Army UAS (SHADOW) receives 2010 Secretary of Defense performance-based logistics award

This year's 2010 Performance-Based Logistics (PBL) System Level Gerald R. Beck Award is presented to Shadow Tactical Unmanned Aircraft System (Shadow TUAS), US Army and government contract teammate AAI Corp. The Shadow TUAS has flown over 500,000 operational hours of which over 90% have been flown in combat. The government contract team responsible for managing and performing the Shadow PBL contract has achieved exceptionally high readiness (highest operational availability of any aviation asset in OIF/OEF). AAI Corp, assumes financial accountability for all aspects of Shadow TUAS operations to include, but not limited to: field maintenance, modifications, depot level repairs and training.

"This outstanding recognition has been a long time in the making," said COL Gregory B. Gonzalez, Project Manager for Army Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS). "The Shadow government team and their AAI industry partners negotiated the first Shadow PBL contract in 2003. At the time of the initial contract the annual sustainment cost per Shadow system was approximately 10 percent of total system costs. Each year the government/industry team refined the PBL metrics and drove down system costs lower. This year the annual Shadow sustainment costs decreased to roughly 5 percent of total system costs. That represents a huge savings to the Army and they did it during a period in which the Army placed more Shadow systems in theater each year and the flight hours per system also increased each year."

"The Shadow system is the work horse for the US Army, flying nearly 50 percent of our total Unmanned flight hours," said Mr. Tim Owings, Deputy Project Manager for Army UAS. "Not only has the system been effective across multiple theater deployments but the cost efficiency has improved substantially as well. This award recognizes the tremendous work that has gone into efficiency and reliability improvements. PBL provides us with "a knobs and dials" type of system that allows us to shape total logistical performance and to adapt to ever changing environments. The partnership with AAI has been exemplary in demonstrating this approach and we look forward to greater improvements in the future."

"This recognition speaks to the longstanding and productive partnership we have developed with our Army customer to support the Shadow TUAS," says Division Vice President of Tactical Unmanned Aircraft Systems Programs Russ Walker of AAI. "The high level of communication between us has enabled AAI to continually refine and optimize the Shadow TUAS sustainment process, setting a benchmark for the capabilities of PBL in maximizing availability while minimizing total life cycle cost. Ultimately, this partnership delivers a better, more reliable system for our warfighters."

PBL is the Department of Defense strategy to improve weapon system readiness by obtaining life cycle product support of weapon systems, sub-systems, and components. As an integrated package based on output measures, such as materiel availability, materiel reliability, and reduced ownership cost. The Secretary of Defense PBL Awards recognize government/industry teams that have demonstrated outstanding achievements in providing our warfighters with exceptional operational capability through PBL agreements.

Source: AAI

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