$15.5M from SOCOM for UH-60M Alternate Engine Program
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General Electric Aircraft Engines in Lynn, MA won a $15.5 million firm-fixed price (with one cost reimbursable line item) contract for the Special Operations Directorate’s (AMCOM) UH-60M Alternate Engine Program. This contract is under the warrant authority issued by the Special Operations Command, and in support of the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (SOAR) or “Night Stalkers”. The current UH-60M standard is the General Electric T700 engine.
Work on this Alternate Engine Program contract (H92238-05-C-0002) will be performed in Lynn, MA and is expected to be complete by Aug. 16, 2007. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Competition was limited to two sources in accordance with 10 USC 2304(c)(1), as implemented by FAR 6.302-1(a)(2), only limited number of responsible sources are available to provide supplies or services and no other supplies or services will satisfy agency requirements. Two proposals were requested and received.
In related news, the move follows an April 7, 2005 announcement by L-3 Communications that its L-3 Integrated Systems subsidiary has been awarded an approximately $42 million task order by the U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) for a UH-60M-to-MH-60M prototype conversion, including Special Operations Forces-unique avionics and mission equipment. That task order also included an alternate engine integration program, wherein L-3 would perform extensive airworthiness qualification for the airframe modifications around the new alternate engine, which would be provided as government-furnished equipment. The contract described in this post would appear to be for that equipment.
The status of the related L-3 Integrated Systems contract is not known to DID, in the wake of the recent criminal investigation into that company for defective parts in the CESL global emergency radios carried by some aircrews and USSOCOM personnel.
