Space contractor Wyle inks new lease at Brooks

Wyle, a tenant at Brooks City-Base since the mid-1960s, has long worked with the Department of Defense, NASA and leading commercial aerospace contractors.

Under this new lease, Wyle will use the extra space to house the equipment used in its scientific research work as well as general office space. Wyle owns a human-use centrifuge with flight simulation capability as well as altitude research chambers that replicate normal-to-severe flight conditions. Wyle intends to maintain its focus on research, development, testing and evaluation opportunities with the Department of Defense, but will branch out to commercial work further.

“Our nation’s first attempt to go into space exploration began here at Brooks City-Base and we are excited to remain on the campus to continue our current work while expanding into the commercial environment,” says William Ercoline , Manager of San Antonio Operations for Wyle. “Brooks City-Base offers a great location for expanding many business opportunities.”

Wyle provides aerospace engineering and information technology services to the federal government. The company also provides biomedical and engineering services for NASA’s human space missions; test and evaluation services for aircraft, weapon systems, networks and other government equipment; and other engineering services to the aerospace, defense and nuclear power industries.

Brooks City-Base is a master-planned research and technology community. It is the former Brooks Air Force Base.

711th Human Performance Wing's Complex opens to a bright future

A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held at the new 711th Human Performance Wing’s Maj. Gen. Harry G. Armstrong Complex at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base June 1. The project first came to light in 2005 with the announcement from the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) Commission bringing nearly 1,000 jobs to the Miami Valley. Pictured above singing the Air Force Song are Col. John Drolet, U.S. Army Corp of Engineers; Thomas Wells, director 711th Human Performance Wing; Maj. Gen. William McCasland, commander Air Force Research Laboratory and Dan Walsh, CEO, Walsh Group.

By Karen Weaver-Cox

Editor

kweavercox@xeniagazette.com

WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE – It started in 2005 with a directive from the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) Commission to construct facilities at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base to house components of what is now the 711th Human Performance Wing and the Naval Medical Research Unit-Dayton.

Now, six years and $239 million later a ribbon-cutting ceremony was held June 1 to officially open the 680,000 square-foot complex of buildings that will house the U.S. Air Force School of Aerospace Medicine, the Human Effectiveness Directorate, the Human Performance Integration Directorate and the NAMRU-D.

“Ours is a diverse legacy,” said Thomas Wells, director 711th Human Performance Wing. “We are here to protect and affect our Airmen, Soldiers and Sailors allowing them to complete their mission.”

Before moving to Wright-Patt, these groups were located in about 110 buildings at Brooks Air Force Base, Texas. Now the work will take place in three new state-of-the-art buildings and several other refurbished buildings in Area B.

“I want to express my gratitude and congratulations to all of you who have played a role in completing the largest military construction project to be undertaken at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base since World War II,” said Maj. Gen. William McCasland, AFRL Commander. “You did it right, you did it on budget, and you did it ahead of schedule.”

“No one person can take credit for delivering this beautiful complex ahead of schedule,” said Mr. Thomas Wells, 711 HPW Director. “It was a team effort, involving not only our partners at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the 88th Air Base Wing, and the joint venture (between Butt Construction Company and Archer Western Contractors), but the Navy (Naval Medical Research Unit – Dayton) and all of the people in the 711th Human Performance Wing who became constructions experts, and reviewed drawings to make sure that our mission was going to work in this complex.

Guide to military installations

Spirits of the Border V, The History And Mystery of the Lone Star State

Baseline Biological Study of Brooks Air Force Base and Bexar County, Texas

United States Air Force and its antecedents, published and printed unit histories, a bibliography

Congressional Record, V. 144, Pt. 10, June 25, 1998 to July 14, 1998