AFMC Command News

Tyndall kicks off construction for $32.5 million project awarded to local small business  

  • Published
  • By Sarah McNair
  • AFIMSC Public Affairs

A new $32.5 million flightline munitions storage area is on the way for Tyndall following a construction kick-off meeting recently.

The U. S. Army Corps of Engineers Mobile District awarded the contract Feb. 1 to EMR, Inc. of Niceville, Florida.



The work includes eight buildings to directly support the three F-35 fighter squadrons headed to Tyndall in September 2023, said Mark Blake, project manager for the Air Force Civil Engineer Center’s Natural Disaster Recovery Division.

“These are critical flightline support facilities for the 325th Fighter Wing and their newest mission,” he said.

The AFCEC NDR Division, part of the Air Force Installation and Mission Support Center enterprise, is leading the rebuild, working in partnership with USACE to support the 325th FW and deliver the strategic vision of Tyndall as the Installation of the Future.

The latest project includes three above ground magazines, an air support maintenance facility with a separate wash rack, a line delivery facility with separate gas storage facility and an administrative holding area for munitions, or HAMS, pad facility. The contract covers all necessary site improvements, pavements, utilities, detection and protection features.

Additionally, the award package includes five bid options the government can use to provide furniture, fixtures, equipment and security enhancements, like gunshot detection technology.  

“I’m happy to see the bid option to add gunshot detection to these critical facilities,” said Lowell Usrey, AFCEC NDR Integration Branch chief. “Not only does this technology have the ability to save lives, but we have the opportunity to shape Tyndall as the Installation of the Future and set the benchmark for the rest of the Air Force,” Usrey said.

Plans to transform Tyndall into the Installation of the Future include implementing the gunshot detection into various facilities across the installation which would feed into the Installation Resilience Operations Center— the base’s virtual operations prototype.   
  
Just like all other mission-critical facilities at Tyndall, the flightline munitions storage facilities will be built to withstand up to 165 mph winds, increasing resiliency against future natural disasters. Construction is expected to be completed by January 2024. 

The nearly $5 billion rebuild at Tyndall is a five-to-seven-year-long process, which includes over 40 new military construction projects and nearly 260 facility sustainment restoration and modernization projects.