Team to run Arnold Engineering Development Complex Test Operations and Sustainment
ARNOLD AFB, Tennessee, March 2, 2016 – The U.S. Air Force has directed National Aerospace Solutions LLC to begin the transition period for assuming the Test Operations and Sustainment contract at the Arnold Engineering Development Complex in Tennessee and facilities in Maryland and California on April 1, 2016. The NAS team consists of Bechtel National Inc., Sierra Lobo Inc., and GP Strategies Corporation with teaming subcontractors Chugach and nLogic.
The Air Force had originally selected NAS in June of 2015, but a protest resulted in a reevaluation in November 2015 and legal action, which was resolved late last week.
“We’re glad the contract matters are resolved,” said Brian Sheridan, chair of the NAS Board of Managers. “We appreciate the professionalism shown by the workforce at Arnold since last June. We look forward to coming on board, forging a strong relationship with the workforce, and joining with them to take the complex to the next level of performance.”
Additional members of leadership team announced
NAS also announced two additional members of the company’s leadership team:
- General Manager: Ms. Cynthia Rivera
Cynthia Rivera, a Bechtel principal vice president, has been with the company since 1996. She joins NAS after leading Kwajalein Range Services LLC as president and general manager. KRS is the Bechtel-led company that manages and operates the Ronald Reagan Ballistic Missile Defense Test Site in the Republic of the Marshall Islands. - Deputy General Manager: Maj. Gen. Wilbert D. (Doug) Pearson, USAF (ret.)
Maj. Gen. Doug Pearson, USAF (ret.), brings 34 years of military and 10 years of civilian aerospace industry experience to the NAS team. Among many assignments, he commanded the Air Force Flight Test Center at Edwards Air Force Base in California and served as director of operations for Headquarters Air Force Materiel Command, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio. Pearson retired from the Air Force with more than 4,100 flight hours including 364 combat hours.
Additional members of the leadership team will be introduced in the coming days and weeks.
Transition is scheduled for up to 90 days, during which NAS and the incumbent contractor share information needed to perform an orderly handover. NAS will also stand up various business systems and open lines of communication with employees and the community. NAS is scheduled to assume full responsibility for Test Operations and Sustainment on July 1, 2016.
The work includes operation of wind tunnels, rocket and turbine engine test cells, ballistic ranges, space chambers, and other specialized testing units; as well as technology development, equipment and facility sustainment, capital improvements to the sites and other services for the complex. The complex has played a role in testing nearly all of the United States’ top priority aerospace programs, from fighter jets and missiles to Apollo rockets and weather satellites.
The Test Operations and Sustainment contract has a term of up to eight years and maximum value of approximately $1.5 billion if all options and awards are earned.
About National Aerospace Solutions, LLC
NAS is an integrated project company established for the sole purpose of meeting AEDC’s objectives for Test Operations and Sustainment. Team members include:
- Bechtel, a privately held, family-run, global engineering, project management, and government services company with 118 years of service to national security and commercial customers around the world.
- Sierra Lobo Inc., a small business with more than 20 years of service to U.S. Air Force and NASA ground test operations and sustainment.
- GP Strategies Corporation, a member of the current AEDC operations contractor team, with expertise in Reliability Centered Maintenance, long-term knowledge of AEDC operations, and state-of-the-art workforce training systems.
Teaming Subcontractors:
- nLogic Inc., a proven control systems hardware and software provider.
- Chugach Federal Solutions Inc., with 20 years of experience in cost-effective Department of Defense site operations and maintenance experience.