LOCATIONS
LAND
11 Jun 24. Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and Boeing formally announced a new partnership Tuesday, June 11, 2024, that will bring 400 high-paying jobs to Volusia County, Florida, through 2026. New employees at this state-of-the-art center of excellence will perform engineering work for Boeing’s Defense, Space and Security aircraft programs and advanced technology capabilities.
Boeing will lease the entire Cici and Hyatt Brown Center for Aerospace Technology, located in Embry-Riddle’s Research Park, on the university’s Daytona Beach Campus. The center, which has been under construction for the past two years, will open for business by fall of 2024.
By year’s end, Boeing has committed to employ 200 highly trained workers at its new facility, aptly named Boeing Daytona Beach. The other 200 roles are set to be filled over the course of 2025-2026.
“Today is a momentous day — not just for Embry-Riddle or for the city of Daytona Beach, but for all of Florida,” said Mori Hosseini, chairman of Embry-Riddle’s Board of Trustees. “Four-hundred people and their loved ones will live and work here, invest in our local economy and, more broadly, in the future of aviation and aerospace. It’s an incredible impact, and it wouldn’t have been possible without the State of Florida, and Cici and Hyatt Brown.”
Philanthropists Cici and Hyatt Brown, who pledged $25 m to Embry-Riddle in 2022 — matching $25 m in support approved by Florida legislators that year and marking the single largest gift in university history — had lofty ambitions for their donation. Their goal was to create high-paying jobs through a revolutionary business makerspace at Embry-Riddle, and this goal was fully realized June 11.
“Our focused mission, now and in the future, is economic enhancement of entities in Volusia County that positively affect the quality of life for all our citizens,” Hyatt Brown said, after making the gift. “Embry‑Riddle Aeronautical University and other fine academic institutions are economic growth engines that augment and embellish local median family incomes and prepare citizens for productive, sustainable and visionary careers for generations to come.”
Community Impact
As part of its transition into the area, Boeing will make a $100,000 investment into several Volusia County nonprofit organizations.
To kick off this effort, the company will provide funding to support the Second Harvest Food Bank of Volusia County Schools Partnership Program, which offers a student-centered approach to increasing access to nutritious food for students facing hunger. Additional funding has been designated for local organizations supporting veterans and environmental programs in the area.
Later this fall, Boeing will also launch the DreamLearners Program in Volusia County Schools. The award-winning program offers students the opportunity to participate in hands-on Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) programs, and learn about careers in aerospace.
Those contributions are just a precursor to the broader economic impact Boeing will have on Volusia County, and on Florida, however.
According to Embry-Riddle President P. Barry Butler, Ph.D., community impact has always been a priority for the university — both in developing the next generation of highly skilled workers to step into high-paying positions, but also in creating a hub where the business and education sectors can meet and collaborate
“The launch of our Research Park in 2017 marked a new era for Embry-Riddle,” Butler said. “By leveraging corporate partnerships, we’ve created a career pipeline that initially funnels students toward hands-on learning opportunities and, ultimately, fills jobs in the critical sectors of aviation, aerospace and STEM-related fields.”
And those efforts have paid off. According to an independent economic assessment released in 2021, Embry-Riddle’s Research Park generated $137 m in total economic impact in Florida, increasing the facility’s previous impact, reported in 2019, by 50%. In that same assessment, the park’s cornerstone facility, the “MicaPlex” (John Mica Engineering and Aerospace Innovation Complex), was also shown to have directly created over 120 jobs with an average salary of over $78,000.
Today, Boeing’s arrival promises to further expand those career, economic and community benefits.
Employment Opportunities
Boeing is committed to expanding the engineering work for its Defense, Space and Security programs and advanced technology capabilities at Boeing Daytona Beach.
“Increasing both our footprint in Florida and partnership with Embry-Riddle will accelerate innovation across combat aircraft programs,” said Steve Nordlund, Boeing Air Dominance vice president and general manager. “We expect this location to be attractive to not only Embry-Riddle graduates but also established aerospace engineers from across Florida and around the nation.”
At least 200 jobs will be filled at the new facility by the end of 2024. Learn more about Volusia County and life in Florida from Team Volusia. Information on career opportunities, and a portal through which to apply for positions, will be available online soon.
06 Jun 24. Leonardo’s AW149 helicopter production line takes flight in Poland. Poland can now manufacture AW149 helicopters domestically, a feat achieved in less than two years.
Leonardo, a global player in aerospace and defence, solidified its commitment to Poland’s security and technological advancement with the launch of the AW149 helicopter production line at PZL-Świdnik.
This milestone reveals Leonardo’s partnership with Poland but also pushes for a new era of self-reliance in the country’s defence industry.
With the opening of this production line, Poland can manufacture AW149 helicopters domestically, a feat achieved in less than two years since the contract’s signing. The move fosters the growth of its workforce, as local talents are engaged in the production process.
Poland has already taken delivery of two AW149 transport and utility helicopters from PZL-Świdnik for its land forces, as highlighted by GlobalData’s intelligence on the Polish defence market.
By leveraging investments in local production, Poland aims to reap economic benefits through job creation and technology transfer.
The AW149 helicopter programme represents a symbiotic relationship between Leonardo, PZL-Świdnik, and the Polish Ministry of Defence. A contract signed in 2022 covers production, integration, armament, modernisation, and technical support.
The AW149 helicopter offering competes to fulfil the UK’s new medium helicopter requirement. Leonardo’s AW149 faces competition from Airbus Helicopters, Boeing, and Lockheed Martin.
Gian Piero Cutillo, managing director of Leonardo Helicopters, emphasised the significance of PZL-Świdnik’s evolution from a manufacturer to a key market player, “There are growing requirements for our company based in Świdnik to continue to evolve from a manufacturer to a key market player that manages complex contracts and deliveries. The Polish MoD programme of AW149 is a clear example of this today.”
In 2016, the Polish Army’s air fleet expanded by delivering four W-3PL Głuszec helicopters developed by PZL-Świdnik and the armed forces. (Source: army-technology.com)
07 Jun 24. Rheinmetall pressing ahead with F-35A project: AERO-Bildungs GmbH commissioned with technical training for production mechanics.
Rheinmetall is pressing ahead with its F-35A programme. The technology group has commissioned AERO-Bildungs GmbH to provide technical training for the production mechanics for the centre fuselage section of the F-35A in Weeze.
AERO-Bildungs GmbH is a partner specialised in the field of technical training within the aviation sector. The mid-sized family business located in Oberpfaffenhofen in Bavaria will assist with planning of the training and the implementation of basic technical training. This shall enhance the knowledge and skills initially learnt at Northrop Grumman in the USA not only to be applied in Weeze, but also to be passed on to other employees in the same quality, thus enabling a transfer of knowledge. In cooperation with experienced Rheinmetall trainers, a dedicated training and competence center is being set up in Weeze to ensure sustainable knowledge building and ongoing employee qualification.
The commissioning of AERO-Bildungs GmbH as of April 2024 is the first step towards further integrating German companies into the F-35A delivery and supply chain for the Weeze site. It underlines the Duesseldorf-based technology group’s commitment to increasing German added value within the programme.
Rheinmetall has been commissioned by Northrop Grumman to produce at least 400 centre fuselage sections for the F-35A fighter aircraft in 2023. Extensive infrastructure measures are currently underway in Weeze, North Rhine-Westphalia, near the Dutch border. The aim is to complete the production facility in spring 2025 and then start production in summer 2025.
About Rheinmetall Aviation Services:
Rheinmetall Aviation Services GmbH (RAS), based in Bremen, was founded at the beginning of 2019 for strategic cooperation with Sikorsky in the Heavy Transport Helicopter (STH) procurement project. RAS has been working in close cooperation with the German Air Force at three different airfields since 2021/2022. RAS is seamlessly integrated into the German Air Force’s organisational structure and successfully takes over support, maintenance and repair of the CH-53G fleet.
Another important milestone was achieved in 2023 when RAS, in cooperation with Northrop Grumman and Lockheed Martin, entered into the production of centre fuselage sections for the F-35A. With an investment volume in the three-digit m euro range, Rheinmetall is currently building a state-of-the-art factory at the Weeze site in North Rhine-Westphalia for the production of at least 400 F-35A centre fuselage sections for the German Air Force and allied nations.
A new era in the air dimension will begin for Rheinmetall with the completion of the factory by the end of the first quarter of 2025 and the subsequent start of production and delivery of the first centre fuselage sections as of the first quarter of 2027.
About AERO-Bildungs GmbH
The company AERO-Bildung was founded in 2003 as a merger of the former Dornier departments for education and training and the technical school.
The technical school has been authorised to provide training for all classes of aircraft inspectors since 1984. In 1999 it received approval for JAR 147 and in 2004 for PART 147 Maintenance Training Organisation. With this recognition, AERO-Bildung offers basic training courses for all CAT A, B1, B2 licences and type courses for many common models. Since 2022, AERO-Bildung has been awarded as a training organisation in accordance with the new Bundeswehr standard DEMAR 147.
Industrial vocational training is offered for the job profiles of aircraft mechanic and aircraft electronics technician. For manufacturing companies in the aviation industry, programmes are also offered to qualify newcomers to aviation production.
MARITIME
12 Jun 24. US Navy christens latest Navajo-class T-ATS, USNS Cherokee Nation. USNS Cherokee Nation will be the second Navajo-class vessel to enter service in the US Navy. US Navy officials have christened the second Navajo-class towing, salvage and rescue (T-ATS) ship to enter service at Bollinger Shipyards in Houma, Louisiana on 10 June 2024.
The new vessel is named USNS Cherokee Nation in honour of the Cherokee people, paying homage to the their significant contributions to the US Armed Forces and national defence. Cherokee Nation is the fifth US ship in history to be named in honour of the Cherokee people and the first since the Second World War-era Cherokee-Class fleet of US Navy ocean tugboats.
Navajo-class is operated by the Navy’s Military Sealift Command and provides ocean-going tug, salvage, and rescue capabilities to support fleet operations.
T-ATS replaces and fulfills the capabilities previously provided by the Powhatan-class Fleet Ocean Tug (T-ATF) and Safeguard-class Rescue and Salvage Ships (T-ARS) class ships.
USNS Navajo, the first of the class, was christened T-ATS 6 from the same shipyard in late August 2023.
This new class of auxiliary ships will be deployed to support a range of missions such as towing, rescue, salvage, humanitarian assistance, oil spill response and wide-area search and surveillance operations using uncrewed underwater vehicles and uncrewed aerial vehicles.
T-ATS is a multi-mission common hull platform with a length of 263 feet (ft) (80 metres (m)), beam of 59ft (17.98m) and draft of 17.7ft (5.39m).
It has a displacement of 5,110 tonnes (t) and load carrying capacity of 1,796t. The winning design of Gulf Island was based on the Wartsila VS 4612 anchor handling tug supply vessel.
The propulsion system includes a diesel-mechanical propulsion plant with shaft generators. The ship has an installed power of 9,408kW with two 900kW bow thrusters and one 900kW stern thruster.
(Source: naval-technology.com)
AIR
12 Jun 24. First Kazakhstan A400M conducts maiden test flight ahead of delivery. Kazakhstan ordered two A400M transport aircraft from European OEM Airbus in 2021, with the first airframe on target for its H2 2024 delivery. The first A400M military transport aircraft for the Republic of Kazakhstan has conducted its first flight, a key milestone ahead of its delivery in the second half of 2024, as the central Asian country continues to develop its military ties with manufacturer Airbus.
Posting on social media on 10 June, manufacturer Airbus stated that the A400M took off from the company’s facilities in Seville to perform engine and aircraft systems tests in a flight that lasted for just under three hours. Prior to this first flight, as part of the certification process of the first of two A400Ms for Kazakhstan, the first engine run and taxi had taken place in April 2024, Airbus stated.
Kazakhstan placed an order for two A400M military transporters in 2021, in a deal that includes provision of platform maintenance and training support. Airbus stated at the time that the first aircraft was due to deliver in 2024, a timeframe that appears likely to be maintained.
At the time of the contract signing, Kazakhstan became the ninth confirmed customer for the A400M, joining the UK, France, Spain, Luxembourg, Germany, Turkey, Belgium, and Malaysia as current or future operators.
In total, Airbus has received orders for 178 A400M transporters, with deliveries of 126 aircraft having been completed, leaving a known backlog of 52 units.
As part of the 2021 deal, an MoU was signed to develop maintenance and overhaul services, including the creation of a Kazakhstan-based C-295 transport aircraft maintenance centre. This will be a key logistics capability for the country, which has a growing history with the European defence aeropace OEM.
According to data from Airbus’ annual reports, Kazakhstan has ordered 12 C295 tactical transport aircraft from the company, with 11 airframes having been delivered. Khazakstan’s C295 fleet has expanded since the original contract for eight aircraft was announced in March 2012. (Source: airforce-technology.com)
MILITARY AND GOVERNMENT
PERSONNEL
EUROPE APPOINTMENTS
10 Jun 24. Mr Simon Day has been appointed British High Commissioner to the Gabonese Republic in succession to Ms Jo McPhail, who will be transferring to another Diplomatic Service appointment. Mr Day will take up his appointment during June 2024.
U.S. APPOINTMENTS
07 Jun 24. MG Joseph B. Berger III for appointment to the grade of lieutenant general, with assignment as judge advocate general, U.S. Army, Washington, D.C. Berger is currently serving as the deputy judge advocate general, U.S. Army, Washington, D.C.
07 Jun 24. MG Robert D. Harter for appointment to the grade of lieutenant general, with assignment as chief of Army Reserve, Washington, D.C.; and commanding general, U.S. Army Reserve Command, Fort Liberty, North Carolina. Harter is currently serving as commanding general (Troop Program Unit), 81st Readiness Division, Fort Jackson, South Carolina.
07 Jun 24. MG Jeth B. Rey for appointment to the grade of lieutenant general, with assignment as deputy chief of staff, G-6, U.S. Army, Washington, D.C. Rey is currently serving as the director of Architecture, Operations, Networks and Space, Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff, G-6, U.S. Army, Washington, D.C.
07 Jun 24. BG Robert A. Borcherding for appointment to the grade of major general, with assignment as deputy judge advocate general, U.S. Army, Washington, D.C. Borcherding is currently serving as legal counsel to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Washington, D.C.
06 Jun 24. The Pentagon’s chief information officer will step down from his position at the end of June, the department announced Thursday. John Sherman will leave the government gig to become dean of the Bush School of Government and Public Service at Texas A&M University. Under Sherman, the Defense Department refocused its approach to communications technology, spectrum management, cybersecurity, and positioning, navigation and timing policy. He told Congress last year that the U.S. must “regenerate” its electronic warfare capabilities after years of neglect to ensure dominance on the battlefield. (Source: C4ISR & Networks)
07 Jun 24. BG Stephanie R. Ahern, director, Concepts, Futures and Concepts Center, U.S. Army Futures Command, Adelphi, Maryland, to director, Strategy, Plans and Policy, Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff, G-3/5/7, U.S. Army, Washington, D.C.
07 Jun 24. BG Frederick L. Crist, commanding general, 19th Expeditionary Sustainment Command, Eighth Army, Republic of Korea, to deputy director, C-4, Combined Forces Command; director of Logistics, U-4, United Nations Command; and director, J-4, U.S. Forces Korea, Republic of Korea.
07 Jun 24. BG Kirk E. Gibbs, commanding general, Pacific Ocean Division, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Fort Shafter, Hawaii, to deputy commanding general for Military and International Operations, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Washington, D.C.
07 Jun 24. BG William C. Hannan Jr., commanding general, Transatlantic Division, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Winchester, Virginia, to commanding general, Northwestern Division, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Portland, Oregon.
07 Jun 24. BG Martine S. Kidd, deputy director, C-4, Combined Forces Command; director of Logistics, U-4, United Nations Command; and director, J-4, U.S. Forces Korea, Republic of Korea, to director for Logistics, Engineering and Security Cooperation, J-4, U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, Camp H. M. Smith, Hawaii.
07 Jun 24. BG Patrick A. Teague, senior defense official and defense attaché, U.S. Defense Attaché Office-Beijing, China, to senior defense official and defense attaché, U.S. Defense Attaché Office, India.
07 Jun 24. BG Geoffrey R. Van Epps, commanding general, Northwestern Division, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Portland, Oregon, to deputy commanding general, III Corps, Fort Cavazos, Texas.
07 Jun 24. Col. (Promotable) Terri J. Erisman, staff judge advocate, III Corps, Fort Cavazos, Texas, to commander/commandant, U.S. Army Judge Advocate General’s Legal Center and School, Charlottesville, Virginia.
07 Jun 24. Col. (Promotable) Grant S. Fawcett, deputy commander (Support), 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Stewart, Georgia, to deputy director for Politico-Military Affairs (Europe, NATO, Russia), J-5, Joint Staff, Washington, D.C.
07 Jun 24. Col. (Promotable) Christopher A. Kennebeck, chief, Criminal Law Division, Office of the Judge Advocate General, Washington, D.C., to lead special trial counsel, Office of Special Trial Counsel, U.S. Army, Fort Belvoir, Virginia.
07 Jun 24. Col. (Promotable) Steven M. Ranieri, executive officer to the Judge Advocate General of the Army, U.S. Army, Washington, D.C., to commanding general, U.S. Army Legal Services Agency; and chief judge, U.S. Army Court of Criminal Appeals, Fort Belvoir, Virginia.
U.S. Army Reserve
07 Jun 24. MG Timothy E. Brennan, deputy director, J-3 (Individual Mobilized Augmentee), U.S. Africa Command, Germany, to commander (Troop Program Unit), U.S. Army Support Command, First Army; and deputy commanding general, First Army Headquarters, Rock Island, Illinois.
07 Jun 24. MG Jeffrey W. Jurasek, commander (Troop Program Unit), U.S. Army Support Command, First Army; and deputy commanding general, First Army Headquarters, Rock Island, Illinois, to director of Operations, J-3 (Wartime) (Individual Mobilized Augmentee), U.S. Forces Korea, Republic of Korea.
07 Jun 24. MG Martin F. Klein, commander (Troop Program Unit), 75th Innovation Command, Houston, Texas, to deputy commanding general (Individual Mobilized Augmentee), U.S. Army Reserve Command, Fort Liberty, North Carolina.
07 Jun 24. BG Christopher W. Cook, commander (Troop Program Unit), 78th Training Division (Operations), Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey, to deputy commanding general – Support (Troop Program Unit), 63rd Readiness Division, Mountain View, California.
07 Jun 24. BG Michelle A. Link, deputy commander (Inactive Ready Reserve), Joint Task Force Red Hill, U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, Camp H. M. Smith, Hawaii, to commander (Troop Program Unit), 75th Innovation Command, Houston, Texas.
07 Jun 24. BG Andrew F. Scarcella, deputy commanding general – Support (Troop Program Unit), 88th Readiness Division, Fort Snelling, Minnesota, to deputy commander (Troop Program Unit), 78th Training Division (Operations), Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey.
INDUSTRY
PERSONNEL
EUROPE APPOINTMENTS
14 Jun 24. Renishaw: The engineering group has announced that its co-founder Sir David McMurtry will step down as executive chairman. McMurtry founded the company with John Deer more than fifty years ago and is a former chief executive of the business. He will remain on the board as a non-executive director. (Source: The Times)
U.S. APPOINTMENTS
06 Jun 24. Apogee, a leading provider of defense and security solutions for the US defense, government, and civilian industries, announced the appointment of Frank Varga as its new President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), effective May 23, 2024. With this appointment, Mr. Varga succeeds CEO Wes Georges, who founded Apogee in 2004. As incoming CEO, Mr. Varga will focus on expanding Apogee’s impact across the federal and government markets and growing the company’s capabilities and solutions for its customers. (Source: PR Newswire)
12 Jun 24. Booz Allen Hamilton (NYSE: BAH) announced today that William Vass has been appointed chief technology officer (CTO) and will join the firm’s leadership team effective June 17, 2024. Aligned with Booz Allen’s growth strategy, VoLT (Velocity, Leadership, Technology), Vass will focus on accelerating solutions that leverage the firm’s deep mission knowledge and leading position in AI, cyber, and software and data-centric capabilities. (Source: BUSINESS WIRE)
06 Jun 24. General Dynamics (NYSE:GD) announced today that Elizabeth L. Schmid has been appointed as senior vice president for Government Relations and Communications. Schmid joined General Dynamics in 2015 and has served as vice president for Government Relations since 2018. She previously served as vice president for National Security and Acquisition Policy at the Aerospace Industries Association, as a professional staff member and staff director for the Senate Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, and as a Presidential Management Fellow in the Office of the Secretary of Defense. (Source: PR Newswire)
11 Jun 24. Kongsberg NanoAvionics hopes to significantly expand its government business after appointing national security specialist Atle Wøllo to lead the Lithuanian small satellite builder. The company appointed Wøllo as CEO June 10 to replace Žilvinas Kvedaravičius, who held the position on an interim basis following the departure of co-founder and former CEO Vytenis Buzas last year. Wøllo joined after nearly three decades at Norway’s Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace, which produces spacecraft subsystems and other products mainly for military customers and bought a majority stake in NanoAvionics in 2022. He was most recently senior vice president for special programs at Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace, part of Kongsberg, a Norwegian tech giant that recorded $3.7bn in revenue for 2023. (Source: Google/Space News)
06 Jun 24. Omega Optical (“Omega”), an Artemis company, announced the appointment of David Cooper as its new Chief Executive Officer, effective 4 June 2024. David brings over 30 years of industrial technology leadership experience that will further Omega’s vision to be the most agile, customer-centric, technical partner for the design and development of mission-critical optics solutions that advance human health, mobility, connectivity, productivity and security. (Source: PR Newswire)
REST OF THE WORLD APPOINTMENTS
11 Jun 24. Equatorial Launch Australia has appointed a veteran ex-RAAF officer to oversee site operations at its spaceport. Joshua Daish previously worked in operations management at the ADF’s legendary Woomera Test Range, where he participated in the first flight trials of Boeing’s Ghost Bat “loyal wingman” drone. Daish will split his time between being based in ELA’s HQ in Adelaide as well as travelling to ELA’s Arnhem Space Centre spaceport in the Northern Territory. (Source: Space Connect)