P-3 Recovery Plan Tries to Keep the Fleet in the Air
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The USA’s aging aircraft problem spans a number of fleets, from aerial tankers, to fighters, to tactical transports. One may argue, however, that its most severe problem lies with its fleet of Lockheed Martin P-3 maritime patrol aircraft. Not only was the global P-3 fleet produced between 1962-1990, the aircraft have often been flown at low altitudes in a salt-spray environment. This is not a recipe for aircraft health.
Rear Adm. Holmes’ 2005 interview confirmed the seriousness of the situation. The US Navy keeps retiring aircraft, and is trying to hang on until its P-8A Poseidon/ BAMS UAV successors are fielded. That is proving to be difficult, to the point that Boeing is reportedly being asked to speed up P-8 production and fielding. Meanwhile, the P-3 Recovery Plan is part of a range of efforts designed to keep the P-3s in the air. Contracts continue, including outer wing replacements and other deep structural maintenance efforts…
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In addition to the 39 aircraft already slated for re-winging, the Navy plans to ground 6 – 10 Orions a year, with all aircraft re-evaluated every 6 months. The re-winging effort and associated “Zone 5 modifications” is expected to take up to a year for each aircraft, and the US Navy expects to reach a steady state of 24 Zone 5 modifications (including re-wings) per year.
The Zone 5 repairs are very extensive, requiring 21,000 man-hours of work, 6,000 holes drilled for rivets, and special equipment. Work includes replacement of 5 of the 9 lower wing planks, and the aft lower wing spar. When the Zone 5 repairs are complete, they provide an estimated 5,000 additional flight hours, or 8 – 10 years, to the aircraft’s airframe service lifespan.
See “P-3 Orion’s SMIP Program Keeps on Rolling” for more details regarding P-3 Special Structural Inspections and associated efforts, which tie into the recovery plan.
See NAVAIR’s “FRCSE Delivers First Red-Striped P-3 Back to the Fleet” for further details regarding the process.
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The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, MD manages these contracts. Any exceptions will be noted in the text below.
Dec 30/09: L-3 Communications Integrated Systems, LP in Waco, TX received a $16.1 million ceiling-priced modification to complete Zone 5 critical airframe structures replacements for 5 more P-3C aircraft in support of the P-3C sustainment, modification and installation program.
Work under this indefinite-delivery/ indefinite-quantity multiple award contract will be performed in Waco, TX (80%), and Greenville, TX (20%), and is expected to be complete in December 2010. Contract funds in the amount of $5.7 million will expire at the end of the current fiscal year, on Sept 30/10 (N00019-05-D-0008).
Oct 14/09: Lockheed Martin Services, Inc. in Greenville, SC received a $6.8 million cost-plus fixed-fee modification to a previously awarded indefinite-delivery/ indefinite-quantity multiple award P-3 SMIP contract (N00019-05-D-0013), buying lower wing Zone 5 material structure replacements for 2 P-3C aircraft. Work will be performed in Greenville, SC and is expected to be complete in June 2010.
June 11/09: Lockheed Martin Services, Inc. in Greenville, SC received a $21 million cost-plus-fixed-fee modification to a previously awarded indefinite-delivery/ indefinite-quantity multiple award contract (N00019-05-D-0013) for additional lower wing Zone 5 material structures replacement on 5 P-3C aircraft.
Work will be performed in Greenville, SC, and is expected to be complete in March 2010.
May 1/09: L-3 Communications Integrated Systems, LP in Waco, TX received a $15.2 million cost plus fixed fee modification to a previously awarded indefinite delivery/ indefinite quantity contract (N00019-05-D-0008) to provide “Zone 5 critical airframe structures replacement” for P-3C Orion aircraft.
Work will be performed in Greenville, TX (50%) and Birmingham, AL (50%), and is expected to be complete in March 2010.
March 13/09: US NAVAIR releases a solicitation for the next set of P-3 SMIP and Zone 5 replacement contracts, with a planned base year and 4 option years. The actual contract(s) will not be awarded for many months. FedBizOpps.
Nov 24/08: Lockheed Martin Services, Inc. in Greenville, Sc received a not-to-exceed $11.8 million modification to a previously awarded indefinite-delivery/ indefinite-quantity contract for Special Structural Inspection Kit (SSIK) Revision 7 inspection/ installation on 5 P-3 aircraft.
Work will be performed in Greenville, SC, and is expected to be complete in June 2010 (N00019-05-D-0013).
Nov 21/08: Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Global Sustainment in Greenville, SC received a $22.9 million not-to-exceed modification to a previously awarded indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity multiple award contract (N00019-05-D-0013), exercising an option for the Zone 5 critical airframe structures replacement for 4 P-3C aircraft.
Work will be performed in Greenville, SC and is expected to be complete in January 2009.
Nov 7/08: Fleet Readiness Center Southeast (FRCSE) completes repairs on the first “Red-striped” P-3C, and delivers the aircraft to its squadron in Brunswick, Maine. The term “red-stripe” comes from the diagonal red stripe on the Airworthiness Bulletin that grounded 39 P-3C aircraft in December 2007 for structural fatigue concerns on a portion of the lower outer wing, called Zone 5. These 39 aircraft comprise approximately one quarter of the P-3C fleet. NAVAIR release.
Aug 26/08: Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co. in Marietta, GA received a $129.3 million contract for 13 P-3 Outer Wing Assembly kits in support of the P-3 recovery plan. That figure is an upper limit, but the exact total will be settled later (“undefinitized”).
Work will be performed in Marietta, GA, and is expected to be complete in December 2010. This contract was not competitively procured by the Naval Air Systems Command in Patuxent River, MD (N00019-08-C-0066).
Aug 19/08: L-3 Communications Integrated Systems L.P. in Waco, TX received a $60.6 million contract for 4 P-3 Outer Wing Assembly kits in support of the P-3 recovery plan. That figure is an upper limit, but the exact total will be settled later (“undefinitized”).
Work will be performed in South Korea (51%) and Waco, TX (49%), and is expected to be completed in June 2010. This contract was not competitively procured by the Naval Air Systems Command in Patuxent River, MD (N00019-08-C-0065).
L-3’s release adds that:
“The company developed modern tooling that will result in the production of the most advanced wing configuration available, using the U.S. Navy’s latest P-3 parts and materials for improved resistance to fatigue and corrosion.”
Feb 1/08: BAE Systems Applied Technologies, Inc. in Rockville, MD received a $12.6 million modification to a previously awarded indefinite-delivery/ indefinite-quantity contract (N00421-06-D-0038) for the production of Emergency Rate Initial Production P-3 fatigue critical area Zone 5 components, including engineering, analytical and manufacturing efforts in support of the P-3C and derivative series aircraft.
Work will be performed in Brea, CA (45%); St. Louis, MO (25%); Wellington, KS (20%); and other locations in california and Maryland (10%), and is expected to be complete in September 2009. The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division in Patuxent River, MD issued the contract.
Dec 17/07: US NAVAIR issues an Air Frame Bulletin announcing the grounding of 39 P-3C Orion aircraft, which have been discovered to be “beyond known structural limits on the lower section of the P-3 wing.” Analysis and corrective measures are expected to take between 18 – 24 months per aircraft to complete.
The Navy has a total of 161 P-3C aircraft in its inventory at this time, and 10 of the 39 grounded aircraft are currently deployed on operations. The grounded aircraft will either return to safe operation after replacement of critical structural components – or will be removed from service.
Sept 25/07: BAE Systems Technology Solutions and Services in Rockville, MD recveives a $10.5 million modification to a previously awarded cost-plus-award-fee, indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity contract (N00421-06-D-0038) for the manufacture of 13 P-3 Special Structural Inspection airframe kits.
This effort entails production of Emergency Rate Initial Production quantities of end item component parts, including engineering, analytical and manufacturing efforts in support of the Aging Aircraft Program; the original $14 million contract was announced on Sept 26/06. Work will be performed in St. Louis, MO (56%); Rockville, MD (24%); and Brea, CA (20%) and is expected to be complete in September 2009. The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division at Patuxent River, MD issued the contract.
See “P-3 Orion’s SMIP Program Keeps on Rolling” for more details regarding P-3 Special Structural Inspections and associated efforts, which tie into the recovery plan.
- Defense Daily (Sept 4/08) – Navy Awards Lockheed Martin, L-3 Contracts For P-3 Wing Repairs.
- Gannett’s Navy Times (Aug 24/08) – Navy: Aging P-3s safe despite mishaps. “But despite a steady uptick in mishaps, and the December grounding of 39 P-3s because of fears that wing sections could break off in flight, Navy and civilian officials insist the Orion is still safe to fly.”
