F-16 (Flickr/Creative Commons Joshua Sosrosaputro https://tinyurl.com/ybmme2ue)
The U.S. Air Force awarded a $403 million contract to Cherokee Nation Aerospace and Defense on June 26 to upgrade the U.S. Air Force’s F-16 fleet.
To keep the fleet flying until nearly 2050, Cherokee Nation Aerospace and Defense will provide F-16 Service Life Extension Program (SLEP) kits, as well as F-16 Systems Program Office support at Hill Air Force Base in Utah.
The jets, operational since 1979, were originally relegated to 8,000 flight hours. Improvements will upgrade that to 12,000 flying hours or more.
Work will be performed in parent company Cherokee Nation Industries’ manufacturing facility in Stilwell, Oklahoma, and is expected to be complete by May 31, 2029.
The award was the result of a competitive, small business acquisition. The CNI subsidiary received more than $1.2 million in procurement funds at the time of award.
CNI has supplied quality products and services to the commercial and aerospace industries for more than 40 years. CNI has received multiple performance awards from organizations such as Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Bell Helicopter and Sikorsky Aircraft Corp. With a strong track record of performance with the aerospace and Department of Defense markets, CNI has also supplied parts to NASA’s International Space Station.
Learn more at CNI‘s Aerospace & Defense Manufacturing site.
