Retired EA-6B military jet to be towed through southwest Indiana

The U.S. Navy plans to partially disassemble and transport an EA-6B electronic warfare aircraft from Monroe County Airport, Bloomington, Ind., to a Naval Support Activity (NSA) in Crane. NSA Crane is a naval facility located approximately 40 miles southwest of Bloomington.

The aircraft must be partially disassembled and towed to NSA Crane where it will then be reassembled, the Navy said in contract documents released Friday. “External fuel tanks may be removed. This will be a turnkey operation where the contractor is responsible for all route planning, move oversight, towing of the aircraft, obtaining permits, escorts and coordination with state and local authorities. The contractor shall enter NSA Crane Indiana through the gate located on the Northwest corner of the base at the city of Crane Indiana continuing to a paved parking location approximately five miles inside the gate.”

NSWC Crane Indiana has a long history working on EA-6B Airborne Electronic Warfare equipment. One EA-6B is being retired from service to become a historical static display.

Work on the aircraft will commence immediately after Navy active duty personnel remove and safely secure all ordnance, ejection seat rockets and safely discharge the fire suppression Halon bottles.

Dimensions and weight of the aircraft provided for reference only:

• Span with outer wing panels folded: 25 feet 11 inches.
• Length: 59 feet 10 inches.
• Height: 15 feet 9 inches with landing gear struts hydraulic pressure adjusted to achieving greatest overhead clearance.
• Weight: approximately 31,718 pounds. Actual weight may differ slightly due to residual fluids and variance in volume of paint on painted surfaces.

Companies interested in supporting the aircraft tow should contact the Navy by Feb. 17.

Carnival launches shipboard gambling app

Carnival Corp. is using the award-winning iGaming Mobile Platform from Scientific Games to offer its adult guests the ability to wager on their mobile devices throughout its ships while in international waters.

The games available on Carnival's Mobile Casino include poker, slots and table games.

"We're bringing the casino to our guests so they can play their favorite games on their mobile devices when they are lounging by the pool, relaxing in their rooms, or anywhere else onboard,” said Marty Goldman, senior vice president of global casino operations for Carnival Corp.

The service is already operation on the Carnival Breeze and the Carnival Freedom from the company's Carnival Cruise Line brand and will be launched shortly on the Regal Princess from the company's Princess Cruises brand.

Billboards in space

SpaceBillboard, a supporter of innovative space research, is set to launch their first billboard into space in a milestone that marks the increasing importance of CubeSats in space exploration.

Researchers at the KU Leuven University in Belgium came up with the novel idea of launching a real billboard into space to help fund their research on NexGen satellites called CubeSats.

A CubeSat is small - about the size of a milk carton - and lightweight, which makes them cheaper to build and launch. It is the perfect answer for universities and start-ups to get involved in space research.

 Tjorven Delabie, co-founder of SpaceBillboard said: "This is an out-of-this-world project, that allows companies to bring their brand into space. The idea is catching on, and several companies have already secured their spot." 

The launch of the billboard is scheduled for January 2016, to be launched from Alcântara, Brazil.

The messages on the SpaceBillboard will be the highest and the fastest ever seen in the industry, flying at 17,500 miles per hour at an altitude of 310 miles. The billboard will orbit the Earth 15 times a day, becoming the first advertisements that literally bring their message around the world.

Although the billboard will not be visible from Earth, all messages will be continuously visible on the SpaceBillboard website as well as used in the customers' branding campaigns.

The CubeSat is expected to operate in orbit for up to ten years. After that, it will burn up in the atmosphere, ensuring that no space debris is left behind.

SpaceBillboard was founded in 2014 by three PhD researchers from Belgium's KU Leuven
University to support innovative space research at an affordable cost.

Interior Department request additional unmanned helicopter demos

The U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI), Office of Aviation Services, seeks companies interested in demonstrating their optionally-piloted heavy lift helicopter, according to a Special Notice document released Wednesday.

The demonstration is tentatively planned for May 2015 in Boise, Ida. The exact date, time, and location will be formalized in the coming weeks and a follow-up announcement will be made at that time. In Novermber 2014, Kaman Aerospace and Lockheed Martin doused controlled burns with an optionally piloted K-MAX helicopter during flight demonstrations in upstate New York.

“This event will be open to companies capable of providing and operating an optionally piloted heavy lift helicopter in the manned and unmanned configuration,” the Interior Department said in the Special Notice. “The purpose of this demonstration is to assess the feasibility of utilizing these types of aircraft for a variety of missions, including, but not limited to fire suppression at night and during low visibility conditions as well as cargo delivery. At this time we are asking for an initial response of capable companies interested in demonstrating this type of aircraft. As part of this demonstration, the company owned and operated, optionally piloted aircraft will be asked to perform the following scenario based missions over a one to three day period:

• External load cargo pickup in the unmanned configuration.
• External Load cargo delivery in the unmanned configuration.
• Single target water dropping.
• Progressive line building with bucket.
• Water pickup from a variety of different dip sites.
• In-flight re-tasking of the aircraft.
• Multiple load delivery (carousel hook).
• Communicate with crews on the ground to identify, locate and drop water or deliver cargo to a specific site.
• Provide Real-time optical and thermal infrared imagery to the ground control station.”

The demonstration will take place in high desert and mountainous terrain similar to wildland fire conditions and environment.

“This announcement is for information planning purposes only and it is not to be construed as a commitment by the government for any actual procurement of supplies or services,” DOI officials said.

Companies interested in participating in the flight demonstrations are invited to contact the DOI by Feb.17.

Video: New drone hangar coming to Fort Drum

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New York District intends to issue an Invitation For Bid solicitation package seeking to award a contract for the construction of a standard design unmanned aerial vehicle hangar. The new hangar will be located at Fort Drum, N.Y., the Army said in contract documents released Wednesday.

The work includes an operations and maintenance hangar with shops, company administration, supply space, tool and parts storage, oil/water separator, petroleum, oil and lubricant storage, hazardous waste storage, access apron, runway overrun, taxiway, enclosed aircraft container storage, fire protection and alarm systems, Intrusion Detection System installation, Energy Monitoring Control Systems connection, and building information systems.

The performance period for the contract will be approximately 545 calendar days from the issuance of the Notice to Proceed. The project magnitude is between $10 million and $25 million. The Army anticipates the hangar plans and specifications will be available on Jan. 30 with a bid opening on March 3.

Scientists to announce 'Doomsday Clock' decision this week

The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists will host a live news conference at 11 a.m. EST on Thursday to announce the recent decision of its Science and Security Board as to whether or not the minute hand of the historic "Doomsday Clock" will be adjusted. The Doomsday Clock is an internationally recognized design that conveys how close the world population is to destroying civilization with dangerous technologies.

The last time the Doomsday Clock minute hand moved was in January 2012, when the clock's minute hand was pushed ahead one minute from six to five minutes before midnight. Climate change and increasing concerns about nuclear weapons are the main factors influencing the decision about any additional adjustment that may be made to the Doomsday Clock.

Key trends influencing the Doomsday Clock deliberations to be announced on Thursday include: evidence of accelerating climate change coupled with inadequate international action to greenhouse gas emission as conveyed in the November 2014 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report and the recent United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change negotiations in Lima, Peru; and nuclear modernization programs in the United States, Russia, and other states, as well as the stalled reduction of  nuclear warheads in Russian and U.S. Arsenals

Bridget Coulon named VP Human Resources at Northrop Grumman

Northrop Grumman Corp. has appointed Bridget Coulon, vice president, human resources for its corporate office and Enterprise Shared Services (ESS) organization, effective immediately. She will report to Denise Peppard, corporate vice president and chief human resources officer.

In this role, Coulon will be responsible for overall human resources leadership in support of the corporate office and ESS organization. She will also be a member of Northrop Grumman's human resources policy council.

Coulon has held director positions throughout Northrop Grumman including the Electronic Systems sector in Baltimore, where she most recently served as human resources business leader for Engineering, Manufacturing and Logistics.

Coulon earned a bachelor's degree in communications and media studies from Radford University in Radford and a master's degree in human resources management from Marymount University in Arlington.

Climax Utilities CEO buys share of ProEconomica game

The CEO of Climax Utilities purchased his first “real share” of the online game ProEconomica on Monday.

"My first real share purchase is a historic milestone for Climax,” commented Brothel, CEO of Climax Utilities. He continued, "Our successful launch in 2014 and first real share purchase has established an important cornerstone for the company. I am excited to see our continued growth."

Climax Utilities is a virtual company created online in the game Proeconomica. The interactive nature of ProEconomica's virtual world combined with players worldwide allows for users to interact directly with each other and develop entrepreneurial skills.

About ProEconomica 

Are you ready to develop your entrepreneurial skills in order to become a really successful businessman? Do you want to manage your own company or compete with other players in a virtual world based on the concepts found in reality? Then go to ProEconomica and get into an unique economic adventure. Join a virtual world that brings you real experience.