Friday, September 2, 2022

NASA seeks to overhaul engines on former Army spy plane

A NASA contract to perform the overhaul of four PT6-50 engines on a former Army spy plane is up for bid, according to contract documents released Friday.

The NASA Armstrong Flight Research Center (AFRC) in California owns a de Havilland Dash-7 aircraft for parts located at Davis-Monthan Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group (AMARG) in Tucson, Ariz.

This aircraft is a Dash 7 (tail number N566CC) serial number 76. The aircraft has been stored since 2017 at AMARG and will be moved to the Pima Air and Space Museum for engine removal. NASA AFRC is soliciting information from potential sources for engine maintenance and test cell run.

The agency “is seeking capability statements from all interested parties for the purposes of determining the appropriate level of competition and/or small business subcontracting goals for de Havilland Dash-7 engine repair,” NASA said in the contract documents. “The government will be seeking the most highly qualified firm(s) to perform the required services. Vendors having the capabilities necessary to meet or exceed the stated requirements are invited to submit appropriate documentation, literature, brochures, and references.”

All responses shall be submitted to NASA no later than Sept. 7.

An article by Joseph Trevithick on TheDrive website provides a detailed look into N566CC's past as a secretive spy plane.

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