HAI Picks Up Saudi T56 Engine Contract, 2010-2013

Saudi C-130(click to view full) Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Defense & Aviation & Inspectorate General has awarded Greece’s Hellenic Aerospace Industry (HAI) and its local and the Middle East Propulsion Company (MEPC) partner a 3-year, $43 million contract to maintain the Royal Saudi Air Force’s T56 turboprop engines. Under this competitive tender, the partners will provide maintenance, repair, overhaul, and testing services for T56 engines, modules and components. The engines run on the RSAF’s fleet of around 42 C-130/L-100 Hercules aircraft variants, located at Jeddah, Riyadh, and nearby Price Sultan Air Base. Vector subsidiary Sigma Aerospace had been preferred for the previous RSAF T56 contract in 2006, while Boeing subsidiary Alsalam is still handling general C-130 programmed depot maintenance work under a 2008 contract. As for HAI, the win is a step along its export-oriented marketing strategy – a course that looks even wiser given Greece’s current episode in a long-running history of fiscal problems. HAI is one of 7 Rolls Royce Authorized Maintenance Centers for the widely-used T56 engine, is a subcontractor to Lockheed Martin on the C-130J program, has expanded its F-16 related manufacturing work, and produces A320 passenger jet and H-60 helicopter parts. HAI release.