JT3 CONTRACT CALLED BOON TO TEST BASES BILLION-DOLLAR DEAL AFFECTS EDWARDS, THREE OTHER SITES.

Byline: Jim Skeen  Staff Writer

PALMDALE - A new range-support contract for Edwards Air Force Base will improve the nation's war-fighting capabilities and save the taxpayers millions, the company's president said Tuesday.

The new support contract, which went into effect in February, is intended to streamline operations at four major military test and training ranges, including Edwards' Air Force Flight Test Center.

``This is the most important initiative in 20 years,'' said Charles ``Pete'' Winters, president of Joint Test, Tactics and Training, or JT3. ``It's important to the war-fighting capability of the country.''

JT3 won a competition to handle what is known as the ``joint range technical services'' contract. Under the new contract, JT3 will handle work that previously had been doled out over eight separate contracts.

In addition to the Air Force Flight Test Center, the contract also covers support work for the Utah Test and Training range, the Nevada Test and Training range and the Navy's China Lake electronic-combat range near Ridgecrest.

JT3 provides operations and maintenance, engineering and technical services for instrumentation, communications and data systems. JT3 also provides hardware and software support; modeling, simulation and training; equipment modifications; information technology; test planning; scheduling and execution; and data collection, reduction and analysis.

Depending on JT3's performance, the contract could be worth as much as $1.7 billion over the next 15 years.

The company has a goal of saving the government at least 10 percent in its costs for the support work over the next five years, Winters said in a speech before the Antelope Valley Board of Trade. That savings is expected to grow to 20 percent in 15 years.

About 900 people are employed at Edwards on the contract. Winters said that number will probably remain stable throughout the contract.

About 90 percent of the work force consists of engineers and technicians, and the rest is administrative staff. The company is required to hire U.S. citizens only and each must be able to get a secret security clearance.

``The big problem is hiring the best people,'' Winters said. ``It's hard to find good engineers.''

Part of the problem in hiring is the perception that the Antelope Valley is isolated.

``They look at Edwards as out in the middle of nowhere with nothing to do,'' Winters said. ``We need to show them (the Antelope Valley) is a vibrant place to be.''

Winters, a retired Air Force brigadier general, is familiar with the Antelope Valley and Edwards. He is a graduate of the Test Pilot School at Edwards and spent 10 of his 29 years in the Air Force as an Edwards test pilot.

JT3 was actually awarded the support contract in June 2001, but wasn't able to officially takeover the work until this year because of a legal challenge to the contract award by Computer Science Corp., the company that previously provided support at Edwards. A federal claims court judge dismissed CSC's claim.

JT3 is a limited liability corporation formed by EG&G Technical Services and Raytheon Technical Services Co.