Seeking Support

The Air Force is looking for potential suppliers of contractor logistics support for the Air National Guard's specialized fleet of RC-26B intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft despite uncertainty about where they will be located.

The service had wanted to retire the fleet by fiscal year 2015, but is instead planning to consolidate the aircraft at a single operating base after Congress blocked the retirement plan in the FY-13 Defense Authorization Act.

This week the RC-26 program management office at Tinker Air Force Base, OK, posted a sources-sought notice to identify potential providers of CLS site maintenance for the RC-26 fleet. The program office is also holding an industry day at Tinker AFB on May 28. To mitigate against uncertainty surrounding the final operating location of Guard's 11 aircraft, the notice details three possible scenarios for where the work might be carried out.

In scenario one, a potential contractor would provide CLS for all 11 aircraft at Will Rogers Air National Guard Base, OK, which is where the Air Force is planning to send the airplanes.

Scenario two proposes support at one main operating base and one forward operating location, and scenario three would be to support the aircraft at two main operating locations.

“Scenario two and scenario three require full CLS during a transitional period as ANG maintenance personnel are trained for daily flight-line maintenance operations to include Phase Inspections 1-6,” the notice states. “Once an initial maintenance cadre has been established, contractor flight line duties will diminish into a blending of ANG flight-line maintenance personnel and contractor support. [Field service representatives] will be required as part of the contract for aircraft maintenance support, perform work on specialized mission systems and to support deployments as subject matter experts.”

RC-26Bs are militarized version of the Fairchild SA227-DC aircraft with twin Honeywell turboprop engines. They have been modified to perform ISR missions. The aircraft are supported by URS Federal Support Services of Maryland. The company was awarded a one year follow-on contract for the work last September and that contract ends on September 30 this year.

Responses to the sources-sought notice are due by June 13.