Written by Nicolette Cormier

Naval Air Systems Command - Patuxent River, MD – NAVAIR has recently awarded General Electric Aircraft Engines (GEAE) a $357 million performance-based logistics (PBL) contract to work on the F/A-18 Hornet (models A-D) at NAVAIR Jacksonville during the next five years.

"The contract was due to excellent work by the PBL working group team," said Dave Reed, NAVAIR F/A-18 F404 Assistant Program Manager for Logistics. "This work will include the repair and over haul of 37 major assemblies and sub assemblies on the F404-engine which powers the F/A-18 aircraft." The team consisted of members from GE, NAVAIR and the NAVICP.

GEAE will provide material, program management, warehousing, and information technology. The NAVAIR Depot at Jacksonville, Florida, will provide labor and overhaul expertise for the F404 engine. Work will include repair and replacement of 26 internal engine components. General Electric will provide the engineering for the project.

Said Steve Knopping, GE F404 PBL Director, "GEAE is able to launch its first military PBL contract, providing an opportunity to improve readiness through parts availability, and setting the stage for future PBL contracts on other product lines."

The Quadrennial Defense Review, September 2001, directed the Department of Defense (DoD) to implement PBL's to compress the supply chain and improve readiness. The foundation of this unique partnership is based in establishing logistics performance requirements and contractual incentives. The contract proposes that all logistics support elements can be incorporated within the Performance-Based Business Environment. In other words, the PBL solution provides incentives for reliability and stops paying for frequent repair. It also allows Industry to bring flexibility and innovation into the management of the supply chain.

The F404 engine contract will provide the F/A-18 Hornet fleet with better than 85 percent component availability, a level significantly higher than that offered by traditional support processes.

NAVAIR provides advanced warfare technology through the efforts of a seamless, integrated, worldwide network of aviation technology experts. From professional training to carrier launch; from sensor data to precision targeting; from aircraft and weapons development to successful deployment; from real-time communication to aircraft recovery, NAVAIR provides dominant combat effects and matchless capabilities to the American warfighter.

For more information about the F/A-18 program please contact Denise Deon Wilson, Public Affairs Officer for PEO-T at 301-481-6263 or [email protected]

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