Turbomeca signs UK RTM 322 engine service contract
The RTM 322 engines powering Merlin and Apache helicopters in the UK military’s fleet are to be supported by Turbomeca under a new arrangement announced on 24 September.
The new six year service contract, worth £367 million, has been implemented to bring the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) a guaranteed level of availability for its RTM 322 engines, and will consolidate a number of current support agreements into one overall support package. Turbomeca believes this arrangement will improve the level of service for frontline operations, increasing engine time ‘on wing’ and reducing repair costs.
The support and maintenance services will be delivered by Turbomeca UK at four main operating bases in the UK - RAF Benson, RNAS Culdrose, AAC Wattisham and AAC Middle Wallop.
Olivier Andriès, chairman and CEO, Turbomeca, said: ‘This agreement will deliver a greater level of availability and capability to the UK armed forces’ helicopter fleet in a more efficient and cost-effective way.’
Air Commodore Mark Sibley, who is responsible for the maintenance of Apaches and Chinooks, added: ‘Merlins and Apaches have been used extensively in Afghanistan and are two key capabilities for our armed forces. This contract has a number of benefits for our Apache and Merlin crews, principally improving engine availability and reliability, while reducing costs.’
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