Boeing targets new A-10 support deal

By Stephen Trimble

Boeing is seeking to win a larger role of the multi-billion market for maintaining and upgrading the US Air Force's Fairchild A-10 Thunderbolt II ground-attack aircraft.

The company on 4 February submitted a bid for a share of a projected $1.6 billion, 10-year programme to support A-10 maintenance and upgrade needs. The proposal comes less than two years after Boeing captured a heavily contested, $2 billion deal to replace the wing-skins on 242 A-10s.

The current competition is not for a winner-take-all deal. Northrop Grumman has acted as a prime contractor for the A-10 since purchasing Fairchild, but the USAF has abandoned that strategy and will instead select three contractors who will be allowed to compete for task orders.

BAE Systems, Lockheed Martin and Northrop are also known to be vying for the same deal.

Bill Moorefield, Boeing's A-10 programme manager, says the company's proposal for the lifecycle contract provides "support for the aircraft fleet while ensuring relevance and viability through 2028 and beyond".