The Army plans a $10 million sole-source contract to Boeing [BA] for the production and delivery of 26 Cargo On-Off Loading Systems (COOLS) field evaluation kits with ballistic protection systems for certain CH-47 Chinook helicopter units, a service officer said.
“The Cargo On/Off Load System (COOLS) replaces the current floor on the CH-47F. Iit includes rapidly reconfigurable flip-over rollers, a pallet locking system and sub-floor ballistic protection,” Lt. Col. Joe Hoecherl, product manager, CH-47 Modernization, told Defense Daily. “It significantly reduces the workload for aircrews and allows rapid, in flight re-configuration to support a wide range of missions.”
The COOLS floors will equip two units and provide spares, he said. The modernization office is relatively new and focuses on potential upgrades and improvements. COOLS flight testing takes place this summer and the COOLS kits will be fielded to units in support of upcoming deployments.
“The full-rate production decision will be made in the first quarter, FY ’13,” Hoecherl said.
Last year, Col. Robert Marion, Army project manager for Cargo Helicopters, visited every deployed combat aviation brigade. When pressed, soldiers said they wanted first of all, a new COOLs system and ballistic protection system (Defense Daily, Jan. 20). Aviators also wanted a new way to streamline maintenance, another project currently under way.
The initial COOLS installation is to mitigate risk during the final design work and start of a production effort that would be used to retrofit the rest of the CH-46D and CH-47F fleet.
The Army encourages any companies that can achieve the requirement to let it know by the estimated April 22 closing date. The government is considering the sole-source award since it has no other vendor to satisfy requirements.