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Raytheon Australia tapped for RAN AS350BA fleet support
Raytheon Australia has been tapped to provide in-service support for the Royal Australian Navy’s Aerospatiale AS350BA Squirrel helicopters through to their planned life of type with an initial five year contract announced 29 July.
The deal has an expected annual value of A$9.5 million per annum.
The initial five year deal is supported by options for four single year extensions, taking the Squirrel through to 2018.
Raytheon received a A$24,077 mobilisation payment under the new contract structure on 16 July with this covering top level provision of services from 13 July 2009 to 30 June 2011.
Australia’s minister for defence personnel, materiel and science says that the new blanket contract will see Raytheon providing “management, engineering, maintenance, and supply services to the navy under a single, more efficient and effective contract arrangement.
“This contract enables in service support services for the Squirrel helicopter to be maintained until its planned withdrawal late in the next decade.:
The RAN retains 13 AS350BA as a training aircraft with the fleet currently forecast to fly 3,600 hours in the current Australian financial year ending 30 June 2010. The fleet last financial year achieved 3,200 hours. Australian defence plans for FY 2011-2013 propose increasing fleet annual flying hours to 4,000 per annum.
Raytheon Australia has already been supporting the aircraft type through multiple contract awards as part of a blanket services agreement with the RAN’s 723 Squadron, based at Nowra on the southern New South Wales coastline.
During calendar year 2008 the company received rolling support awards worth A$3.049 million for specialist contractor support for the Squirrel fleet. An extension award worth
A$25,350.41 was placed on 25 June this year for services running to 15 December.
The company has also been supporting inventory management for the aircraft. It has received three separate contract awards since January this year worth a total of A$47,425.95 for disposal of obsolete AS350BA breakdown spares.
By Peter La Franchi - Asia Pacific Editor
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