WT Forums

Found this on USAF AIM points today....
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Lockheed Martin Corp. and The Boeing Co., the top two U.S. military contractors, are competing for an Air Force program valued at $1.5 billion to replace cracking wings on aging A-10 anti-tank aircraft.

The contract, which calls for new wing sets on about 200 planes, would be awarded over 10 years. The Air Force plans to select a winner around March, Boeing spokeswoman Madonna Walsh said. Boeing and Lockheed submitted their bids Jan. 17, Walsh and Lockheed spokesman Greg Caires both said Monday.

Both companies are looking to upgrades and modernization of aging military aircraft to keep military revenue growing as the Pentagon tightens spending on new, more expensive airplanes. The A-10, known as the Warthog, is a low-flying, ground-attack aircraft capable of maneuvering at slow speeds. It has been used in Iraq to support troops and attack armored vehicles.

Lockheed, based in Bethesda, Md., already has a contract valued at more than $2 billion that it won in 1997 to upgrade A-10 aircraft and install new cockpit electronics, Caires said. Lockheed is bidding for the wing work with Los Angeles-based Northrop Grumman Corp.

Boeing, based in Chicago, plans to do the A-10 work at facilities in Georgia, Missouri and Utah if it wins the contract. The plane, originally made by Fairchild Republic, was first delivered in 1976. The Air Force received the last A-10 in 1984.

Spirit Aerosystems Holdings Inc. also may bid on the work, Boeing's Walsh said. A Spirit Aerospace spokeswoman declined to comment on whether the company is bidding on the contract.
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Wonder if they are talking about doing the mods at Moody when they start arriving or up here at Robins...haven't heard anything about Robins doing A-10 work....

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Damn thats a long time contract , I hope Boeing gets it so alot of you folks will be able to get a shot at doing the work.

Goose

I haven't heard anything about the work possibly being done at Robins....but we do a lot of partnering work with Boeing right now, mostly C-17 work but you never now....it would be good for the guys down at Moody that will loose their jobs when the trainers leave but with Boeing you never know exactly what they will do....

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If I remember correctly Northrop Grumman owns the original source date (drawings, stress tests, ect) for the A-10, they are the ones who “bought-out” Fairchild Republic back in the day. This should give them, and LM, a big leg-up on the competition.

I know several old A-10 CC's and Spec's (including myself) that would be more than happy to give the ol' girl a new set of wings at Moody. But, I guess this will be one of those wait and see situations...

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Faugh ah Ballaugh ~ Clear the Way

So if I read the contract bids right if Boeing gets them Dice, you guys at Hill would get the work and Moody would get the work or Robins.
Mo the work would probably go to Lambert Field. Thats the only places I can figure where Boeing could do the work in those areas.

Who bought out Mc Douglas ? Was it Boeing?

Goose

I guess Goose, this is the only place in Utah I know who could do work like that. Changing the wing is only a small part of this worload, building them is where the main part of the money will go…where they will do that…I have no idea.

Maybe it makes to much sense but if the old Plant is still standing you think they would just put the tools back there, hire some of the folks who did the work with alot of new ones so they could get the experience and with the record of the A-10's production costs (under budget) they could do a even better job.
I still dont understand with all the money spent on the \"Old Warthog\" they just dont send back the \"Old Birds\" and have them \"Pimped-out\" or scape them out using the parts that would make a \"New Airframe \" cost effective.

Like taking the \"Tub\" out and putting it into a new Hog, the landing gears have all been beefed-up, still alot of systems which could be re-used.
So really building a new \"HOG\" out of recycled parts.

Face it, the B-52 is 50 yrs old the Hog was supposed to be a \"5 year stop gap\" She's now between 26-32 now She'll be 50 by the time they retire her at this rate

I know the F-22 and the other one are supposed to take its place, but come on I dont think a \"$100 million\" aircraft is going to get down and dirty wth these \"Rags\" in a Iraq style fight when close air support iis needed in close and personal , Helo's cant do it sometimes, we're seeing that now with them falling from these New \"Iranian Stingers\"

Goose

IIRC, goose, someone posted awhile ago that the old Fairchild site in NY is now a mall or shopping center.

And yes, Boeing is at Lambert.

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\"Those who hammer their guns into plows
will plow for those who do not.\"
- Thomas Jefferson

1 Hog pass would clean out the Food Court and the GAP fpr sure if thats the case.

Goose

Goose, three reasons...

1- Money

2- Money

3- Money

I just read about it in http://www.topix.net/us/air-force and came here first to get the real scoop. Looks like the Warthog will be around a while. I guess our time in the sandbox in 91 really opened some eyes to the ol girls worth.

Ok, I make it in here once in a blue moon. It's a blue moon again and now that I have said something that is at least slightly on-topic, I'm going to abuse my rare visit by going off topic... truly sorry.

Since I don't know who you guys are by your usernames, I need to ask. Dice-man, is your name Paul, a 2951st/652nd CLSS vet from McClellan?

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Nope sorry, names Joe but, I was the HQ/ACC A-10 Maintenance Liaison (inside the A-10 SPO) at McClellan from 98-2000 when we moved the Hawgs depot out here to Itah.

Thanks Joe. We had a Paul L, I think an electrician, in the 2951st (652nd) who called himself the dice-man because he did such a good impression of Andrew Dice Clay. He was a crackup in the desert in 91. Just wondered if you were him. Thanks, Pat

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BB,

What unit were you with in 91 in the \"Sandbox\"?

Goose

I was with the 2951st (652nd) CLSS out of McClellan. We sent our A-10 ABDR teams and broke them up pretty evenly between the two ends of the runway. We also sent one up to KKMC.

We did all the A-10 ABDR repairs as well as repairing an F-16 down at my end (I was at the 23rd end of the runway). Three of us had prior F-16 experiance so we patched it up enough to get her back to Qatar I think. I used to be an F-16 crew chief, Tim was a fuels guy and... damn, I have to go look at my website to refresh my memory on the third guy, but with us working her it saved sending her up from the 16 site to fix it.

My website is in my sig below http://www.pats-world.com/gulfwar

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Pat,

I checked out your site earlier today when I was looking at that fancy signature line you have there.
Very nice site, tons of info.

I did read one sad note that I thought I had heard in the past, but was never able to find info on. You have a reference to Capt Steve Phillis as being one who gave his all for our freedom.
I beleive this has to be one in the same Capt Steve Phillis that flew in the 75th while I was there. I departed Jan 86.
Steve was a great guy!

Again.....Great Site!

Sadly it may be the same Capt Phillis, but I cannot confirm that.

Thanks,
Pat

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Goose

McDonnell Douglas merged with Boeing in 1997. Boeing combined the Douglas Aircraft Company with the Boeing Commercial Airplanes division, ending more than seventy-five years of Douglas Aircraft Company history...

Cheers! M2

Ask me no questions about where this came from and I'll tell you no lies........ Some A-10 info I came across concerning new wings and processors.


Based on current structural condition and condemnation rates of the A-10 thin skin wings, the fleet will not have enough serviceable wings for every fuselage beginning in FY11 causing some A-10s to be grounded. Forty Five percent of the thin skin wings failed the service life extension inspections and cannot be repaired by current practices. $37.5M in FY08 to procure six additional wings.

Funds replacement of the ALQ-213 processor, which is facing DMS issues (need $22M to replace these EW controllers on the F-16 and A-10 fleet)

Hey Pat, good to see you back on the WT boards. I worked with you in Phase at Hill (16th & 421st Phase docks). Emailed Tick the other day and he's still in the area working on base as a Civ.

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Faugh ah Ballaugh ~ Clear the Way

Pat,

I worked with you on the 23rd end , I had the 76thC-block revetments,broke row/Alert row with my guys.
I remember that Lawndart you guys fixed, and all that work you guys did on 186 and the repair your team did on my bird 0166 when she took that AAA around Southern B-town..
Billy has seen some of you folks ABDR fixes up close.
Your team did ONE HELL OF A JOB !
take a bow.

Goose

Glenn, how the hell are you? Tell Tick to e-mail me.

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Absolutely! That was us, and thanks for kind words. Yea, we had quite the time out there keeping up with the damages that came back, but it proved once and for all the A-10 was a workhorse that could take it and keep on coming. Manual Reversion landing? The book said it could be done, but we all saw it... twice.

Have you got any pics of 166 before we patched it?

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What bird was it that launched the Mav into the revetment? Wish I had a photo of that!

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