$168.4M to Maintain American Predator & Reaper Fleets

MQ-1 maintenance
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The Air Force recently awarded General Atomics Aeronautical Systems of San Diego, CA a $168.4 million firm-fixed-price contract for maintenance under the MQ-1 Predator/ MQ-9 Reaper Unmanned Aircraft System program. The MQ-9 Reaper is very different from its predecessorr; it is significantly larger, with different equipment, less endurance, the ability to operate at far higher altitudes, and the ability to carry far more ordnance. Nevertheless, the 2 platform types are maintained under the same program. DID has covered a previous $57.2 million contract in 2006, but the rising number of machines in service, and level of use that recently saw the USAF’s MQ-1 feet surpass 500,000 total hours flown, are raising the costs of maintenance.

This contract will fund all program management, urgent repairs and services, logistics support, configuration management, technical manual and software maintenance, engineering technical services, contractor inventory control point and spares management, depot repair, flight operations support, reliability/maintenance enhancements, data collection/entry and numbered periodic depot maintenance . At this time, the entire amount has been obligated by the 703d ASG at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, OH (FA8620-05-G-3028).