US Military Contracts for Private Aerial Refueling Services
FY 2015 contract; The NTSB post-crash report that exonerated Omega; Where did Omega get its new K-707?; Background and backstory improved; Additional Readings section added.
Sept 26/14: Small business qualifier Omega Aerial Refueling Services, Inc. in Alexandria, VA receives a $31.2 million indefinite-delivery/ indefinite-quantity contract modification, exercising an option under the Contracted Air Services Program. $18.9 million in FY 2014 US Navy O&M budgets is committed immediately.
Work will be performed at Victorville, CA (50%), and Norfolk, VA (50%), and is expected to be complete by September 2015 (N00019-13-D-0010).
Jan 3/13: NTSB Report. The US National Transportation Safety Board delivers its report re: the May 18/11 crash of Omega Aerial Refueling Services flight 70, a modified Boeing 707-321B flying as aircraft #N707AR. At the time of the mishap, the airplane had 47,856 total flight hours with 15,186 total cycles. The short version is that weakness in Engine #2’s midspar fitting cracked open and separated the engine from the plane during takeoff, damaging engine #1 and starting a fire. The pilots managed to land the plane and escape, but it had veered off of the runway into a swamp, where it safely burned itself down.
The vast majority of accidents are classified as pilot error. The NTSB found none, nor were there any maintenance errors by Omega, which was at or beyond full compliance with all directives. Instead, the problem traced to a previous airline owner who had implemented Boeing’s SB 707-3377 directive after 1998, but had failed to use the new part design required on 1 of the 4 engines. Even as the former owner (rumored to be Pan Am) mistakenly marked their documentation to be in full compliance with corresponding FAA directives up to 93 11-02. The mis-repaired Engine #2 served well with Omega, with no reason to suspect an issue and no issues seen during inspections. It then proceeded to fail more or less in line with the old part design’s estimates.
Note that this is exactly the kind of experience that makes countries reluctant to convert second-hand aircraft into tankers, even if the conversion is done by respected parties like BAE (Omega 707s, BAe 146) or IAI Bedek (K-767 MMTT), and even though the cost is dramatically lower than a new counterpart like Boeing’s KC-767. Pan Am’s (?) failure was almost certainly a mistake cascade rather than malice or incompetence, but people are more comfortable knowing that any mistakes with such dire consequences would need to happen within their own organization. Even if that means they end up paying much more for only marginally better odds.
In the aftermath of Omega flight 70, Boeing issued Alert Service Bulletin (ASB) 707-00A3537-00, on Jan 30/12. The part involved in this accident has now caused 4 crashes, hence the past directives from Boeing and the FAA. In response, ASB 707-00A3537-00 instructs all 707 operators to inspect for the correct engine No. 2 and 3 nacelle strut midspar fittings, and to perform immediate replacement if the wrong fitting is found. The ASB also calls for application of a droop stripe to make subsequent visual checks easier, and a high frequency eddy current inspection for any crack of the visible lug area of the new design inboard and outboard strut midspar fittings on the No. 2 and 3 inboard engines. On Aug 17/12, the US FAA published AD 2012-16-12, which legally requires operators to perform Boeing’s ASB 707-00A3537-00. Sources: NTSB, “Omega Aerial Refueling Services flight crashed on takeoff from runway 21”.
Aerial tankers are essential when moving large quantities of men and materials long distances, or stretching the range and length of fighter combat air patrols. Most are government-owned, but a segment of semi-privatized services may be set to grow alongside existing military fleets. Could DID readers find themselves flying to an Azores vacation on a chartered aerial tanker during its “spare hours”? Thanks to Britain’s FSTA public-private aerial tanker partnership, they absolutely could.
The USA’s KC-45 competition was set to buy up to 179 aircraft instead. Even here, however, some outsourcing is going on. Enter Omega Refueling Services, Inc.
Using Omega’s Air Force
The Fleet
Omega Refueling Services, Inc. currently has 2 operational Boeing 707-300 series tankers, originally converted in 1996 by BAE Systems and TRACOR. The Omega K-707s use hose-and-drogue systems that allow them to refuel US Navy and Marine Corps aircraft, and those of many foreign countries. Unfortunately, the K-707 lacks the boom assembly needed to fit with the dorsal refueling slots of most USAF aircraft, which often makes it impossible to fill in for the USAF’s 707-family KC-135 tankers.
Omega’s K-707s are modified with 2 hose and drogue assemblies, electric, hydraulic and fuel lines, and 2 center wing fuel tank pumps. System controls and video monitoring devices in the cockpit control fuel offload. The fuel tank system is similar to a military KC-135, with 2 reserve tanks, 2 outboard main tanks, 2 inboard main tanks, and a center wing tank. The K-707 lacks the KC-135’s forward and aft body tanks, however, and even Omega’s larger wing and fuselage tanks leave the “K-707 Omega” with a slightly lower total fuel capacity of 156,000 – 160,000 pounds. The planes are capable of flying up to 1,600 – 1,800 hours per year.
A larger Omega KDC-10 aircraft is also available. This is a modified DC-10-40, with FRL refueling wing pods from Cobham plc’s subsidiary Sergent-Fletcher. It also uses a hose-and-drogue refueling system, which works well for the US Navy and most foreign customers, but won’t help much with aircraft that require a dorsal refueling boom.
The Commercial Air Services Contract
From 2001 to 2004, Omega operated tankers for the US Navy as a subcontractor to Flight International and L-3 Comunications, which had an existing Navy contract flying Learjets. In 2004, Omega was created to manage most aspects of the refueling program. The Department of the Navy was their main customer, via a commercial air services (CAS) contract managed by NAVAIR.
The US Navy’s CAS program provides aerial refueling tanking for Navy and other Department of Defense and government agency aircraft, which includes customers like NASA. It may also be used in support of Foreign Military Sales cases, government contractors, and “other aircraft capable of aerial refueling.” The contract requires 2 refueling aircraft available for service, but there are occasions when simultaneous US Navy exercises or other demands have kept 3 planes at full usage.
The CAS program is administered by NAVAIR SYSCOM PMA-207.5. The tanker is funded for its flying hours to support Navy and Marine Corps Aviation, not for fuel use. Fuel purchases come from government-approved sources, using the same government credit card that military units use to pay for fuel; the costs are allocated and charged to the appropriate squadron, just as fuel from a USAF KC-135 would be. All flights are approved by the government’s Commercial Air Services Manager.
Foreign air forces can also use this contract.
Australia withdrew its own 707-based aerial tanker from service in July 2008. Their Department of Defence has told DID that Omega waS providing air to air refuelling (AAR) services to the RAAF as a bridging option, until Australia’s first A330/KC-30A tankers achieve full operational capability. Activities have included support for exercises like RED FLAG in the USA and PITCH BLACK in northern Australia, Super Hornet training in the USA, and Super Hornet ferry flights from the USA to RAAFB Amberley, Australia. Many of these exercises and evolutions also include USAF and/or USN aircraft, which is convenient for all parties concerned.
Other known foreign contracts have included Britain and Canada.
Crash and Aftermath
In May 2011, one of Omega’s K-707s was destroyed in a crash at Point Mugu, CA. A subsequent National Safety Transportation Board report (q.v. Jan 3/13) traced the problem to incorrect documentation from a previous owner, attesting that a required fix had been performed when it hadn’t. The oversight caused the left inboard engine to break off shortly after takeoff, damaging the left outboard engine in the process. The pilots landed the plane and made it out, but the jet had full fuel tanks, and a fire had already started. It burned for hours, and was a complete loss.
The remaining K-707 and KDC-10 were enough to fulfill the 2-plane letter of the US Navy’s contract, but Omega decided that they needed to restore their fleet’s surge capability.
Fortunately, they had already purchased 3 Australian 707-300s in 2009, and 2 of them had been modified with refueling pods in RAAF service. All 3 planes were brought over from Australia, and after a whirlwind 4 months of inspections, maintenance work, and certification, 1 of them was operational and Omega’s K-707 fleet was back to 2 planes.
If demand exists, the firm has said that could increase its overall fleet to 4 planes by restoring and certifying another refueling-capable ex-RAAF 707.
Contracts & Key Events
FY 2012 – 2014
Contracts; NTSB crash report.
All contracts are managed by US Navy NAVAIR in Patuxent River, MD, unless otherwise noted.
Sept 26/14: FY 2015. Small business qualifier Omega Aerial Refueling Services, Inc. in Alexandria, VA receives a $31.2 million indefinite-delivery/ indefinite-quantity contract modification, exercising an option under the Contracted Air Services Program. $18.9 million in FY 2014 US Navy O&M budgets is committed immediately.
Work will be performed at Victorville, CA (50%), and Norfolk, VA (50%), and is expected to be complete by September 2015 (N00019-13-D-0010).
Sept 25/13: FY 2014. Small business qualifier Omega Aerial Refueling Services Inc. in Alexandria, VA receives a $30.6 million indefinite-delivery/ indefinite-quantity contract for Commercial Air Services (CAS) Program aerial refueling services to the US Navy, other Department of Defense and government agencies, and foreign military sales aircraft. $11.6 million is committed immediately, and will expire on Sept 30/13 (we think that’s a typo; it should be 2014).
Work will be performed at Victorville, CA (50%) and Norfolk, VA (50%), and is expected to be complete by September 2014. This contract was not competitively procured pursuant to FAR 6.302-1’s one acceptable supplier provision (N00019-13-D-0010).
Aug 28 – Sept 6/13: Ops example. Omega’s service extend to a wide range of scenarios. One of the most interesting is work on UAV/UCAV designs that can fly aerial refueling evolutions. A Calspan Learjet has been modified with a non-functioning aerial refueling probe, and X-47B UCAV navigation, command and control, and vision processor hardware and software. Its challenge? To fly behind an Omega K-707 tanker, and demonstrate its ability to hold correct positions and operate with the installed systems. Testing went well.
The next step will using the kind of digital messaging and navigation processes that were demonstrated by the UCAV’s recent carrier landings, with Rockwell Collins TTNT datalink, and Precision Relative GPS (PGPS) algorithms. The final goal? A complete autonomous rendezvous, approach, plug, and safe separation. No fuel will be transferred to the Learjet, which isn’t equipped to receive it anyway, but the ability to fly that kind of evolution is enough challenge all by itself. People in the military overuse the phrase “game changer,” but a technology that could allow continuous 72+ hour missions and trans-ocean control from a carrier would indeed justify that description. Sources: US NAVAIR, “Navy autonomous aerial refueling tests underway”.
Jan 3/13: NTSB Report. The US National Transportation Safety Board delivers its report re: the May 18/11 crash of Omega Aerial Refueling Services flight 70, a modified Boeing 707-321B flying as aircraft #N707AR. At the time of the mishap, the airplane had 47,856 total flight hours with 15,186 total cycles. The short version is that weakness in Engine #2’s midspar fitting cracked open and separated the engine from the plane during takeoff, damaging engine #1 and starting a fire. The pilots managed to land the plane and escape, but it had veered off of the runway into a swamp, where it safely burned itself down.
The vast majority of accidents are classified as pilot error. The NTSB found none, nor were there any maintenance errors by Omega, which was at or beyond full compliance with all directives. Instead, the problem traced to a previous airline owner who had implemented Boeing’s SB 707-3377 directive after 1998, but had failed to use the new part design required on 1 of the 4 engines. Even as the former owner (rumored to be Pan Am) mistakenly marked their documentation to be in full compliance with corresponding FAA directives up to 93 11-02. The mis-repaired Engine #2 served well with Omega, with no reason to suspect an issue and no issues seen during inspections. It then proceeded to fail more or less in line with the old part design’s estimates.
Note that this is exactly the kind of experience that makes countries reluctant to convert second-hand aircraft into tankers, even if the conversion is done by respected parties like BAE (Omega 707s, BAe 146) or IAI Bedek (K-767 MMTT), and even though the cost is dramatically lower than a new counterpart like Boeing’s KC-767. Pan Am’s (?) failure was almost certainly a mistake cascade rather than malice or incompetence, but people are more comfortable knowing that any mistakes with such dire consequences would need to happen within their own organization. Even if that means they end up paying much more for only marginally better odds.
In the aftermath of Omega flight 70, Boeing issued Alert Service Bulletin (ASB) 707-00A3537-00, on Jan 30/12. The part involved in this accident has now caused 4 crashes, hence the past directives from Boeing and the FAA. In response, ASB 707-00A3537-00 instructs all 707 operators to inspect for the correct engine No. 2 and 3 nacelle strut midspar fittings, and to perform immediate replacement if the wrong fitting is found. The ASB also calls for application of a droop stripe to make subsequent visual checks easier, and a high frequency eddy current inspection for any crack of the visible lug area of the new design inboard and outboard strut midspar fittings on the No. 2 and 3 inboard engines. On Aug 17/12, the US FAA published AD 2012-16-12, which legally requires operators to perform Boeing’s ASB 707-00A3537-00. Sources: NTSB, “Omega Aerial Refueling Services flight crashed on takeoff from runway 21”.
NTSB crash report exonerates Omega
Sept 13/12: FY 2013. Omega Aerial Refueling Services Inc. in Alexandria, VA receives a $15.4 million indefinite-delivery/ indefinite-quantity contract modification for Commercial Air Services (CAS) Program aerial refueling services to the US Navy, other Department of Defense and government agencies, and foreign military sales aircraft.
Work will be performed at various locations in the continental United States (34% East Coast and 23% West Coast); and at various locations outside the continental United States (43%), and is expected to be complete by September 2013. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year (N00019-07-D-0009).
FY 2008 – 2011
USN contracts; Devastating crash; 3 used 707s bought from the RAAF.
May 18/11: Crash. One of Omega’s 2 refitted K-707 aerial tankers veers off the runway, crashes, and burns up during a takeoff attempt at Pt. Mugu, CA. Reports indicate that one of the engines may have caught fire before the crash.
All 3 people on board manage to escape from the former Pan-Am jet, but with 150,000 pounds of fuel on board, the subsequent fire is a real challenge for the fire department. Early surveys indicate that very little of the fuel survived to contaminate the nearby marshes. Flight International | Irish Independent | Sacramento Bee | Ventura County Star.
K-707 crashes, burns
March 10/11: 2011-2012. Omega Aerial Refueling Services, Inc. in Alexandria, VA receives a $31.5 million indefinite-delivery indefinite-quantity contract modification, exercising an option for contractor owned and operated aircraft in support of the Commercial Air Services (CAS) Program.
Work will be performed at various locations in the continental United States (45% East Coast and 35% West Coast), and at various locations outside the continental United States (20%); and is expected to be complete in March 2012 (N00019-07-D-0009).
March 11/10: 2010-2011. Omega Aerial Refueling Services, Inc. in Alexandria, VA receives a $32.4 million indefinite-delivery indefinite-quantity contract modification, exercising an option for contractor owned and operated aircraft in support of the Commercial Air Services (CAS) Program.
Work will be performed at various locations in the continental United States (45% East Coast and 35% West Coast), and at various locations outside the continental United States (20%); and is expected to be complete in March 2011 (N00019-07-D-0009).
Jan 21/10: Australia. Omega Aerial Refueling Services, Inc. receives a $6.8 million modification to a previously awarded firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/ indefinite-quantity contract to provide air-to-air refueling services in support of Royal Australian Air Force F/A-18 Hornet family fighters under the Foreign Military Sales Program. The RAAF conducts multiple exercises with the US Navy each year using its F/A-18 A/B+ Hornets, and is training its F/A-18F Super Hornet pilots in the United States at NAS Lemoore. See above for more details concerning Australia’s use of Omega’s services.
Work will be performed at Naval Air Station Lemoore, CA (50%), and at Royal Australian Air Force Base Williamstown, Australia (50%), and is expected to be complete in February 2011 (N00421-10-D-0009).
Australian contract
March 11/10: 2010-2011. Omega Aerial Refueling Services, Inc. in Alexandria, VA received a $32.4 million modification to a previously awarded indefinite-delivery/ indefinite-quantity contract (N00019-07-D-0009), exercising an option for contractor owned-and-operated aircraft in support of the Commercial Air Services (CAS) program.
Work will be performed at various locations in the continental United States (45% East Coast, 35% West Coast) and at various locations outside the continental United States (20%), and is expected to be complete in March 2011.
Nov 18/09: 3 bought. Omega Aerial Refuelling Services has purchased 3 Boeing 707-300s from the Australian government, which had modified 2 of the 3 for aerial refueling duties during their RAAF service. The aircraft have been stored at RAAF Richmond for about 18 months since the last was retired.
Omega has already used its K-707 fleet to refuel Australian F/A-18A/B fighters, in the absence of the RAAF K-707s it has just purchased. On the other hand, it is much cheaper for Australia to pay for flight hours than it is to support the aircraft’s full ownership costs. Sources: Australian Defence, via Defense Studies, “Omega Acquires Aussie B707s”.
Omega buys 3 ex-RAAF 707s
Sept 15/09: More 2009-2010. Omega Aerial Refueling Services, Inc. in Alexandria, VA received a $6.9 million modification to a previously awarded indefinite-delivery/ indefinite-quantity contract (N00019-07-D-0009), exercising an option for contractor owned and operated aircraft in support of the Commercial Air Services (CAS) Program. This option provides for an additional 54,000 flight minutes, which equates to 900 flight hours.
Work will be performed at various American locations (45% East Coast and 35% West Coast); and at various locations outside the continental USA (20%), and is expected to be complete in March 2010.
March 18/09: 2009-2010 Omega Aerial Refueling Services, Inc. of Alexandria, VA receives a $24.7 million modification to a previously awarded indefinite-delivery/ indefinite-quantity contract. It exercises an option for contractor owned and operated aircraft in support of the Commercial Air Services program, which provides aerial refueling tanking for Navy and other Government agency aircraft.
Work will be performed in Oceana, VA (45%); Point Mugu, CA (35%); and various military activities across the United States and abroad (20%), and is expected to be completed in March 2010 (N00019-07-D-0009).
March 17/08: 2008-2009 Omega Aerial Refueling Services, Inc. in Alexandria, VA receives a $30.8 million modification to a previously awarded indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity contract, exercising exercise an option for contractor owned and operated aircraft in support of the commercial air services program.
Work will be performed in Oceana, VA (45%); Point Mugu, CA (35%); and various military activities across the United States and OCONUS (Outside the CONtinental US) (20%), and is expected to be complete in March 2009 (N00019-07-D-0009).
March 19/07: 2007-2008. Omega Aerial Refueling Services, Inc. in Alexandria, VA receives a $24 million indefinite-delivery/ indefinite-quantity contract to provide contractor owned and operated aircraft in support of the Commercial Air Services Program. This contract was not competitively procured.
Work will be performed in Oceana, VA (30%); Point Mugu, CA (25%); and various military activities across the United States and OCONUS (45%), and is expected to be complete in March 2008 (N00019-07-D-0009).
Additional Readings
- Omega Air Refueling, Inc. – Official Site.
- US NTSB (#AAB-13-01) – Omega Aerial Refueling Services flight crashed on takeoff from runway 21. Full report following N707AR’s destruction, completely exonerates Omega. See also PDF version.
