Contractor Logistics
The Navy's logistic support concept for the E-6 includes a large and active Boeing role. Although the Navy currently retains responsibility for hands-on "organizational" level maintenance of the aircraft, and a limited "intermediate" level repair capability for legacy mission equipment, the Naval Air Systems Command has contracted with Boeing to provide a number of support services under the umbrella of "contractor logistic support" or CLS.
These services are provided 24-hours-a-day, 365 days a year, by a closely integrated team of Boeing and subcontractor personnel located across the country.
The biggest element of CLS is management of an inventory of approximately 30,000 line items of spares and repair parts. In addition to the routine tasks of materiel warehousing and issuance, personnel from Boeing Aerospace Operations, a wholly owned subsidiary of Boeing, handle all aspects of inventory management including the coordination of more than 200 subcontractors involved in the repair and replenishment of E-6 materiel. Approximately 95 percent of requested parts are being issued to maintenance personnel within one hour of the initial requisition -- usually within 30 minutes.
Materiel managers are supported by on-site technical representatives and remote engineering support expertise to analyze system reliability, failure trends and maintenance practices with an eye toward systemic improvements as well as working with subcontractors to improve products and processes. Through intensive management of these factors and other key metrics such as vendor backorders and repair turnaround time, overall E-6 CLS effectiveness exceeds 98 percent and fleet operational availability measures are meeting or exceeding all targets.