USAF Awards $664M Contract for F-22 Sustainment in 2012

March 30, 2012 defense-aerospace.com

(Source: U.S Department of Defense; issued March 29, 2012)

Lockheed Martin Corp., Fort Worth, Texas, is being awarded a $664,400,703 cost-plus-incentive-fee and cost-plus-fixed-fee modification contract for sustainment activities for the F-22 air vehicle for calendar year 2012.

The locations of the performance are Marietta, Ga.; Fort Worth, Texas; Palmdale, Calif.; and Seattle, Wash. Work is to be completed by Dec. 31, 2012.

ASC/WWUK, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity (FA8611-08-C-2897 P00119).

(EDITOR’S NOTE: It is noteworthy that these “sustainment activities” are to take place at a considerable distance from any F-22 base, which means the sustainment is more industrial than operational.

Also, given that the US Air Force fleet of operational F-22s currently stands at about 150 aircraft, the average sustainment cost works out to $4.4 million a year per aircraft.

This is in addition to normal operations and maintenance costs, and to the regular upgrades needed to bring the aircraft to their intended capability levels.

For example, the latest upgrade package, Increment 3.1, cost $8 billion to implement.)