Air Force Reserve Command officials formally unveiled a model last week of the command’s proposed new headquarters facility at Robins AFB, Ga., that would replace nine separate buildings covering 377,000 square feet with a single energy-efficient 343,000 square-foot building. The plan, which is under development by Jacobs Engineering Group Inc., of Fort Worth, Tex., calls for re-use of some current AFRC facilities for a cost-avoidance of more than $26 million in the overall $80 million to $100 million multi-phased project. If approved for Fiscal 2014, program managers project completion of the first phase in 2016. Lt. Gen. James Jackson, AFRC commander, said the new facility would “incorporate innovative, sustainable principles, express Air Force Reserve heritage, and be a model for the Department of Defense for energy efficiency.” Officials expect the new facility to be about 30 percent more energy efficient than current buildings, prompting AFRC building program manager Tim Greene to say it should receive a national Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Silver certification. (AFRC release by Chandra Brown)
The Air Force awarded a $13.08 billion contract to the Sierra Nevada Corporation on April 26 for its Survivable Airborne Operations Center aircraft, the successor to the service’s E-4B “Doomsday” plane. Like the E-4B, officially called the National Airborne Operations Center, the SAOC will be meant to withstand a nuclear attack and keep…