L-3 Communications [LLL] on June 1 toppled incumbent Northrop Grumman [NOC] to win a lucrative KC/KDC-10 aircraft contractor logistics support contract that could be worth as much as $1.9 billion.
L-3 will provide logistics integration and support to include contractor operated and maintained base supply, aircraft maintenance to include depot and contractor field teams and also modifications for service bulletins and time compliance technical orders, according to a Defense Department statement. L-3 will also support the KDC-10, including the Remote Aerial Refueling Operator System, for the Netherlands. It will also provide all support required to fulfill this requirement, including, but not limited, to labor, materials, tools, equipment, parts and transportation.
Work is expected to be complete by June 30, 2025. Four companies submitted bids for this contract. Northrop Grumman was one. Company spokesman Randy Belote said June 1 the company is proud of its six-plus year partnership with the Air Force to support global mission readiness for the KC-10 extender fleet and that it will continue work on the current contract while transition plans are established.
Belote declined to say if Northrop Grumman would protest the contract award with the Government Accountability Office (GAO). Spokesmen from Boeing [BA], Raytheon [RTN] and Lockheed Martin [LMT] said they didn’t bid for this contract.
The KC-10 is an aerial refueling aircraft that can also simultaneously carry the fighter support personnel and equipment on overseas deployments. The KDC-10 is the Dutch variant of the tanker. The KC-10 is developed by Boeing.