“This modification is for Automatic Dependence Surveillance-Broadcast Out installs and also exercises an option for organizational and intermediate depot maintenance and logistics and supply support for three KC-130J aircraft for the government of Kuwait under the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program,” the US Department of Defense said in a statement.

The Lockheed Martin KC-130J is the latest variant of the family of extended-range tanker version of the C-130 Hercules transport aircraft modified for aerial refueling.

Work is expected to be completed in August 2020.


HEADQUARTERS IN UAE

Earlier, the company said it will offer complete solutions for aftermarket aerospace services for government and commercial clients from its base in Abu Dhabi.

The company received its licence to practice business in the UAE recently under its Vertex Global Aerospace business line.

Vertex Global Aerospace (VGA) was formed on January 1, 2019. The leadership of the newly established VGA business line held a soft opening February 16, 2019, at its Abu Dhabi location and attended the city’s International Defence Exhibition and Conference in the same week.

Steve Suttles, senior director of VGA’s Middle East and Africa business operations, said the company is pleased to open its first regional office in the UAE.

“Abu Dhabi is modern, business friendly, and perfectly positioned within the region for easy access to over 75 countries,” said Suttles. “We believe the security, stability, and economy in the UAE are strong and we are happy to support strategies and policies that promote the region.”

Suttles said he is excited about the company’s recently formed partnerships in the UAE as well as future international opportunities.

“We currently have contracts in Kuwait and plan to expand our presence in the Middle East and African regions,” Suttles said. “This makes the UAE strategically the optimal location to establish our first global footprint with trusted partners.”

New York-based private equity firm American Industrial Partners purchased the company in June 2018 to operate as a standalone company. Don Davis, VGA’s senior vice president, said Vertex now has the capability to provide full-spectrum aerospace support worldwide and has grown its annual revenue to over $1.2 billion.

“Our recent addition of the Aircraft Integration and Sustainment business line and our international expansion has helped us redefine the mid-level aerospace market with our agility, rapid deployment capability, and customized quality,” said Davis.

Vertex Aerospace began its business as a product support division of Beechcraft in 1975. Over the past 43 years, the Company has been owned by divisions of Raytheon, L-3 Technologies, and private equity companies.

“Performance excellence and customer satisfaction has always been our primary goal, and as a result, we have gained the reputation of being a best in value competitor in the aerospace services and sustainment market space,” Davis said.

Vertex Aerospace is a global defense company that provides all aftermarket aerospace services for government and private sector customers. The Mississippi-based company has over 4,200 employees at its 65 US and 35 international locations and employs a 50 per cent veteran workforce.