The UK Ministry of Defence expects late this year to approve an availability-based contract to support operations of the Royal Air Force’s nine Lockheed TriStar tanker/transports until their replacement in service by Airbus A330-200 strategic tanker aircraft during the next decade.
Assessment phase activities for the TriStar Integrated Operational Support (TRIOS) deal started last month, with the MoD planning to place a prime contract worth a potential £100 million ($185 million) with Marshall Aerospace next year.
The company has until 1 September to express interest in conducting the work, with a formal invitation to tender to be released during November. The deal will exclude work to support the aircraft’s engines and in-flight refuelling equipment and should meet operational and training requirements while delivering greater value for money, says the MoD.
If concluded, the TRIOS deal will represent a further boost to Cambridge-based Marshall Aerospace, which last month secured a long-term deal to support the RAF’s Lockheed C-130J/K transports until their removal from service by 2030.
Source: Flight International
