TACTICAL AIR Support Inc of Jacksonville, Florida, was awarded a $265.3m firm-fixed-price, cost reimbursable, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract on July 1 by the US Naval Air Warfare Aviation Division to upgrade 22 former Swiss Air Force F-5E/F Tiger IIs.
This contract provides non-recurring engineering, inspection, modification and block upgrade efforts for 16 F-5E and six F-5F aircraft from a Swiss Confederation configuration to a US Navy/Marine Corps F-5N+/F+ configuration. Additionally, this contract procures eight block upgrade retrofits to existing fleet aircraft. Work will largely be performed at TacAir’s facility in Jacksonville, Florida and is expected to be completed in June 2027. No initial funding was awarded but will be provided on individual orders as they are issued.
The US Navy and US Marine Corps already operate 44 former Swiss Air Force F-5E/Fs. These are due to be joined by a further 22 funded in the Fiscal Year 2020 budget, for which TacAir has now been awarded a refurbishment contract. Commenting on the award on July 8, TacAir noted that this is the largest contract in the company’s history. The upgrade has been dubbed the ARTEMIS (Avionics Reconfiguration and Tactical Enhancement/Modernization for Inventory Standardization) program by the US Navy.
