B-52 Contract Worth Nearly $12 Billion Over Eight Years
The U.S. Air Force has awarded an indefinite delivery/indefinite
quantity contract for B-52 Stratofortress weapon system
modernization to Boeing. The award is reportedly worth nearly $12
billion.
B-52 Stratofortress File Photo
"This B-52 modernization contract will include several delivery
orders over an eight-year period," Boeing said in a statement
following the announcement. "The Air Force announced a contract
ceiling of $11.9 billion. This is a contracting vehicle that will
allow engineering sustaining contracts, studies, production and
other activities to occur in support of the B-52. No funds were
committed with this contract announcement. We expect our first
delivery order to be awarded on September 30."
The B-52 has been in service for more than half a century, and
has seen combat operations in Vietnam, the Persian Gulf, and
Afghanistan.
In a related development, the company announced Wednesday it has
received a contract from the Air Force to supply airframe services
and support for the A-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft fleet. The A-10
Scheduled Structural Inspection (SSI) 2012 contract covers
development tasks and hardware deliveries in support of the Air
Force Depot's implementation of A-10 SSI fuselage repairs. The
two-year contract is valued at $5.7 million.
A-10 Thunderbolt "Warthog" File Photo
The contract calls for Boeing to plan all details of the
repairs, including processes, tooling, work instructions, quality
assurance, and training materials. Boeing also will repair
prototype fuselages before training Air Force personnel and
supporting the service's repairs on operational aircraft. All
operational repair activity will be performed by the Air Force at
current A-10 depots.
"Boeing appreciates the confidence the Air Force has in our
ability to continue to ensure that the A-10 Thunderbolt II is
viable now and into the future," said Steve Waltman, director of
Aircraft Sustainment & Maintenance, a subdivision of Boeing
Global Services & Support's Maintenance, Modifications &
Upgrades division.
This is the fourth competitive A-10 Thunderbolt Life-Cycle
Program Support Task/Delivery Order contract the Air Force has
awarded to Boeing, in addition to the $2 billion A-10 Wing
Replacement Program (WRP) in June 2007. The WRP program includes
engineering services and the manufacture of up to 242 A-10 wing
sets.