Aerospace giant Rolls-Royce has secured contract extensions worth nearly £100m to provide ongoing support for engines on the RAF’s C-130 Hercules transport and VC10 tanker fleets.
The firm is part of a consortium which also includes Marshall Aerospace of the UK and US giant Lockheed Martin which will provide support for the C-130 fleet until 2015 under the Hercules Integrated Operational Support (HIOS) contract.
Some of the work will be carried out at Rolls-Royce’s Patchway, Bristol, plant – headquarters of its defence aerospace business – although most will be done at Marshall’s Cambridge base.
Rolls-Royce executive vice president services – defence Paul Craig said: “This contract amendment is testimony to the standard of service delivered to date and reflects the value we offer to our customer. We take pride in supporting the RAF’s fleet of C-130s and in our successful partnership with Lockheed Martin, Marshall Aerospace and the Ministry of Defence.
“It is particularly pleasing that we have continued to deliver high levels of aircraft availability at a time when both the C-130 and VC10 have recently been involved in high tempo operations. Our innovative approach, which continues to ensure availability for critical operations, has been greatly appreciated by the RAF.”
Rolls-Royce has also secured an extension to the contract to provide technical support for Conway engines, which will power the VC10 tanker until it finishes service in 2013. The company provided around-the-clock support for Conway engines that powered the VC10 tanker aircraft during the UK’s Operation Ellamy in Libya last year.
