Air defense

Airports see surge in military projects

By June Mathews

Aviation-related construction is the most active area of military work in the South Central region. Even though the projects vary in size and scope, they all have the same ultimate goal: Building everything from aircraft manufacturing facilities to storage hangars to strengthen the nation's defense.

Not only do defense-related construction projects enhance the military's ability to serve, they also directly and indirectly provide economic benefits to the civilian sector.

The operations of EADS-North America is the second-largest aerospace and defense company in the world, annually contribute more than $6 billion to the U.S. economy and support more than 100,000 American jobs. EADS is currently building facilities in Alabama and Mississippi.

In a mutually beneficial scenario, the relocation of the Tennessee Air National Guard in Memphis is a win-win situation for military and private interests. The move will give the Guard more space and will create growth opportunities for one of the area's biggest employers, Federal Express.

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The move will also increase the efficiency of ground activities for both parties.

Here are some more details about what's going on in military aviation-related construction in the South Central region:

TANG C-5 Hangars, Memphis International Airport. In September 2004, the Memphis-Shelby County Airport Authority and the U.S. Air Force signed an agreement to relocate the existing Tennessee Air National Guard 164th Airlift Wing facility from the north side of the airport to 118 acres on the southeast corner of the airport.

Construction of new hangars for C-5 military aircraft, support buildings, an aircraft apron and a taxiway began in May. The entire project is scheduled for completion in 2008.

The project will involve the construction of approximately 580,000 sq. ft. of new buildings for TANG.

Not only will TANG be able to accommodate substantially larger aircraft, Federal Express will be able to consolidate its operations on the north side of the airport.

The facility will be the first military complex to be fully constructed according to the U.S. Department of Defense's antiterrorism force protection standards and is the largest construction project ever undertaken by the Air National Guard. Program management and design services are being provided by CH2M HILL.

Field Maintenance Shop, Gulfport, Miss. In late May, ground was broken for a new field maintenance shop at the Mississippi Air National Guard training facility in Gulfport.

The nearly $9.3 million project is scheduled for completion in late 2007. Mickey Hill, a project manager with Worsham Brothers Inc. of Corinth, Miss., said the project consists of a fairly straightforward two-wing structure of precast wall construction with huge bay doors to accommodate large equipment.

Cranes for lifting big engines are being installed on either side of the building. Drilled pilings were used for the foundation, a fairly standard feature for construction projects in the Gulf Coast area.

"We're actually building on the site of an old Quonset hut," Hill said.

F. Walker & Associates of Gulfport provided architectural services for the project.

EADS Airbus and Air Force Tanker Manufacturing Facility, Mobile, Ala. In mid-2005, EADS North America announced its intention to build a tanker manufacturing facility at Mobile's Brookley Industrial Complex. An Airbus Engineering Center already under construction will be co-located with the future production facility.

Ground for the Airbus facility was broken in January.

One of four sites under consideration for the projects, Mobile was chosen not only for the enthusiastic support the company received from local and state officials but for the city's ability to provide a strategically located site on the Gulf of Mexico with existing runways, a deepwater port.

The Brookley complex encompasses the Mobile Downtown Airport with its two large runways and aerospace manufacturing, aircraft maintenance and airfreight businesses. The Alabama State Port Authority's Choctaw Point Container Terminal and Intermodal Yard are nearby.

Lawrence Stein, EADS communications manager, said the project is employing a mixture of Mobile contractors and is scheduled for completion next year. Once open, it will provide quite a boost to the area's professional workforce.

"When it opens in 2007, this facility will employ 150 engineers," Stein said.

Plans call for the facility to begin with assignments related to the new A350 commercial jetliner, including the design of cabin interiors, crew rest compartments and galleys. The Airbus facility is also the first step in developing a larger-scale industrial site for possible future aircraft production.

Army National Guard Aviation Facility, North Little Rock, Ark. Camp Joseph T. Robinson, a 33,000-acre year-round training site for the Army National Guard, is now home to a new $32 million, 187,381-sq.-ft. Army aviation support facility.

In addition to being the headquarters for the Arkansas Army National Guard, the camp is also home to the National Guard Professional Education Center and the National Guard Marksmanship Training Unit.

The two-story main building will serve as home base for AANG's aviation brigade and helicopters, including its fleet of Black Hawk helicopters. The main building is 152,170 sq. ft. and in addition to hangars, contains offices, supply storage, training classrooms, lockers, latrines, firefighting capabilities and maintenance space.

The project also includes two separate unheated storage buildings, an outbuilding for controlled waste and flammable storage, an observation deck, a two-story courtyard with day lighting and force protection, helipads and a parking area.

Daniel Quintero, a project coordinator with general contractor Nabholz Construction Corp. of Conway, Ark., said the project should be completed by early 2007 and so far is running on time despite some delays.

"The major challenge has been the structural steel - getting it on time and keeping things on schedule," Quintero said.

Visible from the North Belt Freeway, the aviation support facility was designed by Cromwell Architects of Little Rock. It is the most expensive construction project in Camp Robinson history.