NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. —The Air Force has set Sept. 25 as the new first flight date for its KC-46A refueling tanker, but a long-term Continuing Resolution (CR) could spell more trouble for the program, its program executive officer said on Tuesday.Under the current schedule, the KC-46A program will hit a Milestone C decision in April 2016, after which it is scheduled to award contracts to Boeing [BA] for the first two lots of low-rate initial production aircraft, said Air Force…
R&M Government Services,* Las Cruces, New Mexico, has been awarded a maximum $23,894,784 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-quantity contract for battery compartments. This was a sole-source acquisition using justification 10 U.S. Code 3204 (a)(1), as stated in the Federal Acquisition Regulation 6.302-1. This…
L3Harris Technologies Inc., Clifton, New Jersey, is being awarded $9,571,947 for a firm-fixed-price contract for the procurement of 74 radio frequency amplifiers in support of Navy F/A-18E/F/G aircraft. The contract does not include an option provision. All work will be…
Sikorsky Aircraft Corp., a Lockheed Martin Co., Stratford, Connecticut, is awarded a not-to-exceed $21,600,000 cost reimbursable undefinitized order (N0001926F1016) against a previously issued basic ordering agreement (N0001923G0002). This order provides for instantaneous access to 105% Transient Engine Torque test and…
Amentum Mitie Pacific LLC, Chantilly, Virginia, is awarded an $85,236,794 fixed-price-award-fee, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for base operating support services at Navy Support Facility, Diego Garcia. Work will be performed at Diego Garcia, British Indian Ocean Territory, and is expected to be…
NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. —The Air Force has set Sept. 25 as the new first flight date for its KC-46A refueling tanker, but a long-term Continuing Resolution (CR) could spell more trouble for the program, its program executive officer said on Tuesday.
Under the current schedule, the KC-46A program will hit a Milestone C decision in April 2016, after which it is scheduled to award contracts to Boeing [BA] for the first two lots of low-rate initial production aircraft, said Air Force Brig. Gen. Duke Richardson, program executive officer for tankers.
“LRIP Lot 2 is fiscal year 2016 funding, so if we get into a CR situation, it will create a very large problem for this program” in that it will not be able to award a contract as planned for 12 aircraft, he said during a speech at the Air Force Association’s Air and Space Conference.
Under the terms of its contract, the Air Force could buy anywhere from eight to 11 aircraft during LRIP Lot 2 and pay a penalty to Boeing. However, buying fewer than eight aircraft would result in the contract being broken, and a yearlong CR would only allow for the purchase of seven aircraft, he told reporters after the briefing.
“This contract that we have is a very nice contract in a lot of ways, but it’s also fairly stringent in terms of what it requires of the government,” he said. “It requires funding stability and requirements stability. Up to this point we have delivered both.”
Throughout his speech, Richardson stated that the service is struggling keeping the program on schedule, not with the performance of the aircraft.
Under the current contract, Boeing is required to deliver the first 18 tankers by August 2017. Richardson said he was “cautiously confident” that the company would meet the “required assets available” deadline, but noted that technical issues have eaten away all of the slack built into the schedule.
The service is preparing the first fully equipped KC-46A aircraft, called EMD2, for its inaugural flight on Sept. 25, he said. The flight was originally scheduled for April, but problems—including a recent fuel contamination issue—pushed back that date.
Aerial refueling demonstrations are scheduled to begin early next year.
R&M Government Services,* Las Cruces, New Mexico, has been awarded a maximum $23,894,784 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-quantity contract for battery compartments. This was a sole-source acquisition using justification 10 U.S. Code 3204 (a)(1), as stated in the Federal Acquisition Regulation 6.302-1. This…
L3Harris Technologies Inc., Clifton, New Jersey, is being awarded $9,571,947 for a firm-fixed-price contract for the procurement of 74 radio frequency amplifiers in support of Navy F/A-18E/F/G aircraft. The contract does not include an option provision. All work will be…
Sikorsky Aircraft Corp., a Lockheed Martin Co., Stratford, Connecticut, is awarded a not-to-exceed $21,600,000 cost reimbursable undefinitized order (N0001926F1016) against a previously issued basic ordering agreement (N0001923G0002). This order provides for instantaneous access to 105% Transient Engine Torque test and…
Amentum Mitie Pacific LLC, Chantilly, Virginia, is awarded an $85,236,794 fixed-price-award-fee, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for base operating support services at Navy Support Facility, Diego Garcia. Work will be performed at Diego Garcia, British Indian Ocean Territory, and is expected to be…
