ORAC
30th Dec 2015, 08:38
Torygraph: Deal to extend Hercules' life secures 1,200 UK engineering jobs (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/industry/defence/12073384/Deal-to-extend-Hercules-life-secures-1200-UK-engineering-jobs.html)
Royal Air Force's fleet of Hercules transport planes to be given new lease of life with huge contract to service them
A major contract to maintain the Royal Air Force’s fleet of US-made Hercules aircraft has been awarded to British companies, safeguarding 1,200 UK jobs.
The bulk of the £369m deal to extend the life of the four-engine transport aeroplanes until 2030 will go to Cambridge-based Marshall Aerospace and Defence Group. Under the terms of the six-year contract, about 1,100 jobs around Cambridge servicing the C-130J aircraft, which carry troops and cargo, will be protected.
A further 100 jobs at Rolls-Royce, which will maintain the aircrafts’ engines, and at the UK arm of Lockheed Martin, which will manage the supply chain of parts needed, will also be safeguarded.
Winning the contract is a coup for the Marshall, as the Hercules were originally built by Lockheed at its plant in Georgia.
Defence Secretary Michael Fallon said: “This contract is further evidence of what the growing defence budget, with £178bn investment in equipment, means for the UK. It will ensure our essential RAF transport aircraft are prepared for operations for years to come.”
The Hercules had been set for retirement in 2022 but last month’s strategic defence and security review (SDSR) revealed they would be given a new lease of life as part of the plan to “recapitalise” the RAF’s air transport fleet to enable UK forces to “intervene globally at speed”.
The RAF currently operates a fleet of 24 Hercules aircraft. Under the new contract, by 2025 there will be 14 of the aircraft in service, with the other 10 being decommissioned in 2016 and 2017.
Royal Air Force's fleet of Hercules transport planes to be given new lease of life with huge contract to service them
A major contract to maintain the Royal Air Force’s fleet of US-made Hercules aircraft has been awarded to British companies, safeguarding 1,200 UK jobs.
The bulk of the £369m deal to extend the life of the four-engine transport aeroplanes until 2030 will go to Cambridge-based Marshall Aerospace and Defence Group. Under the terms of the six-year contract, about 1,100 jobs around Cambridge servicing the C-130J aircraft, which carry troops and cargo, will be protected.
A further 100 jobs at Rolls-Royce, which will maintain the aircrafts’ engines, and at the UK arm of Lockheed Martin, which will manage the supply chain of parts needed, will also be safeguarded.
Winning the contract is a coup for the Marshall, as the Hercules were originally built by Lockheed at its plant in Georgia.
Defence Secretary Michael Fallon said: “This contract is further evidence of what the growing defence budget, with £178bn investment in equipment, means for the UK. It will ensure our essential RAF transport aircraft are prepared for operations for years to come.”
The Hercules had been set for retirement in 2022 but last month’s strategic defence and security review (SDSR) revealed they would be given a new lease of life as part of the plan to “recapitalise” the RAF’s air transport fleet to enable UK forces to “intervene globally at speed”.
The RAF currently operates a fleet of 24 Hercules aircraft. Under the new contract, by 2025 there will be 14 of the aircraft in service, with the other 10 being decommissioned in 2016 and 2017.