Boeing

The Boeing Company has been awarded a contract by the U.S. Air Force to provide contractor logistics support for its KC-10 Extender tanker fleet. The contract has a total potential value of $1.5 billion over nine years.

Work under this contract, let by the Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center, will be managed and performed at the Boeing Aerospace Support Center at Kelly Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas.

"Capturing this highly competitive contract is an important milestone in establishing Boeing as the preeminent provider of maintenance and modification services for large military aircraft," said Jim Restelli, vice president and general manager of Aerospace Support for Boeing. "Our new Boeing Aerospace Support Center at Kelly was a key factor in winning the contract as it gives us unparalleled capability for servicing large aircraft such as the KC-10."

Under the contract, Boeing will provide maintenance, repair and modification services for all Air Force 59 KC-10 aircraft. This involves depot-level aircraft maintenance, overhaul and repair of aircraft components, support equipment maintenance and aircraft depainting and painting.

The company also will provide contractor operated and maintained base supply (COMBS) services at McGuire Air Force Base, N.J.; Ramstein Air Base, Germany; Travis Air Force Base, Calif.; and Yokota Air Base, Japan.

In addition, Boeing will maintain, repair and modify the remote aerial refueling system for two KDC-10 tankers of the Royal Netherlands Air Force, and operate COMBS services at Eindhoven Air Base, The Netherlands.

The first KC-10 will arrive at the Boeing Aerospace Support Center later this year. Boeing, through its Aerospace Support business unit, in April agreed to lease 1.3 million square feet of hangar and building space at Kelly. A C-17 airlifter, as part of the Globemaster III support program transitioning from Tulsa, Okla., will be the first aircraft to be inducted into the Center when it arrives this August.

The Boeing Aerospace Support Center will also be home to DC-10/MD-10 commercial cargo conversion work beginning in September.

Longer term potential programs include program depot maintenance for the KC-135 tanker. A contract award for that work will be announced later this summer.

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