By Troy Turner
The U.S. Air Force has awarded a new Huntsville-based joint venture company a massive $3.8 billion contract over a 12-year period to provide test operations, technology development, equipment sustainment and support services for a key U.S. military facility involved in evaluating aircraft, missile and space systems.
Beyond New Horizons, LLC, is a joint venture with Engineering Research and Consulting, Inc. of Huntsville and Fluor Federal Services, Inc, based in Irving, Texas. The Air Force announced Friday that the company was selected for multipurpose work at Arnold Engineering Development Complex (AEDC), which serves as a critical testing facility for NASA and all branches of the U.S. military.
The engineering complex is headquartered at Arnold Air Force Base in middle Tennessee. It has contributed to the development of practically every one of the nation’s top priority aerospace programs, according to the Department of Defense, including the Atlas, Titan, Minuteman and Peacekeeper ICBMs; the space shuttle; space station; and Projects Mercury, Gemini and Apollo.
The testing and evaluation complex operates more than 68 aerodynamic and propulsion wind tunnels, rocket and turbine engine test cells, environmental chambers, arc heaters, ballistic ranges, sled tracks, centrifuges and other specialized units.
Beyond New Horizons is the combination of two well-established companies in the nation’s defense industry.
Engineering Research and Consulting is headquartered in Huntsville and was established in 1988 as a provider of engineering and technical services, primarily in the defense and space industries. It reports having a global team of 2,000 employees.
“Whether it’s software development, cybersecurity, mission support, modeling and simulation, research and development, systems engineering, or test and evaluation, we provide the advanced engineering, technology and subject-matter expertise to deliver innovative mission solutions,” its company materials state. “A right-sized company, we combine the sophistication and business systems of a larger organization with the agility and quick-response capabilities of a smaller company.”
Its contract partner, Flour, has thrived as a large-scale construction and engineering company. It is based in Irving, Texas, but maintains a wide scale of operations around the globe. Its roots go back to 1912.
“At Flour, we design and build the world’s toughest projects,” the company states. “We provide professional and technical solutions to deliver safe, well-executed, capital-efficient engineering, procurement and construction projects to clients globally.”
Combined as Beyond New Horizons, the joint venture in its multi-billion-dollar work will provide services at six locations affiliated with AEDC, including Arnold Air Force Base in Tennessee; the National Full Scale Aerodynamics Complex, Mountain View, Calif.; Tunnel 9, White Oak, Maryland; the Landing Gear Test Facility, Wright Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio; the Aerospace Vehicle Survivability Facility, Wright Patterson; and the National Radar Cross Section Test Facility, White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico.
Meanwhile, the Arnold Engineering Development Complex itself has a long and storied history:
“The AEDC is an Air Force Materiel Command facility and an important national resource,” DOD materials state. Work there has contributed to many of the nation’s most well-known programs.
Aircraft include the F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter, F-22A Raptor, A-10 Thunderbolt II, F-14 Tomcat, F-15 Eagle, F-16 Fighting Falcon, F/A-18 Hornet and F/A-18 Super Hornet, F-105 Thunderchief, F-111 Aardvark, F-117A Nighthawk, C-5 Galaxy, C-17 Globemaster III, C-141Starlifter, B-1B Lancer, B-2 Spirit, B-52 Stratofortress, B-58 Hustler, X-15, X-29, X-32 and X-33, X-35, XB-70 Valkyrie.
“Satellites include NAVSTAR GPS, MAPS and GOES-M weather satellite,” the DOD reports. “Missiles include the Polaris, Poseidon and Trident submarine-launched ballistic missiles, the Minuteman ICBMS plus the Tomahawk and Air-Launched Cruise Missiles and the Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile.
“Space systems include the Atlas, Titan, the space shuttle, space station, and Projects Mercury, Gemini and Apollo.
AEDC customers include the Department of Defense, Army, Navy and Air Force organizations; the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, both domestic and foreign private industry, allied foreign governments and educational institutions.
Arnold Engineering Development Complex is named for the man responsible for its conception — General of the Air Force Henry H. “Hap” Arnold. Shortly before the end of World War II, Arnold asked Theodore von Karman, a highly respected aeronautical scientist, to form a Scientific Advisory Group to chart a long-range research and development course for the future U.S. Air Force.
AEDC was a result of that plan.
The Beyond New Horizons contract work is expected to be completed by Sept. 30, 2036.
Troy Turner is the editor and senior consultant for AlaDefense.com. He can be contacted at [email protected]. For more information: https://aladefense.com/meet-the-editor/
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