Vertex Aerospace, LLC was recently awarded a $881,982,979 Contractor Logistics Support (CLS) task order to provide supply chain management for the E-6B Mercury Airborne Command Post (ABNCP) and Take Charge and Move Out (TACAMO) mission. The scope of the contract includes furnishing and delivering material required to support Organizational and Depot level maintenance and aircraft modifications and will take place at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska; Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland; Tinker AFB, Oklahoma; and Travis AFB, California. Contract performance begins February 1, 2021 and work is expected to be completed by 2027. The U.S. Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR), Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity.
“We have matured and streamlined our contract management process to align with our values,” said Miller. “The Vertex team is committed to providing complete transparency and low risk levels for transition programs and we have perfected the workforce management piece to ensure continued mission success for our warfighters.”
We’re honored to have been selected to support the critical role our E-6B Mercury aircraft serve in our country’s nuclear deterrent strategy,” said Ed Boyington, Vertex Aerospace president and CEO. The award of this CLS contract gives Vertex the opportunity to extend our innovative logistic services further throughout the Navy with the ultimate goal of increasing aircraft readiness.
Initial contract transitions began December 1, 2020. Kelly Miller, Vertex’s Aerospace Logistics senior vice president, says things are going smoothly due in part to Vertex’s 20-plus year partnership with the U.S. Navy as well as the company’s vast staffing experience. The Boeing E-6 Mercury (formerly Hermes) is an airborne command post and communications relay based on the Boeing 707. This platform, now modified to the E-6B standard, conveys instructions from the National Command Authority to fleet ballistic missile submarines (see communication with submarines), a mission known as TACAMO (“Take Charge And Move Out”). The E-6B model deployed in October 1998 also has the ability to remotely control Minuteman ICBMs using the Airborne Launch Control System.
Vertex Aerospace offers a global capability and complete solution for government and commercial customers. The mid-level aerospace Company operates in over 100 locations worldwide providing aftermarket aerospace services for more than 2,400 fixed and rotary wing airframes. Vertex’s agility, rapid deployment capability, and customer optimization have distinguished it from competitors for over half a century. With a 50 percent veteran workforce, the Mississippi-based company understands the challenges faced by the defense sector.
