CSC, Jacobs win $2.7B contract

The Aerospace Testing Alliance will begin the transition phase Friday of a contract worth more than $2 billion that provides operations, maintenance and information management support to the Air Force Materiel Command.

The 12-year contract, which was awarded June 30, is valued at $2.7 billion if all options are exercised. It supports the Air Force command's Arnold Engineering Development Center at Arnold Air Force Base, Tenn., and the Hypervelocity Tunnel Nine at White Oak, Md.

Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. is the managing partner of the alliance, which also includes Computer Sciences Corp. and General Physics Corp. Contract work will begin October 1, and more than 2,000 people will support the center, according to CSC representatives.

The Arnold Engineering Development Center tests every type of high performance aircraft, missile and space launch system used by the Defense Department. The center lets engineers simulate atmospheric conditions ranging from sea level to outer space and airspeeds up to 20 times the speed of sound.

Jim Nicholson, CSC's defense group vice president, said the latest award formalizes an arrangement that has been used since 1995.

"Through ACS, a joint venture [among] CSC, DynCorp and General Physics, we supported many of the center's operations while a Jacobs Engineering-led group supported others," Nicholson said in a statement. "The new contract consolidates the two earlier contracts and allows us to work as a single integrated team driving significant process improvements in close cooperation with the U.S. Air Force."