Air Force Reserve Command’s 920th Rescue Wing cut the ribbon on a $4 million renovated and expanded heavy maintenance hangar for HC-130P/N aircraft at Patrick AFB, Fla., according to a release. The wing expanded the original 17,000 square-foot isochronal inspection nose-dock to a 27,000 square-foot hangar that can fully enclose an HC-130 and permit maintenance work in all weather, with decreased impact from salt corrosion, states the wing’s Jan. 12 release. The project also added a kitchen, offices, and a break room, in addition to upgrading the hangar’s water and foam fire-suppression systems and incorporating a bridge crane, maintenance platforms, and upgraded lighting. Hangar 630 officially reopened on Jan. 10.
The Air Force Research Laboratory awarded Kratos Unmanned Aerial Systems Inc. and General Atomics Aeronautical Systems matching $17.7 million contracts for an "Off-Board Sensing Station,” which is an unmanned aircraft that would extend a manned fighter’s sensing range and also potentially carry additional weapons for that aircraft. The cost-plus-fixed-fee contracts…