BAE SYSTEMS RECEIVES $485 MILLION CONTRACT TO SUPPORT U.S. AIR FORCE F-16 AIRCRAFT

BAE SYSTEMS has received a $485 million contract from the U.S. Air Force to support F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft. Under the 20-year follow-on contract, the company's Mission Solutions business will continue to provide engineering services to the USAF and 18 international air forces for automatic test equipment (ATE) for the F-16 fighter. The test equipment supports automated diagnostics of aircraft avionics at air bases, depot locations, and deployed sites.

According to BAE SYSTEMS programme director Thena Fantasia, the long-term contract recognises the excellent past performance of BAE SYSTEMS and confirms the Air Force's and the company's commitment to providing proactive engineering and sustainment efforts.

Mission Solutions has been delivering intermediate-level ATE for the F-16 since the late 1970s and has maintained on-time delivery performance for more than 13 years. The new contract will extend BAE SYSTEMS support through 2023 and will serve as a basic ordering agreement for subsequent support activities.

The programme is administered by the Air Logistics Centre at Hill Air Force Base, Utah. The Centre is responsible for managing activities to resolve obsolescence, introduce field updates, maintain software releases and documentation, and overall management of the ATE systems.