The UK Ministry of Defence is to expand a successful partnering agreement with BAE Systems, by signing a second phase contract later this year to support operations of the Royal Air Force’s Panavia Tornado GR4 strike and F3 air-defence aircraft until their retirement from service.
Numerous Tornados from partner nations Germany, Italy and the UK are participating in this year’s Royal International Air Tattoo, including a GR4 from the RAF’s 9 Sqn carrying special tail markings to commemorate 25 years of operations in the UK. The nation’s Tornado fleet logged more flight hours in 2006 than during any of the previous seven years, according to Air Cdre Simon Bollom, Tornado Integrated Project Team Leader for the UK’s Defence Equipment and Support combined procurement and logistics organisation. The GR4 fleet is currently supporting coalition operations in Iraq.
Signed last December, the first element of the MoD’s so-called Tornado ATTAC deal with BAE and engine supplier Rolls-Royce led to the consolidation of “depth” maintenance activities at RAF Marham in Norfolk, as part of a series of improvements intended to cut support costs by 40%. Worth more than £940 million ($1.9 billion), the programme is on track to deliver a cost saving of around £500 million over the next decade, BAE project team leader Steve Millward said at the show.
“This is not about outsourcing,” says Bollom. “It is about getting the best capabilities from BAE and meshing them with the experience within the RAF from over two decades of operating the Tornado.” Around 400 air force personnel work on the combined maintenance and upgrade line at Marham, along with 250 BAE employees.
Full service delivery under the initial ATTAC contract will be achieved in December, and Bollom says a second phase contract should be signed before year-end to introduce further avionics equipment, general systems and technical service support.
A further capability sustainment pilot scheme is now being studied, which could lead to Tornado upgrades taking place every two years. Likely to be under contract this year, the first such modification package will include the introduction of a new datalink capability and Raytheon Systems’ Paveway IV precision-guided bomb for the 106-strong GR4 fleet, says Bollom.
Source: Flight International
