Originally Posted by
Chris Kebab
Guess that also means the end of all those ideas that kicked around regarding future flying for the Tristars in the States?
This is the situation on the Tristars - a subject I'm keeping a very close eye on.
The 6 x Tristars are owned by Tristar Air LLC - a subsidiary of publicly traded company Tempus Applied Holdings Inc.
In April 2019, Tristar LLC won the competition for the 2020 USN AAR single award contract - ousting incumbent Omega Air Refueling who at the time only owned 2 x KC-707 and 1 x KDC-10.
Omega Air then protested twice - the grounds of their first protest was denied and the basis of their second protest was in regard to the way the competition was run.
The USN then cancelled the award to Tristar LLC in September 2019 and announced that it now intended to pursue a Multiple Award Contract in 2020 - which by definition is 2 or more companies.
Omega and Tristar Air LLC are currently the only US companies owning large "hose and drogue" tankers - as opposed to Red Air fighter contractors with buddy-buddy pods.
In August 2019, Tempus Applied Holdings created a UK-based entity - Tristar Air UK Ltd.
There is anecdotal evidence that there has been a trawl recently around Brize Norton for Tristar experienced personnel.
The USN request for proposals for the 2020 AAR MAC - after an earlier Industry Day held on 12 Sep 19 and a deadline for comment on the draft RFP by 8 Jan 20 - was issued on 2 Jun 20 with an updated final RFP.
I found it interesting that the RFP now states that all required pilot hours for qualification may be acquired in a simulator - Northrop Grumman has a L-1011 simulator for their Stargazer - and there are multiple references to documentation from the CAA and foreign military authorities being acceptable regarding the history of the aircraft, tanker conversion and airworthiness (as opposed to FAA only as in the original draft).
The deadline for submission of bids - which include specification of startup costs for which significant separate allowances are made - is 8 Jul 20.
In addition, US TRANSCOM / USAF Air Mobility Command is expected to solicit bids to contract out an element of its overall task in June 2020 - 30% of that will be for "hose and drogue".
The latest overhead on Google maps of Bruntingthorpe shows the taxiways to the runway from the Tristar dispersals clear and only one row of cars on the edge of the runway and another adjacent to the runway for part of the length.
Money can talk to get a few cars moved - in fact the contract is potentially so lucrative they could probable afford to buy any cars on the runway and scrap them !.
https://www.google.com/maps/place/Br...2!4d-1.1311932
Details of the progress of the USN 2020 MAC and longer term US TRANSCOM contract opportunities can be viewed at this website
https://beta.sam.gov/ by searching on CAS_AAR_RFI and
TRANSCOM18R013 respectively. Click on title that comes up and multiple PDFs with the detail will be revealed.
So watch this space !
If anyone lives nearby Bruntingthorpe and sees any work being done on the Tristars - once the site is opened up again when COVID-19 restrictions relax - I would really appreciate a heads up here or by PM !