AgustaWestland has selected the Total Support Services (TSS) alliance to provide avionic support to the Sea King Integrated Operational Support (SKIOS) programme for a further five years. The avionics component of the SKIOS programme is valued at around £70 million.
The TSS alliance was established as a streamlined supply partner to provide avionics support to all of the Ministry of Defence’s (MoD’s) rotary and fixed-wing aircraft fleets.
The transformation from traditional support methodology to integrated support services based on system availability continues to provide the UK taxpayer with significant cost savings by ensuring partner organisations work efficiently to maximise value for the customer. The TSS alliance comprises SELEX GALILEO, Thales UK and DARA Electronics.
The enhanced SKIOS programme provides the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force with an integrated support service that delivers availability of aircraft, equipment and technical services for the operationally important and diverse Sea King helicopters, some of which are currently deployed in Afghanistan.
“This contract extension underlines the value of the TSS proposition, and will be a significant deal for AgustaWestland as it moves into the second implementation phase of SKIOS,” says Marion Broughton, Vice President, Services for Thales UK’s aerospace business.
"The Sea King provides critical operational capabilities such as airborne surveillance, search and rescue and helicopter lift in the UK and overseas. The ongoing contribution of a serviceable, available avionics support system is an important factor in the helicopter’s effectiveness," Broughton comments. "Thanks to the extension of the SKIOS programme, we will continue to support key parts of UK defence capability well into the future."
BACKGROUND NOTES:
-- TSS was established to keep pace with the changing military support market, which has accelerated dramatically in recent years as the UK MoD increasingly seeks to transfer support responsibility to industry. SKIOS demonstrates that when this achieved the MoD receives a first class, affordable service that keeps aircraft flying reliably and enables the MoD to concentrate on key operational objectives.
-- TSS is a genuine partnering approach that embeds industry personnel within the MoD Integrated Project Teams and at operating bases. This integration minimises duplication and speeds up the processes by shortening the information chain between industry and user. This ensures that all of the effort goes into supporting the aircraft - effectively solving problems as they arise.
-- Above all, the TSS solution provides, for the first time, a one-stop-shop - a reliable 'avionics and electronics systems' maintenance service - to rotary and fixed wing aircraft. TSS constantly applies innovation to the support chain through the application of solution modelling, IT systems and technical expertise so that continuous improvement is delivered.
-- TSS is consistent with and wholly supportive of the principles enshrined within the Strategic Defence Review, Smart Acquisition and Defence Industrial Strategy, which encourages partnership with (and within) industry.
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AgustaWestland Extends SKIOS Contract in Five-Year Deal
