Australian Deals to Maintain, Upgrade Hawk Jet Trainers

RAAF Hawk Mk.127s

In July 2013, the Royal Australian Air Force inked a long-term contract with BAE Systems to maintain and upgrade its 33 Hawk Mk.127 jet trainers based at RAAFB Williamtown and RAAFB Pearce. The new deal is for 5 years and up to $435 million, with potential extensions out to 2026. It covers depth maintenance, engineering support, and full logistics/ spares and training systems support. They’re following a similar path to Britain’s “Contracting for Availability“, building on a previous 2-year, A$ 150 million, performance-based deal that reportedly saved the RAAF 10% on Hawk support costs.

Rapid Fire August 12, 2013: US COCOM Consolidation Coming?

• The Pentagon is considering going through a round of consolidation and reorganization among its combatant commands (COCOMs).