BAE Systems has awarded a subcontract to M7 Aerospace, a subsidiary of Elbit Systems, to provide contractor logistics support (CLS) for the US Navy’s T-34, T-44 and T-6 trainer aircraft fleet.
Under the five-year $50m CLS subcontract, M7 Aerospace will provide logistics-related services for the T-34 aircraft, which are assigned to satellite sites, organisational and intermediate level maintenance, supply chain management and engineering services.
The aircraft fleet includes T-34 Turbomentor, T-44A Pegasus and T-44C Pegasus trainers as well as T-6A and T-6B Texan II tandem-seat, turboprop trainer aircraft.
Elbit Systems of America president and CEO Raanan Horowitz commented, "With this opportunity we are providing mission capable, safe-for-flight aircraft for our nation’s warriors as they train for the future."
The US Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) had selected BAE in December 2012 to provide maintenance and services for the aircraft fleet.
As part of the original award, the company was contracted to perform scheduled inspections, as well as provide required repairs, modifications and logistical support for more than 300 aircraft currently deployed with the Chief of Naval Air Training.
Designed to provide advanced turboprop aircraft training, the T-44A twin-engine, pressurised and fixed-wing aircraft is used for intermediate carrier based turboprop radar aircraft (E2/C2) training at the Naval Air Station, Corpus Christi, Texas.
T-6 Texan is a single-engine advanced trainer aircraft used to train fighter pilots, while the T-34 Mentor propeller-driven trainer aircraft is used by the US Navy and US Marine Corps (USMC) to train pilots and naval flight officers.
Work under the contract will be carried out at Naval Air Station Corpus Christi, Texas, as well as at Naval Air Station Pensacola and at Naval Air Station Whiting Field in Florida, US.
Image: A Hawker Beechcraft-built T-34 aircraft performing mission. Photo: file image.
