P-3 AIRCRAFT MAINTENANCE AND LOGISTIC SUPPORT SERVICES

Department of Homeland Security → $342.3M to NORTHROP GRUMMAN SYSTEMS CORPORATION

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✦ WHY THIS MONEY IS BEING SPENT

WHAT IS THIS?

This contract pays Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation to maintain and support P-3 aircraft used by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Northrop Grumman will keep these planes operational by providing repair work, parts, and related logistical services over several years.

WHY WAS THIS FUNDED?

DHS operates P-3 aircraft for missions such as border surveillance and drug interdiction, and the agency is required to keep its fleet airworthy and mission-ready. The contract provides a structured way to ensure ongoing maintenance is handled by a qualified contractor.

WHAT PUBLIC PROBLEM IS IT TRYING TO SOLVE?

Without regular maintenance, surveillance aircraft used to monitor U.S. borders and coastlines could become unsafe or unusable, reducing the government's ability to detect illegal smuggling and unauthorized border crossings.

WHO BENEFITS?

Northrop Grumman employees who work on aircraft maintenance and logistics benefit directly through jobs created or sustained by this contract. The broader public benefits indirectly through continued air surveillance that supports border security and counter-narcotics operations.

WHAT ARE THE RISKS?

Because the contract type is listed as unknown, it is difficult to assess how costs are controlled or whether the government bears financial risk if expenses rise. Long-term, single-contractor arrangements can also limit competition and may reduce pressure to keep costs low.

WHAT HAPPENS IF FUNDING IS REMOVED?

If this contract were cancelled, DHS P-3 aircraft could fall into disrepair, grounding surveillance flights and reducing the agency's ability to monitor borders and coastlines. Replacing or restarting such specialized maintenance services would likely take significant time and expense.

ARGUMENTS FOR

•Keeping surveillance aircraft well-maintained is essential for national security missions like border monitoring and stopping drug trafficking.
•Contracting with an experienced defense company like Northrop Grumman can provide specialized expertise that the government may not have in-house.
•A multi-year contract provides stability and predictability, which can lead to better planning and potentially lower per-unit maintenance costs over time.

ARGUMENTS AGAINST

•At over $342 million, the contract represents a significant taxpayer investment, and without a clear contract type on record, it is harder for the public to know how cost overruns are prevented.
•Relying on a single large contractor for years of maintenance can reduce competitive pressure and may result in higher costs than an open bidding process.
•Some critics may question whether aging P-3 aircraft should be replaced with newer technology rather than continuing to fund long-term maintenance of older planes.

✦ SPENDING TIMELINE

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Funds Distributed2020-09-01

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Period Ends2026-12-31

✦ RELATED AWARDS

BORDER BARRIER DESIGN BUILD FOR BBT-5

FISHER SAND & GRAVEL CO

$2.6B

IGF::OT::IGF NEXTSTEP NRA AWARD. THIS NEXTSTEP CONTRACT BUILDS UPON THE SUCCESS OF COMMERCIAL ORBITAL TRANSPORTATION SERVICES SPACE ACT AGREEMENT DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM AND AN EXISTING INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION (ISS) COMMERCIAL RESUPPLY SERVICES (CRS) CONTRACT. ORBITAL HAS SUCCESSFULLY TRANSITIONED FROM COTS TO THE CRS PROGRAM, FLYING THREE VERY SUCCESSFUL PRESSURIZED CARGO RESUPPLY MISSIONS TO THE ISS, USING THE CYGNUS SPACECRAFT. ORBITAL ALSO SUCCESSFULLY DEVELOPED SPACECRAFT FOR SOLAR SYSTEM EXPLORATION TO INCLUDE THE CURRENTLY OPERATIONAL DAWN MISSION. THIS MISSION WAS LAUNCHED IN SEPTEMBER 2007, COMPLETED ITS RENDEZVOUS MISSION AT VESTA IN JULY 2012 AND IS EN ROUTE TO CERES IN EARLY 2015. WITH SPACE AGENCY BUDGETS CONTINUING TO BE TIGHT, EXPLORATION PLANS NEED TO EMPHASIZE EVOLUTION OF EXISTING SYSTEMS, WHERE COST AND SCHEDULE IS BETTER CONTROLLED, AND DEVELOPMENT RISK REDUCED. SPECIFICALLY, ELEMENTS OF THE CURRENT ISS, INCLUDING CYGNUS, CAN BE EVOLVED TO SUPPORT MORE DISTANT SPACE DESTINATIONS. TO SUPPORT THESE ENDEAVORS, ORBITAL CONTRIBUTES TO THE DEVELOPMENT AND PRODUCT IMPROVEMENT OF CYGNUS AND TO NEXTSTEP ACTIVITIES AND HAVE INVESTED IN THE COTS CRS PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP ENDEAVOR. ORBITAL'S EXPLORATION AUGMENTATION MODULE (BAM) ARCHITECTURE USES A MODULAR, BUILDING BLOCK APPROACH THAT LEVERAGES THE CYGNUS SPACECRAFT TO EXPAND CISLUNAR AND LONG DURATION DEEP SPACE TRANSIT HABITATION CAPABILITIES AND TECHNOLOGIES CRITICAL TO NASAS LONG-TERM EXPLORATION GOALS. ORBITALS ARCHITECTURE CONCEPT BLENDS IN-PRODUCTION HARDWARE WITH ADAPTATION, EVOLUTION, PLANNING, AND FORWARD THINKING. CYGNUS WILL SERVE AS A MODULAR HABITAT AND TEST PLATFORM FOR QUALIFYING TECHNOLOGIES IN A DISTANT RETROGRADE ORBIT (DRO) OR IN A LOW EARTH ORBIT (LEO), EITHER WHILE ATTACHED TO THE ISS OR AS A FREE-FLYER. USING THE EXISTING, OPERATIONAL CYGNUS TO PERFORM THESE MISSIONS HAS THE ADVANTAGE OF DECREASING OVERALL DEVELOPMENT TIME AND COSTS, AND FREEING UP RESOURCES THAT WOULD BE SPENT ON DEVELOPING A SPACECRAFT TO FOCUS ON CULTIVATING MISSION ENABLING TECHNOLOGIES. THE GOAL IS TO HAVE A CYGNUS DERIVED EAM DEPLOYED IN CISLUNAR SPACE BEFORE 2020. THIS SPACECRAFT WILL BE THE FIRST BUILDING BLOCK IN SUPPORTING BOTH COMMERCIAL MARKETS AND GOVERNMENT OBJECTIVES. THE PROPOSED EFFORT FOR THIS NEXTSTEP BAA PHASE I, INVOLVES DEFINING AN EAM ARCHITECTURE AND CONCEPT OF OPERATIONS (CONOPS) THAT ADDRESSES COMMERCIAL MARKETS AND NASA EXPLORATION OBJECTIVES, TECHNOLOGY MATURATION PLANNING AND INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT, AND TO IDENTIFY TECHNOLOGIES THAT CAN BE IMPLEMENTED AND DEMONSTRATED IN THE ISSILEO ENVIRONMENT WITHIN THE NEXT THREE YEARS. TO MATURE HABITATION TECHNOLOGIES, THE CONTRACTOR WILL IDENTIFY STATE OF THE ART (SOA) TECHNOLOGIES ACROSS NASA TECHNOLOGY AREAS (TAS) DEFINED IN THE NASA TECHNOLOGY ROADMAP. FOCUS WILL BE ON MATURATION OF THE FOLLOWING TECHNOLOGIES ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL AND LIFE SUPPORT SYSTEMS ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING SAFETY AND EMERGENCY RESPONSE AND HABITATION THERMAL CONTROL SYSTEMS AUTONOMOUS HABITATION SYSTEMS NAVIGATION SYSTEMS MANAGEMENT DOCKING AND CAPTURE MECHANISMS AND DEPLOYABLE HABITATION ELEMENTS

NORTHROP GRUMMAN SYSTEMS CORPORATION

$1.6B

OFFSHORE PATROL CUTTER (OPC) STAGE 2 CONTRACT: DETAILED DESIGN AND PRODUCTION (DD&P) OF 11 OPCS.

AUSTAL USA, LLC

$1.4B

FIRST DDT AND E, ARES I-X, AND FLIGHT TESTS. FIRST STAGE WILL BE A FIVE SEGMENT, SOLID ROCKET BOOSTER DERIVED FROM THE SPACE SHUTTLE PROGRAM (SSP) SOLID ROCKET BOOSTER (SRB)/REUSABLE SOLID ROCKET MOTOR (RSRM). THE CONTRACTOR SHALL FURNISH THE NECESSARY MANAGEMENT, ENGINEERING, LABOR, FACILITIES, TOOLS, EQUIPMENT, AND MATERIALS REQUIRED FOR FIRST STAGE DEVELOPMENT, QUALIFICATION, CERTIFICATION AND ACCEPTANCE PROGRAM. ACTIVITIES INCLUDE: REDESIGN AND TESTING OF THE MOTOR TO INCORPORATE THE FIFTH SEGMENT AND PRODUCTION OF FIVE FULL SCALE GROUND STATIC TEST MOTORS: TWO DEVELOPMENT MOTORS (DMS)-AND THREE QUALIFICATION MOTORS (QMS); STRUCTURAL TEST ARTICLE (STA), GROUND VIBRATION TEST MOTORS (GVTMS) AND OTHER DEVELOPMENT TESTING; REDESIGN OF THE AVIONICS, DECELERATION, SEPARATION, AND FLIGHT TERMINATION SYSTEM (FTS) SUBSYSTEMS; ARES I-X: SIMULATED ARES I OUTER MOLD LINE/MASS PROPERTIES USING MODIFIED SRB/RSRM; AND THREE FLIGHT TEST VEHICLES. TAS::80 0124::TAS

NORTHROP GRUMMAN SYSTEMS CORPORATION

$4.4B

CONSTRUCT VERTICAL BORDER BARRIER

FISHER SAND & GRAVEL CO

$2.8B

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