JON LAKE
BAE Systems has handed back ahead of time the first four Royal Air Force Nimrod MR2 maritime reconnaissance aircraft serviced under a new prime contract arrangement.
BAE Systems Customer Solutions and Support won the £5.5 million, 18-month contract in June 2000 and has been supported by previous prime contractor Flight Refuelling Aviation (FRA) Services.
The company is carrying out the work - designated major and minor-star servicing - at RAF Kinloss, the Nimrod base, against a fixed monthly fee. Major servicing takes 31 weeks and is equivalent to a civil D-check. Minor-star servicing takes eight weeks to complete and is broadly equivalent to a civil C-check.
The BAE team is now working closely with the Defence Logistics Organisation to win a follow-on contract which will integrate current design, support and spares contracts into a single arrangement for the remaining service life of the Nimrod MR2. BAE hopes to offer similar contractor logistics support packages to the MoD for the RAF's Tornado, Harrier, Hawk, Jaguar, VC10 and Nimrod R1 aircraft.
Now that combat aircraft enjoy greater longevity than ever before, companies like BAE may not be able to rely on always having a major production programme under way, with another in the pipeline. So traditional airframe manufacturers are turning their attention to the lucrative through-life support of their products, including fleet management, spares supply, and all levels of component and whole-aircraft repair and maintenance.
This may sometimes result in lower costs for the customer, though some have reservations, believing that smart procurement relies on the customer maintaining in-house capabilities.
Source: Flight Daily News
