The Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) has awarded Boeing a five-year $427 million sole-source contract to provide and manage consumable material for F/A-18 depot maintenance, with the option for five additional years.

This is an extension of the DLA/Boeing Captains of Industry programme and the programme’s first depot contract supporting the US Navy and Marine Corps, bringing the value of the programme to $3.2 billion.

Boeing will provide consumable materials used for structural repair and modification of legacy F/A-18 Hornets at five US Navy and US Marine Corps depots and the Boeing Cecil Field Site in Jacksonville, Florida. Boeing field service representatives will be co-located at these sites to provide technical support and expertise.

“Through this contract we will improve material availability and resolve technical issues quickly to alleviate long lead times on parts, helping our customers to reduce cycle times on aircraft maintenance,” said Rick Robinson, Director of Boeing Global Supply Chain Services.

Currently, there are two programmes to repair ageing F/A-18 A-D Hornets:

  • Planned Maintenance Interval – 1 (PMI-1) is an extensive, comprehensive inspection, repair, and rework of the aircraft, which consists of both specific targeted areas and zonal inspections of critical areas.
  • High Flight Hour (HFH) is a series of inspections and modifications to extend the life of the aircraft from 6,000 hours to 10,000 hours.

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