The U.S. Dept. of Defense placed a $717-million, supply and logistics-support contract with Sikorsky for the U.S. Marine Corps CH-53E Super Stallion and U.S. Navy MH-53E Sea Dragon helicopters. Both are heavy-lift aircraft used to transport heavy material and supplies.
The four-year, performance-based contract includes repairs, overhauls, spares, obsolescence mitigation, and asset-management services. It will expand long-term support for the helicopters as they continue in service until the introduction of the replacement aircraft, the Sikorsky CH-53K King Stallion.
The contract performance is based on material availability metrics, with additional incentives added for demand reductions, maintainability enhancements and aircraft readiness contributions, according to Lockheed Martin, which owns Sikorsky. The expanded, comprehensive arrangement covers additional readiness-critical components, including main and tail rotor blades, main gearbox, main rotor head, and flight control components, as well as accessories like refueling probe and cargo system components.
"We expect the expanded performance-based logistics to measurably improve material availability and reduce support cost while increasing overall aircraft readiness," stated Pierre Garant, Sikorsky senior program manager for U.S. Marine Corps In-Service Programs. "Our support infrastructure and past performance-based logistics successes will result in Sikorsky continuing to reliably provide mission support critical to the warfighter."
