This week at the Paris Air Show, Beechcraft Corporation announced the award of a 28-month contract extension for contractor logistics support for the Iraq Air Force King Air fleet, led by its Global Mission Support team. The Beechcraft Special Mission King Air 350ER platform was selected by the Iraq Air Force in 2006 and the company delivered six King Air 350 aircraft (five King Air 350ER and one King Air 350) via a Foreign Military Sale in 2007 and 2008. Also included with the sale were fixed and portable ground stations, training and logistics support.

“The multi-year extension of this support contract is a result of the exceptional value the in-country GMS team is providing the Iraq Air Force,” said Jay Gibson, vice president, GMS. “Our team’s high quality service is further supported by the U.S. Government issuing the company an “Exceptional” rating on its 2012 Contractor Performance Report and describing the Peace Dragon maintenance training program as a ‘Model for Iraq’.”

GMS supports the Iraqi Air Force by managing contractor logistics support operations that boast outstanding mission readiness rates. Services in-country include staffing dedicated maintenance teams, operating a Contractor Operated Maintenance Base Supply warehouse, providing a cost per flight hour model to ensure predictable and affordable operating costs, and training maintenance technicians. The Iraq GMS team is comprised of 15 personnel including supervisors, technicians and maintenance instructors based in-country at the Baghdad Diplomatic Support Center.

The King Airs are used by the Iraq Air Force to provide border surveillance, monitor insurgent activity and patrol critical infrastructure assets. The fleet has a 97 percent mission capablity rate for the 2013 calendar year and has flown 11,000+ hours to date.

A derivative of the King Air 350 twin turboprop, the 350ER provides extended range through the addition of nacelle fuel tanks, along with an increase in gross weight from 15,000 to 16,500 pounds and the incorporation of heavy-duty landing gear. The standard King Air 350ER can provide up to 12 hours of endurance, range beyond 2,500 nm, the flexibility to loiter low and slow or cruise at 300 knots and is certified to 35,000 feet. No other aircraft in its class can come close to this performance. Beechcraft is displaying a company-owned King Air 350ER, as well as a French Customs 350ER at its static display at the Paris Air Show this week.

GMS meets the unique and varied service requirements of government, military and special missions operators using Hawker and Beechcraft platforms domestically and internationally. GMS currently supports more than 1,000 operational military aircraft in programs around the world and their complex operational, logistics and maintenance needs in the field with a wide variety of products and services, including contractor logistics support, customized maintenance training, spare parts support and aircraft modifications/upgrades programs.

Beechcraft press release