Fairchild A-10 Thunderbolt II

Lockheed Martin Receives Contracts To Continue A-10 Modernization And Sustainment



Lockheed Martin has received three contracts totaling $7.7 million from the U.S. Air Force for the continued modernization and sustainment of the A-10 close air support fighter jet.

The contracts address the following content:

• A trade study to look for a new, more cost-efficient fuel system tester aimed at increasing overall maintenance effectiveness;
• Integration of the Fuel Quantity Intermediate Device to help pilots more effectively manage onboard fuel reserves that will maximize time on station during training and combat operations;
• Support of the Aircraft Structural Integrity Program to support safe flight operations, ensuring structural integrity of the A-10 fleet through the end of its service life.

“These three contracts continue our commitment to the A-10’s long-term sustainment,” said Roger Il Grande, A-10 program director at Lockheed Martin Systems Integration in Owego, NY. “We are proud of our 12-year history in the modernization and sustainment of the A-10, where we continue to apply the knowledge we’ve acquired on the program to provide the Air Force with the most up-to-date and fully capable aircraft possible.”

The three task orders are part of the Thunderbolt Lifecycle Program Support (TLPS), an indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contract that allows the U.S. Air Force to authorize up to $1.6 billion of aircraft support activity during an initial four-year order period followed by three two-year optional contract periods. Lockheed Martin was named as one of three associate prime contractors for TLPS in June 2009.

TLPS is the follow-on to the A-10 Prime Contract competitively awarded to Lockheed Martin in 1997. Much of the work to upgrade the aircraft to A-10C configuration with modern avionics, situational awareness and precision weapons capabilities was performed under a modification contract called Precision Engagement. Lockheed Martin will remain under contract to complete efforts that are underway, including work to provide Precision Engagement modification kits through 2011.

The Lockheed Martin A-10 industry team includes Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio TX; and Northrop Grumman, St. Augustine, FL. Lockheed Martin continues to operate the first-ever A-10 Systems Integration Lab at its Systems Integration – Owego facility. The lab is used by engineers and pilots to prototype software and hardware upgrades for operational validity before flight, to fully integrate aircraft avionics modifications to reduce development risk and cost, and to aid in pilot and maintainer familiarization of newly-deployed systems.

U.S. A-10 Thunderbolts receive wing modification

The A-10 Thunderbolt II will continue flying close-ground-support missions for the next two decades because of a reinforcement process wing replacement specialists call "Hog Up."

The phrase originated about a decade ago during an upgrade of the aircraft's avionics system, partially because of the A-10's "Warthog" nickname. Specialists in the 309th Maintenance Wing's Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base and Hill Air Force Base, Utah, install steel straps and stronger fittings to the wings that give the A-10 an additional 8,000 flying hours and extend the life of the aircraft for another 20 years, said Dave Roe, a 309th AMARG structural engineer.

"The modifications we're giving the wing will double its service life and allow it to carry the additional load the wings are expected to carry," Mr. Roe said. "By putting on these additional straps, we're basically beefing up the structure."

The A-10 is a twin-engine jet aircraft designed for close-air support of ground forces. Its main use is for ground attack against tanks, armored vehicles and installations. The aircraft flies with a range of 800 miles and with high endurance and maneuverability at low speeds and altitudes that allow accurate targeting and weapon delivery.

"Nothing else in our inventory can do the job the A-10 can do, especially in close-ground support," Mr. Roe said. "It also has a long loiter time over friendlies or over the target if necessary."

The reinforcements are intended to keep the A-10 fleet flying until the aircraft receives new wings through a contract awarded to Boeing in 2007. The contract calls for 242 new wings for installment on the thin-skinned A-10 airframes by 2011. About 100 A-10 airframes won't need new wings because they were built with a stronger "thick-skin" structure in the 1980s. Thick-skinned A-10s were rated for 16,000 flying hours, which should keep them flying until about 2030. The original A-10s were rated for 8,000 hours, but were extended with depot repairs in the 1990s. The new wings should also keep the original A-10s flying through the next 20 years.

"This is an interim fix to keep the A-10s flying while the new wings are being built," said Daryl Neel, the 309th AMARG center wing shop supervisor.