L-3 Communications (LLL) has won a potential five-year, $77.1 million contract to service NASA atmospheric aircraft.
On Tuesday, NASA announced it has awarded L-3's L-3 Vertex Aerospace subsidiary an initial 22-month contract (extendable by two one-year options periods, and a terminal 14-month options period). If all options are exercised, the contract will last five years in total, and reach $77.1 million in value.
L-3's role under the contract will be to perform maintenance on all aircraft, aircraft engines, and related ground support equipment in the air fleet at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base, and the nearby Dryden Aircraft Operations Facility in Palmdale, Calif.
NASA describes the composition of the fleet as ranging from "motor gliders and modified commercial aircraft to former military high-performance and one-of-a-kind research aircraft." A photo of a sampling of a few planes from the Dryden fleet can be found here.
L-3 will begin work on the contract on July 1.
