DynCorp International has received a $108.2 million modification to an existing contract for maintenance services on T-34, T-44, and T-6 training aircraft.
The modification will include organizational, intermediate, and depot-level maintenance for 16 T-34 Mentors, 54 T-44 Pegasus and 287 T-6 Texan IIs. The work will be performed at Naval Air Station Whiting Field, Fla., Pensacola, Fla. and other locations across the U.S.and is expected to run through Sep. 2018.
The Mentor, Pegasus and Texan II are light turboprop planes used by the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps for basic flight training. Their simple design and relatively forgiving flight characteristics allow pilots to learn fundamentals before moving on the more sophisticated aircraft.
The T-34 Mentor and T-6 Texan II are single-engined turboprops, while the T-44 Pegasus has twin engines. Multiple engines require greater skill in power management and other flight tasks, but provide greater speed and load capacity.
Navy chiefs see difficulties but improvement with aircraft readiness
Senior Navy leaders said naval aviation readiness is gradually improving, but acknowledged that the pace has been frustrating and slow.
During a panel discussion on Sep. 9 at the 61st Annual Tailhook Convention in Reno, Nev., commander of Naval Air Forces Vice Adm. Mike Schoemaker said that though "readiness was our No. 1 priority", overseas commitments and budget constraints make it di … read more
