The Portuguese Air Force (FAP) signed a 10-year contract with Safran Helicopter Engines, for the maintenance of the RTM322 Merlin EH101 fleet engines.
The contract, with values that can go up to 81 million euros until 2026, will be made possible through the company Defloc – Locação de Equipamentos de Defesa, SA. The main purpose of this agreement is to ensure greater fleet operability, with more than 38 engines now covered by Safran’s Global Support Package (GSP).
In an official statement, the Ministry for National Defense refers that the current maintenance process for the EH-101 “has proven to be out of place in the face of the FAP needs, sometimes being a constraint on the execution of missions assigned to these aircraft ”, namely search and rescue missions, aeromedical evacuations, fisheries inspection operations and others.
The new model and maintenance process should guarantee “the supply of certain parts and the provision of concrete services” and also “the full and effective availability of engines under the responsibility of the maintenance service provider”, which will “address limitations in the EH-101 operations”.
Frederic Fourciangue, vice president of Safran Helicopter Engines Support France, commented on this announcement: “the contract represents an important milestone in our partnership with the Portuguese Air Force. We are extremely proud [and] committed to offer world-class support to the Portuguese Air Force”.