Illinois-based aviation service provider AAR has received an up to $1.2-billion contract to perform maintenance for the US Navy’s P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol and reconnaissance aircraft fleet.
The agreement stipulates depot-level engine and airframe sustainment as well as on-site assessments to maintain the planes’ operability.
Tasks will incorporate technical directives, modifications, overhauls, and aircraft-on-ground support, scheduled and unscheduled.
Work will be facilitated in partnership with Georgia-based aviation industry partner Delta TechOps.
The Pentagon noted in the deal’s announcement that the specified services will also cover Poseidons under the Royal Australian Air Force and foreign military sales customers.
AAR will fulfill the entirety of the contract in Atlanta, Georgia, and Wood Dale, Illinois, until September 2029.
“AAR’s tailored solutions integrate government and commercial capabilities to provide parts supply, maintenance, and other services to meet customers’ unique mission-critical needs,” AAR Integrated Solutions Senior Vice President Nicholas Gross stated.
“We are proud to expand our support of the Navy’s maritime patrol and reconnaissance mission through P-8A maintenance and repair.”
Extending Support for Naval Airborne Assets
AAR’s latest award builds on a 2018 project signed with P-8A developer Boeing to provide airframe depot work for the US Navy Poseidon fleet.
In 2019, AAR delivered the first mission-ready aircraft revamped through the effort.
Alongside the Poseidon upkeep, AAR has delivered associated services for the US military’s Harrier vertical takeoff and landing combat jet, the C-9 Nightingale and C-40 Clipper transport aircraft, and H60R Seahawk helicopters.
“AAR is pleased to continue our longstanding partnership with [Naval Air Systems Command] and honored to be the prime provider supporting this critical fleet,” Gross said.
“Our rapid deployment teams provide on-demand expertise anywhere in the world.”
The US Navy P-8A Poseidon
The P-8A Poseidon aircraft first arrived in the US Navy in 2012 to replace the force’s 60s-era P-3 Orion in its anti-submarine and anti-surface warfare, and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance roles.
Operated by two pilots and up to seven mission personnel, the Poseidon’s fuselage measures 130 feet (40 meters) long, while its wingspan stretches to 124 feet (38 meters).
The aircraft can carry surface search radars, electronic countermeasures suites, airborne sensors, naval mines, depth charges, torpedoes, and multi-domain missiles depending on operational requirements.
It is powered by twin CFM 56 turbofan engines for a top speed of 490 knots (907 kilometers/5,634 miles per hour), altitudes up to 41,000 feet (12,497 meters), and a range of 4,500 nautical miles (8,334 kilometers/5,179 miles).
As of March 2024, the US Navy employs 119 Poseidons in 14 fleet squadrons and a fleet replacement squadron.