Army plans $400 million contract expansion to sell Textron planes to foreign countries

The U.S. Army Contracting Command at Redstone Arsenal, Ala., has announced plans to increase the ceiling of an existing contract with Textron Aviation, Inc. from $99.7 million to approximately $400 million.

The modification is intended to ensure continued support for the Army’s Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program and the Fixed Wing Project Office under Program Executive Office Aviation.

The FMS program allows the U.S. government to sell military equipment, training, and services (such as parts and repairs) to friendly foreign countries through government-to-government deals, acting as a middleman to simplify the purchasing process.

The contract increase is deemed necessary to sustain critical services and deliverables, including original equipment manufacturer kits, aircraft spare parts, program management, training, airworthiness documentation, and both published and unpublished option periods. These services will support a fleet of King Air and Cessna aircraft, including the King Air B200, King Air B300 series, Cessna 208B, and Cessna 408 models.

The Army contract notification outlines upcoming FMS opportunities for several international partners:

• Bangladesh: One King Air 360 ER aircraft
• Jamaica: Two Cessna 408 aircraft
• Latvia, Philippines (four), Cameroon, Guatemala, and Israel: Multiple Cessna 208-B variants
• Philippines: Two additional King Air 360 ER aircraft

Textron Aviation is currently the sole provider capable of delivering the required technical expertise, manufacturing capability, and proprietary data essential for maintaining these aircraft platforms.

A prior Justification and Approval document, issued on June 8, 2022, for other than full and open competition, confirmed Textron’s unique qualifications.