Vector Aerospace acquires certified OH58 airframe maintenance fixture

Vector Aerospace Helicopter Services now offers Bell Helicopter-certified airframe repair capability for the OH-58 (Kiowa) A and C models, via its new maintenance fixture located at the company’s Andalusia, Alabama helicopter repair and overhaul operation.

Ronnie Kearns, Vector’s director of business development for military programs says the newly acquired maintenance fixture now enables Vector to carry out comprehensive structural repairs on the OH-58 airframe; in effect restoring helicopters that might otherwise be deemed non flight-worthy to a “like-new” condition.

Kearns emphasizes that with the new Bell-certified fixture, Vector is fully-capable of performing airframe repairs on OH-58 helicopter fleets throughout the world, including the United States (US) Military, law enforcement, government and security agencies, up to and including NATO countries operating OH-58 helicopters as part of the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program.

“This latest addition to Vector’s diverse mix of helicopter and fixed-wing maintenance, repair and overhaul capabilities is part of the company’s overall strategic plan to increase its domestic international MRO presence, particularly in support of military programs in the United States,” says Kearns. Vector currently provides repair and overhaul services for a variety of US and foreign militaries, and its Alabama operation performs heavy maintenance and inspections, including airframe repair and dynamic components, in support of the US Navy’s TH-57 pilot training fleet based at Naval Air Station-Whiting Field, Florida.

Vector Aerospace Corporation is an independent provider of aviation repairs and overhaul services. Through facilities in Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom, Vector provides services to commercial and military customers for various types of gas turbine engines, components and helicopter airframes. It also provides information technology solutions to an international customer base.

Principal operations include Vector Aerospace Engine Services Atlantic (formerly Atlantic Turbines), Vector Aerospace Engine Services UK Limited (formerly Sigma Aerospace), Vector Aerospace Helicopter Services (formerly ACROHELIPRO Global Services), Vector Aerospace International Limited (rotary and component repair business of DARA acquired from the Ministry of Defense in the United Kingdom) and Pathix ASP. The Company has approximately 2,500 employees.