
Collins Aerospace has secured an indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) sustainment contract from the US Air Force (USAF) for the service’s U-2 reconnaissance aircraft programme.
Under the contract, which has a cumulative value of $493m, Collins will support the USAF’s installed U-2 electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) sensors fleet.
The company also won a $66.2m task order to provide the first year of support and service for the programme.
It includes fully negotiated options worth $114.6m for the second and third years of services and support.
Collins Aerospace claims that it has a long history of delivering high operational availability and performance levels for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) missions.
Collins Aerospace ISR and space solutions vice-president and general manager Dave McClure said: “Collins is proud to ensure the U-2 platform’s ongoing mission readiness with reliable and mature ISR assets that support USAF technology insertions, modernisation and information dominance initiatives.
“These awards continue our 60+ years of unparalleled end-to-end sustainment support for the U-2 and our team’s commitment to the warfighter.”
U-2 is a single-jet engine, high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft developed by Lockheed Martin for the USAF.
The service’s entire U-2 reconnaissance aircraft fleet was installed with the senior year electro-optical reconnaissance system (SYERS) sensor SYERS-2C supplied by Collins Aerospace.
In February last year, the USAF concluded flight testing and deployment of the upgraded version of the SYERS sensor, SYERS-2C, on the U-2 aircraft.