Boeing has been awarded a 34-year through-life customer support (TLCS) contract for the UK’s fleet of 40 CH-47 Chinook helicopters. The contract value for the first five years is almost £200 million ($348 million).
The UK Ministry of Defence says it expects to save £170 million over the life of the contract through improvements to the way that logistics support is provided to the armed forces.
Under the agreement Boeing will provide through-life support for the Chinook Mk2 and Mk2a fleets until their expected out-of-service dates of 2015 and 2025, respectively. The MoD says that a planned Chinook sustainment programme could extend the lives of the aircraft to 2040.
UK armed forces minister Adam Ingram says: “The UK operates the largest fleet of Chinooks after the US Army, so it is absolutely paramount that we establish a first-rate logistics support regime for them. Until now, logistics support has been provided by traditional contracts that have used different suppliers for discrete packages of work.
“Under the new arrangements Boeing will assume responsibility for the whole support function from which a number of benefits will flow, primarily reduced costs, which is good news for UK taxpayers.”
Source: Flight Daily News
