Military

Javelin Spearheads £123 Million VC10 Contract Extension

18 Jun 2007 | Ref. 169/2007

Warton, United Kingdom. - BAE Systems’ support to the Royal Air Force’s VC10 tanker fleet will continue to the aircraft’s out of service date (OSD) with the award by the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) of a £123 million contract extension.

Under JAVELIN, the Joint Approach to VC10 Engineering and Logistics Integration, maintenance is conducted by BAE Systems at RAF St Athan in partnership with DARA – the Defence Aviation Repair Agency. The contract extension takes the support arrangements to the aircraft’s out of service date, currently planned for the middle of the next decade.

Amanda Paterson, director of tanking, transport and reconnaissance operations at BAE Systems said: “Our support of the VC10 fleet is improving availability at the same time as reducing the cost of support and demonstrates the partnered approach between industry and the MoD set out in the UK Defence Industrial Strategy.”

The contract extension also paves the way for the next phase of JAVELIN development. Under the original JAVELIN contract signed in 2003, BAE Systems took responsibility for providing spares and inclusive major maintenance of the VC10 fleet at DARA St Athan and supporting first and second line maintenance at RAF Brize Norton.

JAVELIN Amber, a £38million contract extension agreed in mid-2005 to the original £207 million JAVELIN Red programme, transferred second line maintenance to St Athan putting in place the forward and depth maintenance arrangements agreed with the MoD, transferred additional responsibilities for fleet maintenance and maintenance policy to BAE Systems and incentivised performance based on aircraft availability. The latest contract extends these activities and responsibilities to the OSD of the aircraft.

The next stage in the evolution of VC10 support will be JAVELIN Green, which will be a full availability contract with capable aircraft made available to the front line to meet operational requirements.

About BAE Systems
BAE Systems is a global defence and aerospace company delivering a full range of products and services for air, land and naval forces, as well as advanced electronics, information technology solutions and customer support services. With 88,000 employees worldwide, BAE Systems' sales exceeded £13.7 billion pounds sterling (US25.4 billion dollars) in 2006.

For further information contact:
John Neilson, BAE Systems
Tel: + 44 (0) 1252 384795 Mob: + 44 (0)7802 337704
john.neilson@baesystems.com

Marc Boulton, BAE Systems
Tel: +44 (0) 1772 852052 Mob: 44 (0)780 16011
Marc.Boulton@baesystems.com