Southeast Aerospace picks up Navy T-44 aircraft contract

Southeast Aerospace Inc., Melbourne, Fla., is being awarded a $9 million contract for the purchase of part kits for Avionics System Upgrades on the Navy’s T-44 Pegasus aircraft, the Department of Defense announced on Friday. This contract contains two option years, which if exercised, would bring the contract value to $18 million.

No contract funds will be obligated at the time of award. Funds will be provided under individual delivery order.

The work will be performed in Jacksonville, Fla., and is expected to be complete in January 2014. If all options are exercised, work will continue through January 2016.

The Naval Supply Systems Command, Fleet Logistics Center, Jacksonville, Fla., awarded the contract.

Contractor finds extensive damage to NASA Learjet engine during inspection

During routine inspections of an engine from a NASA Learjet 25 aircraft, a vendor for the space agency found extensive damage within the compressor section of the power system.

The damage was discovered when the engine was sent to U S. Turbine & Accessory LLC in Taylor, Mich. The engine, a GE CJ610-6, was shipped to U.S. Turbine for a scheduled five-year corrosion inspection.

“It will be more cost effective to have U S Turbine & Accessory LLC complete these repairs since the engine is already disassembled,” NASA said in contract documents released through the Federal Business Opportunities website on Thursday. “Further damage would incur if we were to reassemble everything and ship to anyone else.”

The Learjet 25 is used at NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio.

Accretive Health, Inc.

Accretive Health, Inc. (AH) stock up over 4% on Wednesday. My article from August 2011.

New stars being born in the Large Magellanic Cloud

Nearly 200,000 light-years from Earth, the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), a satellite galaxy of the Milky Way, floats in space, in a long and slow dance around our galaxy. Vast clouds of gas within it slowly collapse to form new stars. In turn, these light up the gas clouds in a riot of colors, visible in this image from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope.

First Indian Air Force C-17 ready for flight test

The Boeing Company on Tuesday delivered -- on schedule -- the first of 10 C-17 Globemaster III airlifters for the Indian Air Force (IAF). India's first C-17 will now enter a U.S. Air Force flight test program at Edwards Air Force Base in California. Boeing is on track to deliver four more C-17s to the IAF this year and five in 2014.

"The C-17 met the stipulated airlift requirements of the Indian Air Force when it flew field evaluation trials in India during June 2010," said Air Commodore Sanjay Nimesh, at the Embassy of India. "It was exciting to see the C-17 fly again, this time with Indian Air Force markings, as the airlifter completed its first-flight milestone on Jan. 11. We look forward to the day that the first IAF C-17 flies over India."

"The C-17's ability to operate in extremely hot and cold climates; transport large payloads across vast ranges; and land on short, austere runways makes it ideal for India's airlift needs," said Nan Bouchard, Boeing vice president and C-17 program manager.

India's Ministry of Defence signed an agreement with the U.S. government on June 15, 2011, to acquire 10 C-17 airlifters, making India the largest C-17 customer outside the United States. The governments finalized the Foreign Military Sales contract for the airframe on June 6, 2012.

Boeing has delivered 250 C-17s worldwide, including 218 to the U.S. Air Force active duty, Guard and Reserve units. A total of 32 C-17s have been delivered to Australia, Canada, India, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom and the 12-member Strategic Airlift Capability initiative of NATO and Partnership for Peace nations.