The Navy’s command for training aviators is being forced to cancel all flights after two key industry contractors responsible for aircraft maintenance said they are stopping services because of the government shutdown, the command said Monday.
A spokesman for Naval Air Training Command (NATRACOM) based in Corpus Christi, Texas, said contractors L-3 Communications [LLL] and BAE Systems have informed NATRACOM they will not continue working under unfunded contracts and will instead furlough employees who perform the maintenance work.
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| A TC-12 Huron. Photo by U.S. Navy |
Lt. John Supple said a clause in the contracts for both companies allows them to cease working without government funding. He said L-3 and BAE stayed on for the several days following the Oct. 1 government shutdown but have since changed their positions.
“For the first few days, the companies took the risk,” Supple said. “But they recently notified us that with the absence of contract funding, they will initiate a workforce furlough and they will be unable to perform the maintenance for scheduled flight operations.”
All of the roughly 170-190 flights that take place daily under NATRACOM at two facilities in Texas, two in Florida and one in Mississippi will be eliminated unless a solution can be found, Supple said. Continuing to fly without the maintenance services would violate safety protocols, he said.
L-3 is responsible for maintaining T-45 and TC-12 training aircraft, while BAE works on T-6s, T-34s and T-44s, Supple said.
L-3 stopped working at the end of the day Friday and BAE told the command it will do the same Monday. It was not clear how many employees are subjected to the combined furlough. Calls to BAE and L-3 seeking comment were not returned.
The two companies are among numerous defense firms either already furloughing employees who work on government contracts or are considering keeping their workforce home due to the effects of the shutdown caused by the political impasse on Capitol Hill.