F/A18 Hornets Join Australian Aerospace Service Support List

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F/A18 Hornets Join Australian Aerospace Service Support List

 

Defence Professionals -- 26/09/2010

 

Leading Australian defence contractor, Australian Aerospace Limited, has welcomed the addition of the F/A18 Hornet fighter to the inventory of Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) combat aircraft which the company supports through maintenance and service agreements with the Australian Defence Force (ADF).

 

The company has successfully teamed with the world’s largest tyre manufacturer, Michelin, to win a Defence Materiel Organisation (DMO) contract to manufacture and supply tyres for the F/A18 (Classic) Hornets, and the AP-3C Orion patrol and reconnaissance aircraft.

 

Australian Aerospace, which already provides Through-Life-Support to the Orion fleet under its P3 Program, and Michelin Australia, have signed a five-year Deed of Agreement for the supply of tyres and the management of tyre inventories for the FA/18s and P3s. In addition to supplying new tyres, the partners will also be responsible for retread-overhaul, inventory management and tyre storage, distribution and disposal.

 

Welcoming the Agreement, Dr Jens Goennemann, Chief Executive Officer Australian Aerospace said: “Winning the P3 tyres business is a natural extension of the Through-Life-Support services that Australian Aerospace provides the DMO under the AP-3C Orion Platform Systems Support Contract. However, the addition of the FA/18 Hornets is an exciting and welcome addition to our customer support base.”

 

As well as the F/A18s and P3 Orions, Australian Aerospace also supports the C-130J Hercules transport aircraft, the new Airbus A330-based KC-30 MRTT multi-role tanker-transports and, until recently, the now retired Caribou medium transports. Currently it is assembling and delivering 22 Tiger ARH armed reconnaissance helicopters to the Australian Army and 46 MRH90 multi-role helicopters to the Army and Navy.

 

Mr Rob Hunter, Vice President Fixed Wing / Operations Australian Aerospace said the Deed of Agreement also had scope to include future Australian Defence Force weapons systems.

 

“Our teaming with Michelin Australia is an excellent example of how, having identified an opportunity, our P3 Program team then went out and found the right partner to deliver an accountable and effective solution to Defence,” he said. “As a result, Australian Aerospace brings to the table its proven defence contract management, supply chain and authorised maintenance organisation skills, and Michelin contributes new product and retread capabilities and specialised tyre storage and distribution systems”.

 

Mr Hunter said the Deed of Agreement also provided for multiple extensions of the contract and he had no doubt that Australian Aerospace’s long-demonstrated good service delivery to the ADF would ensure that it would ultimately prove to be a life-of-type arrangement for both the F/A18 Hornets and the P3 Orions.

 

 

Defence Professionals