PLANT 42 COMMANDER ORTIZ LEAVING POSITION.

Byline: JIM SKEEN Staff Writer

PALMDALE -- Lt. Col. Ronald Ortiz is moving on after three years overseeing Air Force Plant 42, the Antelope Valley's second-largest center of employment.

Ortiz will officially hand over responsibilities for Plant 42 on Wednesday to Lt. Col. Ronald Hirtle and will go to work on contracts for acquisition of space-related systems at Los Angeles Air Force Base.

``It's been a good three years,'' Ortiz said last week. ``We accomplished a lot in terms of programs.''

During Ortiz's tenure at Plant 42, the installation saw the first flight of the first production Global Hawk reconnaissance aircraft, the startup of the midfuselage production for the F-35 joint strike fighter, the installation of a new weapons delivery system on the F-117 stealth fighter, and ongoing support of the upgrade program of the U-2 reconnaissance aircraft.

The commander of Plant 42 is responsible for providing security and fire protection for eight separate production sites. The commander is also responsible for the operations and maintenance of two 12,000-foot runways used by the military, contractors and commercial aircraft.

Plant 42, along with the neighboring Lockheed Martin plant, employs more than 6,300 people. Work at Plant 42 includes the production of the unmanned Global Hawk and modification operations for the B-2 bomber fleet, the F-117 stealth fighter and the U-2.

Ortiz oversaw the startup of two major improvement projects for Plant 42 -- the installation of new taxiway lights that will reduce energy consumption by 60 percent and the start of a four-phase program to update aging fire-protection facilities.

The city of Palmdale honored Ortiz for his work on efforts to establish air service in the city, for supporting the city's Plant 42 Heritage Airpark and for facilitating discussions about the possibility of establishing a power plant along Plant 42's northern border.

Hirtle is coming to Plant 42 from Hanscom Air Force Base in Massachusetts, where he was the chief of contracts for the Mission Planning Systems Group, Battle Management Wing.

Commissioned through the ROTC program in 1988, Hirtle's early career was spent in missile combat roles. He later switched over to the contracting field.

Hirtle's career includes serving as one of two acquisition staff officers serving in the Joint Logistics Directorate, United States Central Command for operations in Afghanistan and Iraq. In that capacity, Hirtle was deployed to the Middle East as the lead contracting officer for the Security and Justice Sector for the Iraqi Interior Ministry.

Hirtle has a bachelor of arts degree in psychology and political science from the University of New Hampshire, a master's of science degree in health care administration from Central Michigan University and a master's of business administration in contracts and acquisition from Western New England College.

james.skeen@dailynews

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(color) Lt. Col. Ronald Ortiz, commander of the Air Force's Plant 42 in Palmdale, is moving on after three years on the job.

Jeff Goldwater/Staff Photographer