BAE Systems and U.S. Navy Recognized for Performance-Based Logistics on Electronic Countermeasures System.

NASHUA, N.H. -- BAE Systems and the U.S. Navy have been recognized with the 2009 Secretary of Defense Performance-Based Logistics Award. The team won the award for its work on the AN/ALQ-126B electronic countermeasures subsystem, used on more than 700 Navy and U.S. Marine Corps F/A-18 A-D and AV-8B aircraft.

The AN/ALQ-126B was the first multimode, power-managed, reprogrammable defensive electronic countermeasures system used by the Navy and Marine Corps. It provides radio frequency jamming of pulse-mode radar-guided threats to the F/A-18A-D and AV-8B, and is the only electronic countermeasures system for those aircraft.

"Performance-based logistics definitely provides an edge to the business of weapons systems management," said Marion Blakey, president and CEO of the Aerospace Industries Association, which developed the Performance-Based Logistics (PBL) Awards program with the Department of Defense and Defense Acquisition University. "The pressures on our maintenance and modernization budgets make these types of partnerships a cost-effective model for the future."

The PBL awards recognize excellence in providing those in combat with exceptional operational capability through teaming agreements for system, subsystem, and component teams.

"This award recognizes how important it is to find a better way than the traditional supply chain when it's not working, and recognizes our commitment to provide full life-cycle support to warfighters," said Jeff Cook, vice president of readiness and sustainment for BAE Systems. "We guaranteed that the system would be up and running when they needed it, and we delivered with a 99.9 percent availability rate."

The Navy awarded a $28 million, five-year, firm-fixed-price PBL contract for the AN/ALQ-126B system to BAE Systems in 2005. BAE Systems is responsible for managing all facets of the supply chain to ensure availability of spares to the warfighter. In partnership with the Navy's Fleet Readiness Center Southeast, BAE Systems has provided depot-level repair and warehousing that minimized repair turnaround time, improved availability, and eliminated awaiting parts problems that existed prior to the PBL venture.

About BAE Systems

BAE Systems is the premier global defense, security and aerospace company delivering a full range of products and services for air, land and naval forces, as well as advanced electronics, security, information technology solutions and customer support services. With approximately 105,000 employees worldwide, BAE Systems' sales exceeded 18.5 billion (US $34.4 billion) in 2008.