U.S. aerospace giant Boeing has been awarded a $400 million U.S. Air Force contract modification for the B-1 and B-52 bomber engineering services.
This modification is for recurring and non-recurring engineering services to B-1 and B-52 aircraft, according to a statement issued Monday by U.S. Department of Defense.
Work will be performed at Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma; Edwards Air Force Base, California; Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana; and Oklahoma City, Oklahoma and is expected to be completed by Dec. 31, 2020.
Notably, only six of the U.S. Air Force’s 61 B-1 heavy bombers are fully mission-capable, according to Air Force Magazine citing the U.S. Senator Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee.
The Magazine provided a statement from senator stating that of the 61 heavy bombers, 15 are in depot maintenance and 39 aircraft are down for inspections or other issues.
“The B-1 fleet is in the midst of an intensive slate of maintenance work and upgrades,” said Rounds during a Senate Armed Services Committee confirmation hearing for Gen. John Hyten, the US Strategic Command chief who is under consideration to become vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
In response, Hyten implored lawmakers to provide B-1 maintenance funding to reverse the fleet’s problems.
