HII announced on 15 August 2024, that its Mission Technologies division has been awarded a task order valued at more than $30m to assist the US Air Force (USAF) in sustaining and updating its fleet of presidential and executive aircraft.
The work, primarily to be carried out by an HII team based in Dayton, Ohio, will focus on improving the reliability and supportability of these aircraft and their systems.
The contract will be overseen by the USAF Life Cycle Management Center’s Presidential and Executive Airpower Directorate. This directorate is responsible for the lifecycle management of aircraft such as Air Force One, the E-4B, and other executive transport aircraft, including the C-12, C-32, C-37, and C-40.
The USAF Air Force One replacement programme, worth $3.9bn, was awarded to Boeing 2018, for the provision of two VC-25B presidential aircraft by 2024, based on Boeing’s 747-8 wide body jet airliner. However, inadequate wiring onboard deleted delivery with a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report from September 2023 expecting final delivery in October 2026. It also led to a programme extension of $12.4m, that, together with other costs, brought the total cost of the programme up to $4.229bn, according to the GAO report.
The current fleet of two VC-25 aircraft that were specially configures Boeing 747-200B airliners operating conjunction with Marine One helicopters.
The third-generation 747-8 airliner will be the largest Boeing 747 version, fearturing lengthened fuselage and redesigned wings, as well as improved efficiency, compared to its predecessor.
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By GlobalDataGrant Hagen, HII president of Mission Technologies’ Cyber, Electronic Warfare and Space (CEWS) business unit, highlighted the significance of the work, stating that the mission to enhance the reliability of VIP transport aircraft is a critical one. He expressed HII’s commitment to supporting these aircraft throughout their lifecycle.
“The Air Force’s decision validates the customer’s confidence in the work we’ve performed in this space for the last two decades and what we’ve been able to accomplish,” said Eric Wright, vice president of CEWS operations. “We look forward to building on that relationship as the work scope changes and the mission evolves.”
The task order was awarded under the Department of Defense’s Information Analysis Center (IAC) Multiple Award Contract (MAC) vehicle. These contracts are managed by the U.S. Air Force’s 774th Enterprise Sourcing Squadron, which aims to enhance the Defence Technical Information Centre repository and support the wider research and development community.