The US Department of Defense (DoD) has awarded a MissionCare firm-fixed-price contract to Rolls-Royce to provide support for the F405-RR-401 Adour engines that power US Navy T-45 training aircraft.
It follows a five-year base contract awarded in 2008 to Rolls-Royce to provide guaranteed engine availability for the F405 engines in support of the T-45 training plane.
Under the $103.3m indefinite-delivery requirements contract, the fourth option year, the company will provide intermediate and depot level maintenance and related support for in-service T-45 F405 Adour engines as under the power-by-the-hour (PBTH) arrangement.
At organisation level, Rolls-Royce will also provide inventory control, sustaining engineering and configuration management, as well as integrated logistics support and required engineering elements for the F405-RR-401 engine and the aircraft gas turbine starting system.
Rolls-Royce Defence Services president Paul Craig said that under the MissionCare contract, the company will support training of new aviators for the US Navy and Marine Corps by maximising engine availability for training missions.
The company will also provide propulsion services for more than 200 aircraft currently operating at four main naval air stations in Texas, Mississippi, Florida and Maryland.
Boeing and BAE Systems-built T-45A/C Goshawk two-seat advanced jet trainer features single pylon installed under each wing to carry bomb racks, rocket pods or auxiliary fuel tanks.
Work will be performed at the four naval air stations and is likely to be complete by September 2013; the contract is administered by the Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR).
Image: A US Navy’s T-45 trainer aircraft performing carrier-based landing onboard a frigate. Photo: courtesy of Rolls-Royce plc.
