Rolls-Royce has been awarded a US$420 million contract, for F137 engine-sustainment services, the US Department of Defense said on July 3rd, 2018.

A US Air Force RQ-4 Global Hawk taxis on the flightline after a sortie an inspection at an undisclosed location in Southwest Asia September 18, 2015
(Credit: U.S. Air Force/Tech. Sgt. Christopher Boitz)

"This contract provides for maintenance, repair and overhaul of the engine, as well as program management and sustaining engineering services," the US DoD added. The contract will be performed in Montreal (Canada) and Tinker Air Force Base (Oklahoma) and is expected to be completed June 30, 2024. 

The US Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma, is the contracting activity, the Pentagon quoted.

Within the US Air Force service, the F137 engine powers the RQ-4 Global Hawk MALE RPAS. In November 2016, the US Air Force and Rolls-Royce opened their first Public-Private Partnership together, an engine depot at the Oklahoma City Air Logistics Complex within Tinker Air Force Base to repair and overhaul engines for the Global Hawk fleet. The depot repairs 10-12 engines per year for the US Air Force. 

The F137 (Rolls-Royce AE 3007H) engine, which provides nearly 10,000 pounds of thrust. The engines are assembled at the Rolls-Royce facility in Indianapolis, US, and are part of the AE family of engines. The AE 3007H engine also powers the US Navy’s Triton aircraft and future repairs for the Navy’s engines may be performed at the Tinker AFB depot as well.