The US Air Force (USAF) has awarded a new sustainment contract worth up to $420m to Rolls-Royce for engine maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) of the service’s Global Hawk unmanned surveillance aircraft fleet.

The indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity contract will continue for six years and will also include MRO engine services for the US Navy fleet of Triton unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).

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Furthermore, the agreement includes delivery of programme management and sustainment engineering services for Rolls-Royce’s F137 turbofan engines, which are engineered and manufactured at the company’s facilities in Indianapolis, US.

“Our innovative public-private partnership at Tinker AFB has enabled us to work together in a new way and will be a key component of maximising engine availability.”

The USAF designation for the company’s AE 3007H engine, F137 helps power the Global Hawk and Triton UAVs, as well as a number of commercial and business aviation aircraft.

MRO services on the unmanned jets will be carried out at Tinker Air Force Base (AFB) in Oklahoma, US, where the USAF has established a public-private partnership to develop and manage an engine depot in collaboration with Rolls-Royce.

Rolls-Royce Defence Services president Paul Craig said: “Rolls-Royce has a long and successful history of supporting USAF and navy engines, and our innovative public-private partnership at Tinker AFB has enabled us to work together in a new way and will be a key component of maximising engine availability.

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“This new contract includes engine services for the navy’s Triton fleet, and we look forward to continuing this public-private partnership for years to come, focusing on customer support and enhancing mission success.”

The depot will be the company’s first engine facility to be operated at Tinker AFB, which serves as the base for the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center.

Additional F137 work will be performed at a Rolls-Royce’s engine facility in Montreal, Canada.