The US Navy has awarded a contract option to DRS Technologies to provide logistics support for the E-6 take charge and move out (TACAMO) and airborne command post (ABNCP) aircraft fleet.
Under the $49.9m contract, DRS’s C3 and Aviation business unit will continue to provide additional material support for E-6B aircraft, as well as manage government-owned inventory.
The contract also includes provision of spares for other Boeing 707 derivative programmes, including the US Air Force’s VC-137 and C-18.
In addition, the contract involves support services for E-6B Mercury, E-6B SE, including common aircraft spares support for CNATT E-6B mission avionics system trainer, integrated avionics trainer, VQ-7 operational flight trainers, E-6B P2 Lab, and the E-6B SIL.
The US Naval Air Systems Command in Patuxent River will serve as the contracting base and the contract work is scheduled to be completed in November 2013.
The contract option follows the previously awarded contract to provide contractor logistics support (CLS) for US Navy procurement, storage, warehouse management, and issuing/receiving of all CLS managed inventory.
Work will be conducted at Tinker Air Force Base (AFB), Oklahoma; Naval Air Station, Maryland; Travis AFB, California, and at Offutt AFB, Nebraska, US.
Designed to provide survivable communication links between the national command authority (NCA) and strategic forces, the Boeing-built E-6 airborne command post is based on the company’s commercial 707 jetliner to replace the ageing EC-130Q.
In addition to communications relay for the US Navy fleet of submarines and a strategic airborne command post aircraft, the dual-mission aircraft features an airborne launch control system.
Capable of carrying and firing anti-radiation missiles (ARM), including shrike and harm missiles, the E-6B is an upgraded version of the E-6A and is capable of launching US land-based intercontinental ballistic missiles.
Image: US Navy E-6B Mercury stationed at an airport. Photo: courtesy of Alan Radecki Akradecki.
