter Squadron, Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla., safely ejected as the jet crashed Nov. 15 around 3:30 p.m., EDT, on Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla., one-quarter mile east of the drone runway.

Pilots from seven nations have been working together since November with a goal to increase effectiveness of allied air forces and strengthen multinational partnerships. This Tactical Leadership Program course, a NATO-based training exercise held Nov. 5 to 30, encourages interoperability by developing leadership skills, enhancing tactical air operation abilities, and reaffirming conceptual and doctrinal initiatives….

Space Systems/Loral, a leading provider of commercial satellites, announced Nov. 21 that the EchoStar XVI satellite, designed and built for EchoStar Corporation, was launched Nov. 20 and is successfully performing post-launch maneuvers according to plan. The satellite deployed its solar arrays on schedule following its launch aboard a Proton Breeze M launch vehicle provided by…

Marine Corps photograph by Lance Cpl. William Waterstreet Third Marine Aircraft Wing’s first F-35B taxis in Nov. 16, 2012 at approximately 1 p.m. on the Marine Corps Air Station Yuma flightline. Piloted by F-35 pilot instructor Maj. A. C. Liberman, today’s arrival highlights next week’s official re-designation of Marine All Weather Fighter Attack Squadron 121,…