Aircraft

The UK's military maintenance, repair and overhaul sector is adjusting to a recent acquisition by Vector Aerospace, which means the Canadian company now holds stakes in projects to support the Royal Air Force's Lockheed Martin C-130K transports and Boeing CH-47 Chinook helicopters.

Vector has long been involved in the UK support arena, with its Sigma Aerospace subsidiary in Croydon, Surrey, working on Rolls-Royce T56 engines for the C-130K (pictured below) and Conways for the RAF's Vickers VC10 tanker/transports.

© APG Photography/AirSpace

Sigma's UK Hercules business has drawn down to the overhaul of nine or 10 modules (of which there are four per engine) and associated propeller maintenance per month, and the advent of the Marshall Aerospace-led Hercules Integrated Operational Support deal has seen its work packages come under R-R's direction. However, sales and marketing director Philip Self notes: "We are into the risk business now, and over the term of the contract we all benefit."

© Sigma Aerospace

Vector's completion on 1 April of a £17 million ($33.8 million) purchase of the Defence Aviation Repair Agency's helicopter support businesses at Fleetlands in Hampshire and Almondbank in Perthshire means the company is also providing airframe support for the Chinook in partnership with Boeing, and is to seek fresh business.

A likely area of focus will be on fresh engine support deals, as Sigma's C-130K and VC10 contracts - which represent just 25% of its current activities - will end within the next five to seven years. "One thing with working with legacy engines is you have to bring new ones in," says Vector president Donald Jackson.

Targets could include the C-130J's AE2100 engine and the BAE Systems Hawk trainer's Adour. "Whatever we do, our relationship with R-R is paramount," says Self. The Chinook's Honeywell T55 could be a candidate, as the design shares a common core with the BAe 146 engine already supported by Sigma.

The company will also pursue continued T56 business with current customers including Algeria, Belgium, Saudi Arabia and Sweden. "The Hercules is going to be here for a long time to come, and that's our new legacy product," says Self.