MOD signs contract to maintain Rapier missile system
12 Sep 07
The Ministry of Defence has today, 12 September 2007, signed a 13-year firm price contract with Stevenage-based company MBDA to maintain the Rapier Field Standard C (FSC) Air Defence System, operated by 16 Regiment Royal Artillery.
The Rapier Field Standard C Air Defence System
[Picture: MOD]
The contract award to MBDA was announced at the Defence Systems and Equipment International Exhibition in London.
MBDA were selected as the preferred bidder having shown they would provide the best value for money at the required readiness and availability levels against demanding service criteria whilst providing huge savings for defence.
The Air Defence Availability Project (ADAPT) contract will sustain this capability until the system's eventual out-of-service date, and should lead to savings of £175m in whole-life costs.
Land Guided Weapons Integrated Project Team leader Shaun Harris said:
"This is an important contract in support of the Rapier FSC system. ADAPT is a strong endorsement of the principles of the Defence Industrial Strategy. It clearly demonstrates MOD's readiness to engage with key defence industry players on a long-term basis.
The Rapier missile system in action
[Picture: MOD]
"In addition, by building incentives into the contract, we will strive to improve support to the front-line still further and at the same time reduce the cost to the MOD."
ADAPT was launched in August 2005 by the Land Guided Weapons Integrated Project Team (IPT) to evaluate the best value for money option to provide support to FSC on an availability basis.
Novel concepts have been adopted to make contracting for availability mutually beneficial to the MOD and MBDA.
They include a contractor and IPT support co-located at a centre of excellence; fleet management; a 'one stop shop' for support to training aids; a joint management team; the use of sponsored reserves and a first-to-fourth line maintenance policy on operations.