Posted by John McHale
TOWNSVILLE, Australia, 5 March 2011. BAE Systems has been selected to provide deeper maintenance (DM) for the Australian defense force's (ADF) fleet of CH-47D Chinook helicopters. The initial six-year performance-based contract requires BAE Systems Australia to provide scheduled and unscheduled helicopter maintenance, repairs, engineering, and logistics support services from its base in northern Queensland.
"Our solution will deliver to the ADF uninterrupted Chinook CH-47D support through to the end of the life-of-type of this aircraft in ADF service and the lowest possible transition risk for introduction of the Chinook CH-47F aircraft," says Jim McDowell, managing director for BAE Systems Australia. "Since 1996, BAE Systems has provided a compliant, proven solution. Even though requirements have varied greatly during this period, our service has met or exceeded customer expectations.
"More recently, we have demonstrated our ability to deliver significant efficiency improvements, cost-base reductions and reduced time to make serviceable by the application of lean methodologies," he continues. "The efficiencies we have generated have leveraged our company-wide capabilities and demonstrated our commitment to support the ADF and the Defense Materiel Organization (DMO) in its conduct of the Strategic Reform Program (SRP)."
