New RAF Hercules support contract

[viking9]

 A £350 million UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) contract to maintain the Royal Air Force's C-130 Hercules aircraft fleet will support 500 UK jobs, the MoD has announced. The deal with Marshall Aerospace will sustain 500 UK jobs, with the majority based in the company's facility at Cambridge Airport. Work will also be undertaken by Lockheed Martin at sites in Havant, Stansted and Gloucester, and by Rolls-Royce and its sub-contractor Vector Aerospace in Filton, Hook, Croydon and Brize Norton. Lockheed Martin UK will look after supply chain management and Rolls-Royce will maintain the engines.

This Hercules Integrated Operational Support (HIOS) contract saves the MoD £170 million by replacing several short-term contracts with one agreement that will provide the maintenance of the whole Hercules fleet until the end of 2015.  Minister for Defence Equipment, Support and Technology, Peter Luff, said: "This new agreement will not only save the tax-payer money but will also ensure the fleet has continued support to maintain aircraft availability, especially for Afghanistan. The announcement of this contract is just part of the comprehensive regeneration of our Armed Forces' equipment that has been made possible thanks to the Government's balancing of the defence budget for the first time in a generation."

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