Page 129 - ΕΛΛΗΝΙΚΗ ΑΕΡΟΠΟΡΙΚΗ ΒΙΟΜΗΧΑΝΙΑ - 50 ΧΡΟΝΙΑ | HELLENIC AEROSPACE INDUSTRY - 50 YEARS

Regarding “export” maintenance activities, be- tween 1992 and 1994 a series of contacts and vis- its were set up with strategic partners in the region, such as Jordan, Qatar, Kuwait, and the United Ar- abic Emirates. the success of the negotiations led to the conclusion of a series of contracts with the armed forces of Kuwait, the Emirates, and Qatar, with a total value of $28.7 million.
In 1993, it renewed its contract with NAPMA for the repair of tF33 engines. the new contract had a completion horizon of six years and was estimat- ed to cost $8 million. During a visit by a NAPMA delegation in 2003, a new ten-year contract was signed, running until December 2011. In 1994, it signed an agreement with the US Air Force in Eu- rope to provide maintenance services for the F-110 engines of the fleet, including general repair of di- vergent seals and flaps and the hydraulic pump. In 1998, it entered into a new partnership with the French Air Force, undertaking the maintenance of Mirage F1s, as aircraft maintenance lines in France had begun to be decommissioned.
During this period, the HAI entered the civil aviation sector more assertively. the liberalisation of the air transport market in the 1990s, with the establishment of many small private companies, created new prospects for the HAI to enter the civil aircraft maintenance sector. Consequent- ly, the establishment of the subsidiary company 1Source Aviation Services SA with Pratt & Whit- tney in 2004 was of particular importance.
upgrade programs
the HAI management aspired to evolve into a specialized centre for upgrading fighter and transport aircrafts in the wider region of Europe and the Middle East.
Some of the most emblematic aircraft upgrade programs are listed below:
F-16 Fighting Falcon
the Falcon UP program for extending the service life of the F-16 Block 30 began in 1997 and led to the upgrade of all Peace Xenia I F-16s. the success of the program led to its “export” to the Bahrain Air Force, which signed an agreement in 2001 to upgrade its own F-16s by the HAI. Similar to Falcon UP, Falcon StAR (Structural Augmentation Road- map) involved structural upgrades to extend the life of blocks 40 and 50 and was also implement- ed by HAI personnel in collaboration with Lock- heed Martin. In the late 2000s, HAI undertook the upgrade of the USAFE F-16 fleet. the upgrade involved the avionics conversion program known as CCIP (Common Configuration Implementation Program).
In 2003, the Ministry of Defense signed a contract with a consortium of companies led by Raytheon for the installation of ASPIS II (Ad- vanced Self-Protection Integrated Suite) on Block 52+. the agreement stipulated that certain com- ponents would be manufactured, and the final installation process would take place in Greece. the $64 million program began in 2006 and was completed in the early 2010s.
F-4e phantom ii
In 1997, the Hellenic Air Force decided to up- grade the F-4s. the program, with a total cost of $315 million, provided for agreements with DASA for two distinct upgrades, the SLEP (Structural Life Extension Program) and AUP (Avionics Upgrade Program). the HAI acted as a subcontractor to DASA for the final assembly of the kits and the final testing and inspection of the aircraft. the first F-4 was delivered to the Hellenic Air Force at the HAI facilities in December 2002.
the 1990s and 2000s
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