Manatee deaths studied

GULFPORT, Miss. – The Institute for Marine Mammal Studies is looking into the recent deaths of two manatees in the northern Gulf of Mexico. One was found dead in Mobile Bay on Christmas day, and the other was found alive in the Pascagoula River, but died as it was being taken to the institute. Indications are the two may have succumbed to the cold weather. (Sources: Mississippi Press, 12/30/10, WALA-TV, Sun Herald, 12/29/10)

January sci-tech newsletter available

The latest issue of Alliance Insight, a quarterly newsletter highlighting science and technology in South Mississippi, is now available. The January issue takes a look at what's in store for South Mississippi in 2011. Also included: feature stories about NASA's Stennis Space Center, the Infinity Science Center, South Mississippi's airports and the Tradition planned community. The newsletter is produced by the Mississippi Gulf Coast Alliance for Economic Development. (Source: Alliance Insight, January 2011)

January sci-tech newsletter available

The latest issue of Alliance Insight, a quarterly newsletter highlighting science and technology in South Mississippi, is now available. The January issue takes a look at what's in store for South Mississippi in 2011. Also included: feature stories about NASA's Stennis Space Center, the Infinity Science Center, South Mississippi's airports and the Tradition planned community. The newsletter is produced by the Mississippi Gulf Coast Alliance for Economic Development. (Source: Alliance Insight, January 2011)

Lockheed, Austal get LCS contracts

WASHINGTON - The Navy has awarded Lockheed Martin Corp. and Austal USA each a fixed-price incentive contract for the design and construction of a 10 ship block-buy, for a total of 20 littoral combat ships from fiscal 2010 through fiscal 2015. The amount awarded to Lockheed Martin Corp. for fiscal 2010 littoral combat ships is $436,852,639. The amount awarded to Austal USA for the fiscal 2010 littoral combat ships is $432,069,883. (Source: NNS, 12/29/10)

Contract: Northrop Grumman, $12M

Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding Inc., Pascagoula, Miss., is being awarded a $12,000,000 cost-plus-fixed fee modification to previously awarded contract for government-furnished equipment workshare transportation efforts in support of the DDG 1000 Zumwalt-class destroyer. The anticipated modification will provide government-furnished workshare transportation efforts for the procurement of material required for the fabrication of cradles, fixtures, and other equipment that are necessary to safely and securely transport class products from Northrup Grumman Shipbuilding in Pascagoula, Miss., to Bath Iron Works in Bath, Maine. Work will be performed in Pascagoula, Miss. (95 percent), and Gulfport, Miss. (5 percent), and is expected to be completed by December 2011. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington Navy Yard, D.C., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 12/29/10)

Contract: Austal, $465.4M

Austal USA LLC, Mobile, Ala., is being awarded a fixed-price-incentive contract for the fiscal 2010-2015 block buy of Flight 0+ Littoral Combat Ships (LCS). The fiscal 2010 LCS Flight 0+ ship award amount is $432,069,883. There are additional line items totaling $33,398,998 for technical data package, core class services, provisioned items orders, ordering, a not-to-exceed line item for non-recurring engineering, and data items. The total amount of the contract is $465,468,881. The contract includes line items for nine additional ships and options for post delivery support, additional crew and shore support, special studies, class services, class standard equipment support, economic order quantity equipment, selected ship systems equipment for a second source and selected ship system integration and test for a second source which, if authorized/exercised, would bring the cumulative value of this contract to $4,386,301,775. Work will be performed in Mobile, Ala. (50 percent); Pittsfield, Mass. (17 percent); Cincinnati, Ohio (3 percent); Baltimore, Md. (2 percent); Burlington, Vt. (2 percent); New Orleans, La. (2 percent); and various locations of less than two percent each totaling 24 percent. Work is expected to be complete by June 2015. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 12/29/10)

LCS will have big impact

The Mobile Press-Register takes a look at the impact of a $5 billion contract for Austal USA to build littoral combat ships. It will mean 1,800 extra jobs, but the ripple impact will go well beyond that, ranging from employee spending to the possibility of suppliers setting up shop in Mobile. Congress last week approved buying 10 ships from Austal and competitor Lockheed Martin. The Navy ultimately plans to buy 55 of the ships. (Source: Mobile Press-Register, 12/27/10)

Split LCS by OKd

Congress approved a Navy plan to award a nearly $5 billion shipbuilding contract to Austal USA, doubling the size of the company's Mobile shipyard and creating 1,800 jobs. Once signed by President Barack Obama, the Navy will be able to move forward with a plan to split the purchase of 20 vessels between Austal and Lockheed Martin Corp. Previously, the shipbuilders were in a winner-take-all competition to build 10 LCS, with nine additional ships planned in future years. (Source: Mobile Press-Register, 12/21/10)

Companies chosen for NG test facility

PASCAGOULA, Miss. - Jackson County Board of Supervisors agreed Monday to hire a grant administrator, architect and engineer to work on a new land-based testing facility for Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding. The grant administrator, Gouras and Associates, will help submit a funding proposal to the Mississippi Development Authority. Once approved, the architects, Ocean Springs-based Allred Architectural Group and Biloxi-based Eley Guild Hardy Architects, and engineers at Orion Engineering can begin work. The multimillion-dollar facility will be used for pre-installation assembly, integration and testing of ship components and equipment, as well as other activities. (Source: Mississippi Press, 12/21/10)

Proposals opened for NG work

PASCAGOULA, Miss. - The Jackson County Board of Supervisors Monday opened proposals from firms wanting to work on a new testing facility for Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding. The county will hire a grant administrator, architect and engineer to help submit a funding proposal to the Mississippi Development Authority, said George Freeland, executive director of the Jackson County Economic Development Foundation. He said the process is in its early stages, and a location, construction cost projection and size information is not known. (Source: Mississippi Press, 12/14/10)

Railgun test sets record

NAVAL SURFACE WARFARE CENTER DAHLGREN, Va. - The Office of Naval Research reached a milestone Friday when it successfully conducted a world-record 33-megajoule shot of the electromagnetic railgun. The railgun uses electricity to propel a projectile at high velocity to destroy a target with kinetic energy rather than explosives. It can fire projectiles at least 110 nautical miles. The railgun is being developed for use on a wide range of ships, including the DDG 1000 and DDG 51. (Source: NNS, 12/10/10) Gulf Coast note: Northrop Grumman builds DDG 51s, as well as the deck house, helicopter hangar and peripheral vertical launcher system cells for the DDG 1000.

Railgun test scheduled

ARLINGTON, Va. - Navy leaders will be on hand Friday at Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division for a record-setting test of the experimental electromagnetic railgun. The Navy will fire a 32-megajoule muzzle energy shot, a new world record. The railgun uses electricity to propel a projectile at high velocity to destroy a target with kinetic energy rather than explosives. A future tactical electromagnetic railgun will hit targets at ranges almost 20 times farther than conventional surface ship combat systems. The railgun is being developed for use on a wide range of ships, including the DDG 1000 and DDG 51. (Source: NNS, 12/08/10) Gulf Coast note: Northrop Grumman builds DDG 51s in Mississippi, as well as the deck house, helicopter hangar and peripheral vertical laucher system cells for the DDG 1000.

LCS dual-buy bill introduced

The Navy's plan to award shallow-water warship contracts to shipyards in both Mobile, Ala., and Wisconsin cleared a hurdle when U.S. Rep. Gene Taylor, D-Miss., introduced legislation to approve the purchases. Analysts said the bill, sent to the House Armed Services Committee, gives the dual-buy plan a clearer path to congressional approval before the Navy-imposed Dec. 14 deadline. If Congress signs off, Austal USA in Mobile and a team led by Lockheed Martin each will get contracts to build 10 littoral combat ships, estimated to be worth about $5 billion each. (Source: Mobile Press-Register, 12/04/10)

Workshop scheduled with researchers

OCEAN SPRINGS, Miss. - Researchers from the University of Southern Mississippi Gulf Coast Research Laboratory and the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources will present a public briefing on the status of coastal fisheries research at 7 p.m. Dec. 7 in the Caylor Auditorium at GCRL. Topics will include Mississippi’s spotted seatrout population monitoring, cooperative tag and release programs, and efforts relative to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. The program is free and open to the public. (Source: Tcp, 12/02/10, based on 11/22/10 USM release)

NG gets $480M contract

The Coast Guard has awarded a $480 million fixed-price incentive contract to Northrop Grumman's Shipbuilding sector to build a fourth National Security Cutter in Pascagoula. A company spokesman said that engineering and planning work will begin immediately and start of construction is scheduled to take place in the third quarter of 2011. The cutter will be 418 feet long and carry a crew of about 110. At peak production, 600 to 700 shipbuilders will be working on the ship. (Source: Sun Herald, 11/30/10)