Team Aero, comprising Australian Aerospace, Lockheed Martin and StandardAero, has secured a through-life support contract for Australia's fleet of Lockheed Martin C-130J tactical transports.
Signed on 11 March during the Avalon 2009 international air show in Geelong, Victoria, the five-year, $292 million contract has a rolling structure that will continue until the planned retirement of the Royal Australian Air Force's 12 C-130Js by 2030. Renewal will be based on demonstrated performance and cost containment, says Air Vice Marshal Colin Thorne, head of the Defence Materiel Organisation's aerospace systems division.
Eurocopter subsidiary Australian Aerospace already provides deep maintenance and through-life support services for the RAAF's fleet of Lockheed AP-3C Orion maritime patrol aircraft, and for the service's de Havilland DHC-4 Caribou transports, which will be retired by the end of the year. It will also support the RAAF's five Airbus A330-based multirole tanker transport aircraft following their entry to service.
Source: Flight International
