Alion Science and Technology, an employee-owned technology solutions provider, has been awarded a Combat Air Forces (CAF) Distributed Mission Operations (DMO) task order for $8.1 million to support the Air Combat Command (ACC) in its mission of sustaining global implementation of national security strategy.

Alion will analyze modeling and simulation (M&S) technologies and M&S-based training approaches. These analyses will be used by ACC to develop DMO enabling concepts and implementation plans that will allow the command to fulfill its readiness training responsibilities. By identifying M&S technologies that can create an optimum mix of live flying and simulator-based training experiences, ACC can establish the foundation for creating hybrid training ranges in which live (real) systems can be integrated with virtual (simulated) and constructive (computer-modeled) ones. The work also includes research in the use of M&S technologies to create a competency-based training strategy that can be used within Live-Virtual-Constructive (LVC) battle spaces. Another important aspect is supporting ACC in establishing M&S-oriented cross domain security solutions for the DMO program.

“Alion’s M&S research and analyses will provide a path to migrate existing and emerging LVC technologies into the requirements of ACC’s enabling concepts and plans,” said Dick Brooks, Alion Senior Vice President and Manager of the Distributed Simulation Group. “This will include the development of concepts, strategies and recommendations to improve readiness training and effectively document this information so that the M&S requirements are efficiently transmitted to the commands acquisition agents.”

The period of performance runs through September 29, 2011.

Air Combat Command operates fighter, bomber, reconnaissance, battle-management and electronic-combat aircraft. It also provides command, control, communications and intelligence systems and conducts global information operations.

The world’s first commercial aviation test flight powered by a sustainable second-generation biofuel this past week in New Zealand.  The Air New Zealand Boeing 747-400 will have one of its four Rolls-Royce RB211 engines powered by a biofuel blend derived from a second-generation biofuel plant - Jatropha Curcas.

The Air New Zealand test flight is a joint initiative with partners Boeing, Rolls-Royce and Honeywell’s UOP in commercial aviation’s drive for more sustainable air travel for future generations. Captain Morgan will detail the various stages of the flight and the tests that will be undertaken to check the performance of the biofuel blend under a variety of operating conditions.

Air New Zealand and its partners have been non-negotiable about the three criteria any environmentally sustainable fuel must meet for the test flight program. These are social, technical and commercial.

GE Aviation has been awarded a $40 million contract from Southwest Airlines to provide the new SDS-6000 large area display suite for Boeing 737 Classic aircraft. First production deliveries will take place in early 2011. The systems will be installed on up to 150 aircraft.

Integrated with the flight management system upgrade awarded to GE by Southwest last year, the combined system will provide the full benefit of flying the most efficient Required Navigation Performance (RNP) operations available. Southwest will be well equipped to lead the way in the expansive use of these approved routes realizing fuel, emission and noise reductions.

Patricia O’Connell, president, Civil Business unit for GE Aviation Systems, said, “Southwest Airlines is the launch customer for this new large area display suite. This integrated display system, coupled with our flight management system, enables operators to fly advanced navigation procedures and reduce operator costs from less fuel, less emissions and less through life costs.”

The GE solution comprises a complete integrated cockpit display solution, including primary flight displays, standby instrument and control panels. The primary flight displays, which have been designed to mimic the appearance of the B737 Next Generation cockpit, feature new 15.4” widescreen displays with innovative dual-channel display architecture, which is patent pending and offers unprecedented levels of display availability. The displays feature integral signal and video processing and graphics generation, eliminating the need for a separate symbol generator. The suite includes GE’s Integrated Standby Instrument System (ISIS), which provides a single box solution for standby instrumentation. Southwest has selected Boeing Commercial Airplanes as the integrator of the system into the fleet of Boeing 737 Classic aircraft.

Agility Defense & Government Services (DGS) announced that it has won a contract to supply and deliver repair parts for communications and electronics equipment at the Tobyhanna Army Depot in Pennsylvania.  The agreement, known as an Industrial Product-Support Vendor (IPV) contract, was awarded by the Defense Supply Center Columbus, one of three inventory control points in the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA).

The contract covers four years with two additional two-year options for a potential span of eight years. The contract base is $223 million with a maximum contract value of $932 million over the eight years.

Agility DGS is the prime contractor and will work with subcontractors IBM, W.W. Williams, Herndon Products and Blue Chip Manufacturing. The agreement is one in a series of DLA initiatives designed to capitalize on the strengths of commercial logistics specialists to improve the availability and reliability of parts at Army depots.

“With our cutting-edge transportation and supply chain solutions, we can monitor product flow to identify even the smallest deviations and ensure that the Army’s repair parts are delivered in an effective and timely manner,” said Dan Mongeon, president and CEO of Agility DGS.

Interface Displays & Controls commenced production deliveries of its newly developed Radar/Navigation Control Display Unit (CDU) to the US Navy F-5N Program. Interface’s touch-screen color AMLCD CDU will act as the radar target information display, as well as the bus controller, for Northrop Grumman’s LN-260 fiber optic gyro inertial navigation (INU) system.

The CDU and INU utilize new technology that significantly improves performance and reliability to increase F-5N aircraft mission availability, while considerably reducing maintenance costs.

“This important milestone recognizes Interface as a leader in cockpit control and display technology, and marks our continued support of the Department of Defense (DoD) and international weapons systems,” said Bill Lang, President & CEO of Interface.

“The US Navy stated that this new maintenance cost-avoidance program will save an estimated $20 million dollars over the life of the F-5N program. Interface’s newly designed radar/CDU will guarantee the F-5N Adversary program seamless functionality, while increasing mission training performance and situation-awareness safety. Our selection by the US Navy broadens Interface’s experience with repair-cost avoidance, reliability, and performance improvements to legacy aircraft avionics’ systems,” added Brent Barker, VP of Sales & Marketing.

ARINC and Impeva Labs announced today that the U.S. Army Logistics Innovation Agency (LIA) has awarded the companies a contract to install and demonstrate their satellite-based Next Generation Wireless Communications (NGWC) tracking, security, and monitoring capability on containerized shipments of Arms, Ammunition, and Explosives (AA&E).

The NGWC capability protects shipments by continuously monitoring their locations and cargo conditions, and reporting as necessary over a satellite network (e.g. Iridium) from any point on Earth.

This advanced capability is designed to provide real-time, end-to-end visibility of shipments moving throughout the distribution pipeline. The initial demonstration of this capability will track an outbound shipment originating from a depot in the western United States during the next 30 days. A follow-on demonstration of this capability will track shipments outbound to their final destinations in theater, and will also track retrograde shipments returning from in-theater ammunition supply points back to depots in the U.S.

“This demonstration marks the first time a Department of Defense (DoD) rail shipment has been continuously monitored in real time, by satellite, from origin to destination,” stated Monty Montero, ARINC Vice President, Defense Systems Engineering. “In addition, the ARINC-Impeva NGWC capability is the first continuous satellite tracking solution that is both Hazards of Electromagnetic Radiation to Ordnance (HERO) certified and operates completely within the DoD environment.”

The Shaw Group announced its Environmental & Infrastructure Group has been awarded a military munitions services contract by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Baltimore District. Shaw is one of five companies selected for the indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contract to support the Department of Defense (DoD) Military Munitions Response Program (MMRP). If all options are exercised, the total program for all contractors will approximate $180 million. The value of Shaw’s contract, which will be included in the company’s first quarter fiscal 2009 backlog of unfilled orders, was not disclosed.

Under its contract, Shaw will perform removal or remedial actions, munitions response and other environmental- and munitions-related services at formerly used defense sites, DoD base realignment and closure sites, active DoD installations and properties adjoining installations. For more than 20 years, Shaw has provided munitions response solutions to the DoD at locations in the U.S., Afghanistan, Iraq, Puerto Rico, Hawaii and Guam.

“Shaw is bringing its strong portfolio of environmental experience and Munitions and Explosives of Concern (MEC) expertise to continue supporting the DoD MMRP,” said George P. Bevan, president of Shaw’s Environmental & Infrastructure Group. “This contract further validates our growth in the MEC marketplace and ability to successfully provide turnkey environmental and MEC solutions to federal clients, while maintaining industry leading safety and quality performance standards.”

The US Airline Pilots Association (USAPA) today announced it has allowed the FAA’s Aviation Safety Action Program (ASAP) to expire.  The ASAP was established to allow employees to voluntarily report safety problems and incidents without penalty, with certain exceptions including the involvement of alcohol, substance abuse or criminal activities. It was the FAA’s goal that this information-sharing program could help prevent airline accidents by encouraging employees to voluntarily report safety issues without fear of retribution and with immunity. Although immunity provisions are a safety industry standard adopted by such lauded programs as the NASA Safety Reporting System, USAPA believes US Airways’ insistence on diluting these provisions has rendered them effectively useless. The program was originally scheduled to lapse in early 2008 but had been extended repeatedly by USAPA in an attempt to reconcile disagreements regarding the diluted immunity provision.

Earlier this month, the Allied Pilots Association (representing the American Airlines Pilots) and the Air Line Pilots Association (representing Delta and Comair Pilots) also allowed their participation in the ASAP to expire on similar grounds, concerned that their respective airlines were using the program to discipline pilots for inadvertent and minor safety infringements. Those unions too requested that stronger measures be built in to the program to protect the integrity of this important safety program.

“We are extremely disappointed that our patient attempts with Management to protect the integrity of this valuable safety program have failed to produce cooperation. We are left with no choice but to allow the program to lapse. USAPA is committed to a proactive safety mindset. As a component of that effort, we cannot tolerate a dilution of the essential protective provisions that other effective safety reporting programs incorporate,” said Steve Bradford, President of USAPA. “We are troubled by the deteriorating state of labor/management relations that failed to produce any movement on these issues despite repeated extensions of the agreement meant to provide opportunity for teamwork.”

Kopin released that the Office of Naval Research (ONR), the U.S. Marine Corps (USMC), the U.S. Army’s RDECOM CERDEC Night Vision and Electronic Sensors Directorate (NVESD), and the U.S. Army’s Product Manager Soldier Sensors and Lasers (PM-SSL) have jointly awarded a 3-year, $3.1 million program to Kopin for the development of the world’s highest-resolution microdisplays for use in future vision systems, including integrated day-night weapon sights and solid state image intensifiers.

“The U.S. Government is again relying on Kopin to expand the boundaries of microdisplay resolution and performance by developing an active matrix liquid crystal display (AMLCD) with a 2048 x 2048 monochrome pixel resolution in a 0.99-inch-diagonal form factor,” said President and Chief Executive Officer Dr. John C. C. Fan. “This new display will reflect the strategic research and development initiatives we have undertaken over many years, efforts that have resulted in important innovations including low-voltage architecture, integral heaters, small pixel geometry, and specialized and ruggedized LCD processes. The new 8-inch processing line Kopin developed in partnership with the U.S. Government will be critical in the fabrication of such a high-resolution display.”

“Kopin has a solid history in the development of microdisplay for the U.S. Army’s night vision systems and is a major display supplier for thermal weapon sights and advanced night vision goggles,” the U.S. Army said in a prepared statement. “The new high-resolution display will meet the aggressive imaging system requirements of advanced weapon sight and digital image-intensified vision systems which will be tailored for urban and network battlefield environments.”