Rolls-Royce Digitally Modeled Wing and Pylon With Engine to Win B-52 Contract

Oct. 7, 2021 | By John A. Tirpak

To win the B-52 Commercial Engine Replacement Program, Rolls-Royce digitally “built” the bomber’s wing with the company’s F130 engines installed to demonstrate its advantages, Rolls-Royce North America President and CEO Tom Bell said in an online seminar.

“We digitally integrated that engine into the pod, into the pylon, into the wing, and dynamically modeled the entire system of operation to model for the customer exactly how efficient that product would be on that wing,” which was “designed … in the 1950s, early 60s,” Bell said in a streaming discussion with Defense One. He also revealed that Rolls’ proposal calls for modifying the wing “as little as possible” in order to reduce risk.

With the digital model, “We were able to demonstrate for the Air Force … how our engine, and this approach, would lower their integration risk, so as to integrate this engine efficiently, affordably, and on schedule,” Bell said. The digital model also demonstrated how maintenance could be accomplished more easily, he said.

The Air Force announced that Rolls-Royce was the winner of the CERP contract in September and that the company will build and install 608 engines, plus spares, for all 76 B-52s. The initial phase of the contract is worth $500 million; if all options are exercised, the value will be $2.6 billion. The last B-52 was built in 1962, and all 76 are flying with their original Pratt & Whitney TF33 engines.

The Air Force made digital presentations a requirement of its B-52 CERP proposals, insisting that, for the first time, it would accept no paper and that competitors would have to battle each other in a virtual environment that was transparent to all. The approach—which the Air Force dubbed an “eSeries” program to highlight its digital nature—was taken in part to ward off program-delaying protests. To date, neither of the competitors, GE Aviation nor Pratt & Whitney, have announced they will protest the Air Force’s selection of Rolls-Royce, although they still have time in which to make that determination.

“Digital is here to stay,” Bell said in the Defense One event. “Our designs are being shared with customers, and as a result of that,” the company is “lowering cycle times to actually not only develop whole new engines, but also develop whole new aircraft. We have examples in our portfolio where years are being taken off of the development cycle for airplanes.” The industry has embraced digital, and “Rolls-Royce [is] right at the vanguard of that.”

Bell said a digital approach was necessary on the CERP anyway because of the challenges of integrating a “modern engine on a relatively old wing.” He said that “Frankly, the least amount of change, for the U.S. Air Force, would be better, from a risk standpoint.”

The digital model reproduced “the weight, thrust, circumference of the engine and the diameter of the nacelle and the changes, if any, to the pylon that would be required,” as well as how the center of gravity would change depending on engine nacelle placement. “We engineered the whole piece of kit showing the wing, pylon, nacelle, engine integration, the gearboxes, the fuel flow, the electrical.” The model demonstrated that the F130 “would perform in a superior fashion on that wing.”

That fact “drives the maintenance burden down, … drives the sustainment burden down. That’s a fantastic achievement, about how the U.S. Air Force [and] … U.S. military is exploiting commercial technologies to make sure that they drive down the sustainability cost of the products that we all rely on.” Bell said the digital approach is “exciting [in] that it becomes the collaboration tool that unlocks the clock and unlocks the speed with which we can bring these products to market.”

The use of digital and virtual processes has worked so well for Rolls-Royce that Bell said the company will continue leasing only about 40 percent of the office space it had been using in the downtown Indianapolis area. Its lease was up, and the pandemic showed that it could accomplish most of its tasks with employees working from home.

“We’re re-purposing” the remaining leased space, Bell said, “to make it ‘uber-collaboration’ and team space … To make it highly effective for when we have to innovate and collaborate [and] work together to solve complex problems in ways that can’t be done with Webex or Teams.” He said that Rolls-Royce is “going under the assumption that people that can effectively work from home will continue to do so.” The company will be cutting the ribbon on the refurbished 40 percent of office space early in 2022, he said.

DOD Adopts Plan to Confront ‘Existential Threat’ of Climate Change

Oct. 7, 2021 | By Abraham Mahshie

The Defense Department announced Oct. 7 that it has adopted a Climate Adaptation Plan to guide decision-making on everything from readiness to supply chains. The plan and accompanying statement by Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III were prompted by a Jan. 28 Executive Order by President Joe Biden calling for all agencies to adopt adaptation and resilience plans to address significant climate risks and vulnerabilities.

“Climate change is an existential threat to our nation’s security,” Austin said in the statement accompanying the plan announcement. “The Department of Defense must act swiftly and boldly to take on this challenge and prepare for damage that cannot be avoided.”

Austin’s statement said the plan will guide the nation’s warfighting needs “under increasingly extreme environmental conditions.”

The consequences of climate change are deteriorating U.S. military installations, limiting the capacity for the military to train and operate, and causing environmental conditions that may trigger instability around the world.

While environmental justice is noted in the document, the Climate Adaptation Plan, or CAP, makes the case for using climate change research, data, and innovation to achieve greater force readiness.

“We do not intend merely to adapt to the devastation of climate change,” Austin said. “The bold steps we are taking are good for the climate and also good for our mission of defending the nation.”

The report itself identifies climate change as “a critical national security issue and threat multiplier” as well as a management challenge. The report notes that extreme weather is already costing the Defense Department billions of dollars in degrading mission capabilities.

“These effects and costs are likely to increase as climate change accelerates,” the report states.

Not adapting to climate change will lead to lost military capability, weakened alliances, and degraded infrastructure, among other problems.

Austin, who signed the plan Sept. 1, made the case that the plan will make the U.S. military “even more resilient, efficient, and innovative.”

In a press release, the Pentagon said the new DOD CAP will guide decision-making regarding operations, planning activities, business processes, and resource allocation.

Five lines of effort include: climate-informed decision-making; training and equipping a climate-ready force; resiliently built and natural infrastructure; supply chain resilience and innovation; and enhanced adaptation and resilience through collaboration. Each will use data monitoring, innovation, climate literacy, and environmental justice to achieve its objectives.

DOD describes an “end state” that ensures the department can preserve operational capability and operate under changing climate conditions.

The department defined climate-informed decision making as the use of “actionable science” in all department processes.

A training and readiness element describes “a climate-ready force” and new focus operating “under the most extreme and adverse conditions.” The climate will influence major exercises and contingency planning.

For installations, the department will use a “Defense Climate Assessment Tool” to design installation resilience plans. Decisions about supply chain management will be made to reduce vulnerabilities and promote technologies for “a clean energy transformation.”

The press release also describes how “DOD’s environmental justice strategy” will impact department organizational structure, policies, and agile mission assurance. Specific changes or when they might take place were not outlined.

Former Air Force Acquisition Chief: DOD Should Leverage ‘Revolving Door’ in New Ways

Oct. 7, 2021 | By Greg Hadley

As the Air Force and the rest of the Department of Defense look to modernize and compete in a rapidly changing world, they need to attract top talent in a new array of fields, from programmers to data scientists to quantum researchers.

In order to actually make that work, DOD and Congress need to rethink what goes into governmental service, and that includes the notorious “revolving door,” the Air Force’s former acquisition boss said Oct. 7.

Government watchdogs and lawmakers have long decried the practice of top officials leaving the Pentagon only to land jobs at leading defense contractors. Easing the differences between civil service and commercial work is necessary in certain areas, argued Will Roper, the Air Force’s former assistant secretary for acquisition, technology, and logistics, during Politico’s virtual Defense Forum.

“For the system to be in equilibrium, the ‘revolving door’ pejorative needs to become superlative. The type of talent that we need in fields like AI or quantum sensing, it’s so valuable commercially, we can’t delude ourselves to think we’re going to compete with the opportunities in private markets,” Roper said.

Indeed, the divide between commercial cyber and technology companies and the military is so severe, Roper said, that the two are “annexed.” His solution is to lower the barriers to entry—and exit—into the Pentagon workforce.

“If there were opportunities to come into the government for limited tours of duty, where [innovators] could solve significant challenges and then easily go back to the private sector where their skills are refreshed, I think we would see a completely different dynamic within the government,” said Roper, now the CEO of drone logistics company Volansi.

While the military cannot hope to offer the same pay and benefits as a private company, “innovators and entrepreneurs gravitate to problems,” Roper added, and government should work to make itself an attractive, flexible place where those people can go to wrestle with those problems.

Roper isn’t the only one pushing for changes in how civil and military service are understood. Chief of Space Operations Gen. John W. “Jay” Raymond and other leaders within the U.S. Space Force have touted the benefits of a new approach that will allow part-time service among individuals who are already working in the space industry.

The importance of flexibility in the workforce to leverage talent isn’t just a theoretical benefit, added Mark Sirangelo, a member of the Defense Innovation Board and a former executive vice president with Sierra Nevada Corp. Speaking alongside Roper at the virtual forum, Sirangelo pointed to how China handles its workforce.

“If we don’t look at how … we bring the best of the best to the upcoming issues and potential fight that we might have, we’re going to have a challenge here,” Sirangelo said. “And I think one of the things that at least I’ve seen that China has been doing is, they have significant human capital—that’s not news to anyone—but I think the other piece of that, though, is career tracking that capital, so that the experience and longevity and understanding gets to be maintained.”

Between the Defense Department and private industry, Sirangelo said, the U.S. has to develop its own human capital plan to leverage its strengths.

That plan will feed into a larger strategic approach in competing with China—and just like it should emphasize flexibility and collaboration between industry and government, the broader strategy can’t be too rigid, Roper said.

“If we have the fastest and most agile system in the world, then we can deal with the most uncertainty, and that will have a deterrent factor for the U.S.,” Roper said. “And we don’t have that today. So we’re on the losing side of the strategy, and we must get to the winning side. The answer is not going to be airplanes, ships, [or] ground vehicles. The answer is going to be the fastest and most agile system, to build whatever. The future is too uncertain to say, ‘We know how to beat China in 2030, 2035.’ … If you don’t know what the future is, be agile.”

Space Development Agency Aims for 2-Year Cycle in Rolling Out New Capabilities. Is It Fast Enough?

Oct. 7, 2021 | By Greg Hadley

When it comes to developing and deploying new technologies for the Space Force and other space-focused units in the Defense Department, the Space Development Agency wants to be more like a cell phone maker and less like an aircraft manufacturer.

Derek Tournear, director of the SDA, made the comparison Oct. 7 at Politico’s virtual Defense Forum, explaining the difference in the process for rolling out technological improvements.

“The biggest difference is the spiral times, and … how long it takes to get new capabilities out there—cell phones every year, automobiles, new models every year but realistically major changes every five years, and aircraft, 40 years is really when you get a new big design,” Tournear said.

For the SDA, which is currently in the process of transitioning from the Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Research and Engineering to the Department of the Air Force, that means regular updates every two years, utilizing innovation from the fast-expanding commercial space market.

“We want to get new capabilities in the hands of the warfighter every other year. We are doing that based on a completely new architecture, hundreds of satellites—and we did not develop that technology; that technology was developed primarily from the commercial enterprise to commoditize space,” Tournear said. “So what we want to do is leverage that development and take that and be a fast follower, rather than trying to drive what happens in the market.”

But Tournear’s goals and plans have at least one influential skeptic. Rep. Jim Cooper (D-Tenn.) has long been an advocate for the U.S. to lead in space and even joined forces with Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Ala.) to propose an independent “Space Corps” in the 2018 National Defense Authorization Act. And speaking during the same panel with Tournear on Oct. 7, Cooper criticized the SDA plan as too slow and too dependent on the commercial sector.

“With all due respect to Derek, what he was calling for in his remarks a second ago, being a fast follower or taking commercial technology and reusing it for the government—there are other aspects of the federal government that do not take that approach,” Cooper said. “Now, they’re largely secret, but they try to lead the rest of the world, commercial and governmental, by a decade or more. We need a similar approach in space.

“And to offer our warfighters new tech every two years, that may sound good, but my guess is that sounds slow to Elon Musk, or Jeff Bezos, or small companies like Relativity Space that are now 3D-printing their own rockets, something heretofore unimagined by our Air Force and other friends. So we’ve got to be tougher, faster, bolder, and I’m really not seeing that like I would like to see it.”

Tournear clarified that the two-year cycle is based off SDA’s plan to launch tranches of satellites—“tranche 0” will be launched in the coming months, with a larger “tranche 1” expected to follow in 2024, which is “essentially as fast as industry can produce those components,” Tournear said.

Beyond that, he added, there’s nothing holding the agency from going faster at the moment—but he also voiced concern that that could change as the transition to the Department of the Air Force continues.

“There is a fear that as we get merged in—as the SDA gets more entrenched within the department—there is a fear that we will be slowed down because there’ll be an increase in bureaucracy and oversight that doesn’t give you a lot of return on investment,” Tournear said.

Cooper closed his comments by also emphasizing the need for speed, especially in building up the military’s satellite architecture, adding that his fear of a “Pearl Harbor in space” is growing.

“We could be blind, deaf, and dumb—and spastic and incontinent and impotent—if our near-peer adversaries were to launch such a surprise attack,” Cooper said. “For decades, our Air Force launched satellites without any protection whatsoever. That was a mistake. We’re realizing that mistake too late. And I’m worried that what we’re hearing from SDA and other elements will make it worse. [It’s] really not putting fear in the bones of our near-peer rivals.”

B-1Bs Arrive at RAF Fairford as Part of Bomber Task Force-Europe

Oct. 6, 2021 | By Abraham Mahshie

The first two of four B-1B Lancer bombers and some 200 support personnel from the 9th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron of Dyess Air Force Base, Texas, had arrived at RAF Fairford, England, as of Oct. 6 to begin a series of U.S. European Command and U.S. Strategic Command exercises with numerous NATO allies and partners across Europe.

The Bomber Task Force-Europe will practice integrating with ally and partner capabilities, using unfamiliar airfields, and flying in strategic areas including the Arctic, Baltics, and Black Sea region, U.S. Air Forces in Europe-Air Forces Africa Capt. Daniel R. de La Fé told Air Force Magazine.

“NATO nations … develop their skills and our skills to integrate and use these weapon systems to their maximum capacity,” de La Fé explained in a phone interview from USAFE-AFAFRICA headquarters at Ramstein Air Base, Germany.

Russia has increasingly made the Arctic a more contested region and strengthened its anti-access, area-denial capabilities in the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad, in the Baltics, and occupied Crimea, on the Black Sea, posing an increased threat to NATO’s eastern flank.

In the past year, de La Fé said regional partners have figured into American bomber exercises.

“That is to look at how we can employ our weapon systems that we don’t have in this theater, that we only host during rotations, and how we can employ them the most effectively with partners in these regions,” he said, while declining to name specific countries involved until the exercises are complete.

“Some partners have air forces; some partners have militaries that just supply personnel; and others have airfields that we use for our agile combat employment concept,” he said.

As a multirole strategic bomber, the B-1 has the capability of integrating with fighter jets in a different way because it flies faster and farther. It also holds guided and unguided payloads of conventional weapons, providing an array of ways it can integrate with partner capabilities.

During the deployment, the bombers will use ranges and participate in simulated events anywhere from the northern Arctic to the Horn of Africa.

The U.S. missions will also practice agile combat employment, or reducing reliance on large traditional bases and shifting to use of dispersed forward operating locations.

“A lot of our allies and partners across the theater want to engage with the B-1 bombers to ensure that they are capable of countering any adversarial threat within the region,” de La Fé said. “We’re focusing on a lot of those agile combat employment concepts that we’ve been building, and we’re looking at executing them throughout this mission.”

Austin Warns Troop Pay, National Security at Risk if US Defaults on Debt

Oct. 6, 2021 | By Greg Hadley

As time runs out for Congress to act and avoid an unprecedented debt default, Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III joined the chorus of voices trying to pressure the legislature into action.

In a statement released Oct. 6, Austin warned that if the U.S. defaults on its debt, national security will suffer by undermining America’s economic strength.

On a more immediate level, Austin said he would be unable to ensure that military service members, Defense Department civilians, and contractors would be paid on time and in full.

“Benefits earned by and owed to 2.4 million military retirees and 400,000 survivors would also be at risk,” Austin added, saying that he hoped “as a nation, we will come together to ensure we meet our obligations, … without delay or disruption.”

Austin’s statement is the latest from a prominent figure in President Joe Biden’s administration to press lawmakers to take action by raising the debt ceiling. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has said the government could run out of cash around Oct. 18 if no action is taken—the Treasury Department has been using emergency “extraordinary measures” to stave off a default since a two-year suspension of the debt ceiling expired at the end of July.

Government officials and experts warn that if the U.S. does default on its debt, the economic consequences could be extreme.

Austin isn’t the only one warning of a debt default’s impact on the military. Also on Oct. 6, six former Defense Secretaries—William J. Perry, William S. Cohen, Leon E. Panetta, Chuck Hagel, Ashton B. Carter, and James N. Mattis—sent a letter to congressional leaders echoing Austin’s comments that a default would endanger troop pay and would harm America’s international standing, according to a report from Axios.

Right now, efforts to raise the debt ceiling are at the center of a political struggle between Republicans and Democrats, who are battling over President Biden’s massive proposed spending plan that would invest in infrastructure, environmental efforts, racial equality, and other topics.

In the afternoon of Oct. 6, Minority Leader Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) offered a deal to let Democrats raise the debt ceiling into December without filibustering the process. Several hours later, multiple media reports from Politico, CNN, and others indicated that Democrats would accept that short-term deal, seeming to temporarily stave off a default.

A similar process played out recently when the two parties engaged in a standoff over the fiscal 2022 budget, which almost led to a government shutdown that would have forced service members to work without pay and furloughed tens of thousands of DOD civilian workers.

With hours to spare before the Oct. 1 deadline, though, the two parties agreed to a continuing resolution that will last through Dec. 3. That move meant the Defense Department started the new fiscal year Oct. 1 under a continuing resolution for the 12th time in 13 years, according to the Government Accountability Office. Under a CR, the department cannot start new spending programs, which can lead to “repetitive administrative tasks or incremental planning,” Pentagon leaders told the GAO.

Even with the continuing resolution, however, a debt default could prevent the Treasury Department from paying the federal government’s bills, including troop pay.

SpaceWERX Selects Startups and Universities for Innovation Competition

Oct. 6, 2021 | By Greg Hadley

The Space Force’s hub for fostering innovation and partnerships with startups and academia has selected two dozen teams to participate in its latest challenge with the hope of developing technologies to solve several key problems in space—including one of the Air Force Research Laboratory’s Vanguard efforts.

The 2021 Hyperspace Challenge, run in part by the AFRL on behalf of SpaceWERX, will include 13 small businesses and 11 university teams. Those selected teams will meet Dec. 2 for the Hyperspace Summit to pitch their ideas and technologies, with the most viable ones receiving the contest’s $100,000 “in cash prizes … to expedite follow-on activities related to establishing government acquisition or contracting opportunities,” according to a press release.

The teams were presented with six problems to work on this year—rapid initial orbit determination; smart sensing and machine learning for ground-based remote sensing of space objects; leveraging microgravity for military/commercial applications and products; quantum sensing for location and electromagnetic field detection; on-orbit servicing, assembly, and manufacturing; and rocket cargo technology for agile global logistics.

That final problem in particular is one the AFRL has been studying for several months. In June, the AFRL announced Rocket Cargo as its fourth Vanguard program, making it a top priority to move from science and technology development to real-world programs.

The hope, officials and scientists say, is to deliver large cargo loads, up to 100 tons, anywhere on the globe within hours using space launches. Observers were quick to note when the program was announced that the idea brought to mind aspects of SpaceX’s Starship, which is the “only rocket in development that plans to both be reused and can … launch that much mass,” according to CNBC.

For the Hyperspace Challenge, SpaceWERX is challenging teams to address three main concerns: How would the rockets air-drop cargo in places where they can’t land; developing “intermodal cargo containers” to be used in mass for space launches; and engineering a cargo bay and logistics for rapid loading and unloading.

Teams addressing these challenges will have to contend with dropping large payloads at high speeds, some of which cannot be broken down, in containers that will need to be transferable to other transportation methods and can survive a 150-foot drop, according to the Challenge’s website.

2021 Hyperspace Challenge Startup Teams:

Astroport Space Technologies Inc. (San Antonio, Texas)
Atomionics (Albuquerque, N.M.)
G-SPACE Inc. (Sunnyvale, Calif.)
Knight Aerospace (San Antonio, Texas)
Lunar Outpost (Evergreen, Colo.)
Neutron Star Systems USA Corp. (Colorado Springs, Colo.)
O Analytics Inc. (White Hall, W.V.)
Obruta Space Solutions (Ottawa, Ontario, Canada)
Quaternion Consulting Inc. (Herndon, Va.)
SCOUT (Alexandria, Va.)
TurnRock Labs (Seattle, Wash.)
Varda Space Industries Inc. (Torrance, Calif.)
Vegamx (New York, N.Y.)

2021 Hyperspace Challenge University Teams:

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (Daytona Beach, Fla.)
New Mexico Tech (Socorro, N.M.)
SFluor Inc. (Albany, N.Y.)
Stevens Institute of Technology (Hoboken, N.J.)
SUNY Polytechnic Institute (Albany, N.Y.)
Texas State University (San Marcos, Texas)
University of Texas at El Paso (El Paso, Texas)
Pennsylvania State University (Freeport, Pa.)
University of Cincinnati (Cincinnati, Ohio)
University of Colorado Colorado Springs (Colorado Springs, Colo.)
Utah State University (Logan, Utah)

USAFE Conducts Agile Combat Employment Capstone Exercise

Oct. 6, 2021 | By Amy Hudson

U.S. Air Forces in Europe-Air Forces Africa is conducting its Agile Combat Employment capstone exercise at Larissa Air Base, Greece.

Operation Castle Forge is a command-led joint and multinational training exercise focused on a dynamic partnership and collective defense of the Black Sea region. F-15E Strike Eagles from the 336th Fighter Squadron at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, N.C., deployed to Europe in support of the exercise.

“We’ve really been working hard to refine how we execute agile combat employment, particularly in coordination with our partners,” USAFE-AFAFRICA commander Gen. Jeffrey L. Harrigian told reporters at AFA’s Air, Space & Cyber Conference in September. “The bottom-level approach really starts with our Airmen, who are embracing it, recognizing that when you empower them, they’re going to come up with innovative solutions.”

The command has not named which of its units are participating in the exercise, nor what will need to be accomplished before it declares initial operational capability of the concept. Agile combat employment, also known as ACE, is focused on quickly dispersing smaller contingents of multi-capable Airmen to remote bases. The idea is to increase USAF’s flexibility and to make targeting U.S. forces in a high-end fight more difficult for adversaries such as China.

A USAFE spokesperson told Air Force Magazine at the conference that several of the command’s fighter wings have already declared initial operational capability, but Harrigian had not yet declared IOC for the command as a whole, though the spokesperson expected that to happen in the near future.

Harrigian said at the conference that the goal is to take the innovative solutions Airmen have developed while exercising ACE then “scale it to meet our Air Force requirements.”

Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. said roughly 60 percent to 70 percent of those requirements are universal across the Air Force, but the different areas of responsibilities also have their own unique challenges and requirements. Because of that, he said, he does not plan to declare an Air Force-wide IOC for ACE, leaving it up to commanders of the Air Force’s major commands to determine what is best for their region and their Airmen.

After 30 years of operating largely from well established air bases in the Middle East, Brown said today’s Airmen have not had a lot of practice going to austere locations, setting up an air base, and truly operating on their own.

“Our Airmen today lack the ability to be in charge—a captain, for example, operating a [detachment] at Tinnian,” a remote island in the Pacific that is part of the Northern Mariana Islands and one that is likely to play an increasingly important role in the region. However, Brown added, “They are fully capable. We just have to give them the opportunity to do it.”

King Aerospace: Doing Things Right

Oct. 6, 2021

Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf famously said, “The more you sweat in peace, the less you bleed in war.” King Aerospace President Jarid King says that concept—doing everything possible to do things right the first time to prevent issues later—drives everything they do for the government and military. And, he says, it has since 1992 when his father, Chairman Jerry King, founded the company upon being awarded his first government contract.

“We keep the mission front and center,” says King. “Troops can’t fly if their aircraft are grounded because of a lack of parts or skilled technicians who can fix a problem or perform needed maintenance. What we do matters and has direct consequences for our brave men and women in uniform all over the world. We act on issues we encounter so they don’t get kicked down the road for others to deal with later.”

King Aerospace operates on simple principles with profound outcomes. Those include taking a proactive, no-excuses approach. Solving problems and delivering quality in everything. Serving as an honest, trustworthy team partner. As a result, King Aerospace has earned a reputation as the go-to “program fixer,” a company that can turn around troubled programs. It’s done it time and again.

“We frequently find ourselves at the receiving end of 911-type distress calls for contractor logistics support,” says King. “Turnarounds have become a specialty of sorts—taking a broken program and getting it back on track. Customers are so appreciative; we find it tremendously rewarding.”

Going the Distance

How does King Aerospace reverse the performance of a program that’s taken a sharp turn for the worse? Without talking about where others have gone wrong, King’s management team shared lessons learned about how it makes things right. The secret appears to be its culture of accountability, based in servant leadership. King’s core principles and values don’t just chart the company’s strategic vision. They guide daily operations. People are held accountable, not just by management, but by their peers. Leadership at all levels and open communication support time-tested, proven methodologies that ensure seamless execution from concept to completion. Every aspect of program management gets the team’s full attention: resourcing, scheduling, monitoring, and controlling quality, cost, and risk. All take place in an environment of honesty, trust and respect.

Offering 24/7 global logistics minimizes aircraft-on-the-ground (AOG) periods through King’s highly vetted supply chain, inventory control, and delivery. Drawing upon three decades of experience and positive outcomes in serving government and military customers has led to a deep reserve of lessons learned. King Aerospace has been there and done that. Customers have included the Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Navy/Marine Corps, Department of Energy, Department of Defense, Drug Enforcement Administration, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Homeland Security. King’s support for corporate and VVIP aircraft—which must meet the highest possible quality levels—further strengthens its ability to meet exacting military specifications.

Kay Roby-Bragg, King Aerospace programs, standards and marketing manager, works closely with Kevin Otten in his role as Department of Energy/Office of Secure Transportation aviation program manager. King Aerospace serves as prime contractor for supply chain and aircraft support services on behalf of the DOE/National Nuclear Security Administration’s Albuquerque, N.M.-based aircraft maintenance operations.

Accolades and recognition include being named U.S. Air Force Contractor of the Year (twice); the U.S. Army Contractor of the Year; the Department of Energy’s Best Aviation Organization; the Small Business Administration’s Regional Outstanding Prime Contractor; and the Army Aviation Association’s Joseph P. Cribbins Department of the Army Civilian of the Year. Its performance ratings routinely exceed expectations.

Rising to the Challenge

As a retired U.S. Navy Master Chief with 30 years in the service, Steve Sawyer serves as program manager for King’s contractor logistics support (CLS) work scope for the U.S. Army’s Special Electronic Mission Aircraft (SEMA) as a subcontractor for Northrop Grumman. The contract provides mission-critical, lifecycle services for a fleet of 68 highly modified King Air (C-12), De Havilland Canada Dash 7 (DHC-7), and Dash 8 (DHC-8) turboprop aircraft used for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR). The contract was awarded in 2017 with options extending to 2026.

This military retirement photo was taken after Steve Sawyer concluded 30 years of active duty in the U.S. Navy. He is surrounded by his wife and family. Sawyer says the event felt surreal as he had just lost his father, a Vietnam veteran, due to cancer from wartime exposure to Agent Orange.

In 2020, Sawyer oversaw explosive growth in the SEMA program. King’s oversight extended to include eight additional locations nationwide and five new international locations. Additional operations directly support efforts in four Department of Defense Combatant Commands: EUCOM, SOUTHCOM, PACOM, and AFRICOM. King accepted the responsibility to support 12 of these new locations in only 30 days. Sawyer was among the leadership team visiting the new domestic locations in person and, due to COVID-19 protocols, videoconferencing to virtually onboard more than 200 highly trained and specialized new hires.

“I’m surrounded by good people, and we had a good plan,” says Sawyer. “In order to create a feeling of family, you have to get out into the field, meet people individually, listen closely, and take action as needed.”

It’s only by recognizing and respecting one another’s strengths and weaknesses, Sawyer says, that people can come together as a strong, unified, high-performing team. Integrating team members from around the world includes a deep dive into our no-excuses culture and helping empowered team members understand their why, or their purpose. Sawyer continues to travel once or twice a month as part of his efforts to “listen to the field” and “lean forward.” You can learn more about his thoughts on King Kulture here.

Living a Life of Service

“We have quite a road ahead of us and an important mission that requires 24/7 support,” says Sawyer. “But it’s like being in the Armed Forces. This is a life of service. You figure out how to balance it all. You cherish your time with family. It’s sacred.”

“It takes humility and honesty to grow and improve,” he says. “Even with all the expansion and growth, we continually achieve wins. The evolution of this program has been challenging, but also immensely rewarding.

King Kulture expresses itself in different words, but the meaning mirrors much of the Navy’s philosophy. Threads of King’s “God, Country, and Family” extend back to the Navy’s unofficial motto—“Non sibi sed patriae,” or “Not for self, but for country.”

“Aircraft maintenance demands excellence, efficiency, and effectiveness for all customers, but especially the U.S. military and government,” says Greg Mitchell, King Aerospace vice president of government services. “We approach every project as mission critical and as a way to fulfill our patriot duty.”