10-Yr., EUR 100M to Alenia for NE-3A AWACS Maintenance
Jun 27, 2011 16:55 UTCNATO’s shared NE-3A Sentry AWACS fleet act as flying command posts and radar stations, directing aerial operations and providing an overall picture of activity in the air and on the sea. They are crewed by multinational teams, made up of all 16 (soon 15) participating countries. The 18-plane acquisition was signed in 1978, and remains the largest single joint purchase ever made by the alliance. Today, 17 of the 707-based NE-3As remain in operation, flying out of their main base at NAB Geilenkirchen, Germany, and other locations as needed. Ongoing upgrade programs have worked to keep them relatively current.
Finmeccanica’s Alenia Aeronautica recently announced a 10-year, estimated EUR 100 million contract with the IAMCO joint venture, to supply a range of maintenance and upgrades for NATO’s NE-3A AWACS fleet. Within the contract…