Operational readiness at risk: NOAA scrambles for critical aircraft engines

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) air operations, crucial for protecting life and property across international domains, face an escalating threat due to a critical shortage of essential aircraft engines.

The agency's Air Operations Center (AOC) has issued an urgent requirement for new and overhauled engines for its King Air 350/360 and DHC-6 Twin Otter aircraft. The agency warns that current inventory gaps directly jeopardize long-term fleet sustainability and mission continuity. The AOC's current inventory is alarmingly lacking in spare PT6A-60A engines.

To safeguard against potential mission disruption, minimize aircraft downtime caused by scheduled or unscheduled maintenance, and ensure the fleet's viability, the AOC mandates the immediate procurement of at least two overhauled PT6A-60A engines. The absence of readily available engines presents a significant risk of prolonged part shortages and operational delays, severely compromising NOAA’s ability to respond to critical events.

NOAA highlighted the request for engines in a Combined Synopsis/Solicitation contract document released on Friday.

Engines For Otter

Similarly, NOAA's Twin Otter aircraft are facing a precarious situation. To maintain a constant state of operational readiness and secure fleet sustainability, the AOC urgently requires two additional overhauled PT6A-27 engines.

A continued deficit in spare engines could severely impede mission capabilities, leading to extended grounding of aircraft and jeopardizing critical NOAA operations.

The AOC is actively seeking a vendor capable of supplying these essential turbine engines – two newly overhauled PT6A-60A units and two newly overhauled PT6A-27 engines.

A stringent delivery timeframe of within six months after contract award is stipulated, with the agency expressing a strong preference for the engines to be supplied "as soon as practical.”

Once acquired, the engines will be shipped to the AOC facility in Lakeland, Fla., to be integrated into the on-site inventory.

NOAA estimates a contract award for the engines in the third or fourth quarter of fiscal year 2025.

New King Air Arrival

In January 2024, NOAA announced the arrival of its newest aircraft, a Beechcraft King Air 360 CER turboprop.

The new aircraft, designated N65RF, is configured to support NOAA's coastal mapping missions and aerial surveys of damage in communities following events such as hurricanes, tornadoes, or flooding. With a camera bay in the aircraft's belly and workstations for sensor operators, the aircraft will be able to obtain and process vital aerial imagery in-flight, giving emergency managers a rapid understanding of conditions on the ground. 

The twin-engine aircraft was built at Textron Aviation’s factory in Wichita, Kan., and modified by Avcon Industries (Newton, Kan.), as part of a $13.9 million contract to Textron Aviation, Inc.