Tempe, Ariz. – August 18, 2014 – StandardAero, in partnership with Airbus Group Australia Pacific (formerly known as Australian Aerospace), has signed a $42 million T56 propulsion support systems contract for the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) AP-3C Orion aircraft fleet. The contract includes full overhaul and repair services for all the associated systems as well as logistical, inventory and fleet management support. The AP-3C propulsion system comprises the Rolls-Royce T56A-14 engine, Lockheed Martin P-3 Quick Engine Change (QEC) assembly, Hamilton Sundstrand 54H60 propeller and the Honeywell GTCP 95-3 Auxiliary Power Unit (APU). Intermediate Level support services will be delivered from facilities at both RAAF Base Edinburgh and RAAF Base Richmond with depot support for the engine and propeller being delivered from StandardAero’s facility in Winnipeg, Canada.
This contract builds upon a $104 million contract awarded to StandardAero in 2014 by the Commonwealth of Australia for providing Through-Life Support (TLS) for propulsion systems on its fleet of C-130J aircraft. StandardAero has been supporting the RAAF C-130J fleet since entering into service and has been the prime contractor for these services since 2007. The most recent C-130J competitively won contract is for an initial period of five years and includes sustainment services for the Rolls-Royce AE2100D3 engines, the Lockheed Martin C-130J QEC Assembly, GE-Dowty’s R-391 propellers, APUs and associated accessories and technical support.
Awarding of these two propulsion system contracts demonstrates the Commonwealth of Australia’s confidence in StandardAero and continues a long association and partnership with the RAAF. The contracts allow for extensions, subject to continued high performance, with the potential for StandardAero to continue these services until the RAAF’s planned withdrawal of the Orion fleet from service in the year 2020 and the C-130J Super Hercules fleet from service in 2030.
“StandardAero is excited to partner with Airbus Group Australia Pacific on the AP-3C Orion program. Our companies have close alignment in terms of business practices and focus on customer needs and together we are able to offer the Commonwealth much greater savings due to the optimisation of maintenance services across both the airframe and the propulsion system,” said Fritz Wolkenstein, Vice President, Defence Services, StandardAero. “We have repaired more T56 and AE2100D3 engines than any other company in the world. The Commonwealth and StandardAero have worked together to realize additional efficiencies and cost savings from these propulsion system contracts. We look forward to further enhancing our long term partnership with the Royal Australian Air Force.”
“The C-130J contract generates more than 25% savings from our 2010 Strategic reform baseline and StandardAero and Defence are already achieving world’s best practice for C-130J QEC time on wing having recently exceeded 5,000 hours. We look forward to similar excellence from StandardAero and Airbus Group supporting our AP-3C fleet,” said Air Vice Marshal Leigh Gordon, Head of Aerospace Systems Division of the Defence Materiel Organisation.
“StandardAero has delivered significant improvements and innovation in performance based and life-of-type support contracting that has been recognized by our customers,” said Rick Stine, President of the Military & Components Sector for StandardAero. “We are proud of our innovative and customized solutions that feature tailored outcomes, powerful metrics and incentives for StandardAero to enhance the quality of our services. We also offer an ancillary suite of services that includes engineering, prognostics and fleet planning services to complement the Air Force and DMO teams.”
StandardAero is one of the world’s largest independent providers of services including engine and airframe maintenance, repair and overhaul, engine component repair, engineering services, interior completions and paint applications. StandardAero serves a diverse array of customers in business and general aviation, airline, military, helicopter, components, energy and VIP completions markets. A Dubai Aerospace Enterprise (DAE) company, StandardAero provides a global service network of 13 primary facilities in the U.S., Canada, Europe, Singapore and Australia, along with an additional 50 sales and field service locations. The company celebrated its 100th year of industry leadership in 2011.
Dubai Aerospace Enterprise (DAE) Ltd is a globally recognized aerospace company specializing in maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) services, aircraft completions and aircraft leasing. The Company is headquartered in Dubai and operates in four continents and employs over 4,000 people. More information can be found on the company’s web site at www.dubaiaerospace.com.