MRO & Manufacturing
FRCE Inducts First HH-60W for Depot Maintenance at Global TransPark
Fleet Readiness Center East began scheduled depot maintenance on its first Air Force HH-60W Jolly Green II at its new Kinston facility.
Fleet Readiness Center East (FRCE) inducted its first U.S. Air Force HH-60W Jolly Green II for scheduled depot-level maintenance on September 21, 2026, at its new facility at the North Carolina Global TransPark in Kinston. It is the first planned maintenance under a depot assignment that, according to the U.S. Navy, represents about 70% of the platform’s total expected workload.
The Navy announced the milestone in a news release dated November 3, 2026, describing the aircraft as the platform’s first to be brought in for planned maintenance at the Global TransPark site. The induction followed the September 17 ribbon cutting of the facility, which the Navy said was built specifically to support the depot’s new workload.
A full teardown, not a targeted fix
FRCE was selected in 2023 as the stateside depot source of repair for the HH-60W. Under that selection, FRCE will conduct all airframe programmed depot maintenance for Jolly Green II aircraft located within the continental United States, the share the Navy puts at about 70% of the platform’s total expected workload.
HH-60W Branch Head Travis Beamon said the team had been preparing for the induction since FRCE was selected for the workload in 2023. He described the scheduled visit as a significantly more in-depth maintenance event than the depot’s earlier repairs: the aircraft is completely disassembled, with all paint, parts and components removed, including fuel, hydraulics and electronics. Technicians then carry out structural evaluations and repair any defects, and after reassembly the helicopter goes through final operational and flight checks.
“We are going over every single part with a fine-tooth comb,” Beamon said.
FRCE has performed in-service repairs on the HH-60W for nearly a year, according to the release. The Navy defines these as unscheduled, targeted repair requests triggered by a specific fleet issue, and Beamon said they helped prepare the team for the first scheduled induction. Many of the artisans on the new line previously maintained the legacy UH-1N Huey. Ryan James, an aircraft maintainer on the HH-60W line, said he had worked on H-1s during his military service and had done HH-60 in-service repairs at Mid-Atlantic, experience he said helped him during the transition.
What the Air Force expects from its depot partner
The HH-60W replaces the HH-60G Pave Hawk as a dedicated combat rescue helicopter for the Air Force. According to the Navy, it is used to recover isolated personnel from hostile or denied territory, day or night and in adverse weather, and also flies humanitarian missions, civil search and rescue, disaster relief, medical evacuation and non-combatant evacuations.
Charles Darnell, division chief at the Air Force HH-60W Helicopter Program Office, said the mission leaves zero margin for failure, which makes it vital to partner with a depot-level maintenance facility able to meet the Air Force’s stringent standards for aircraft reliability. He said combat rescue missions demand a depot with a demonstrated record of quality, reliability and on-time delivery, and that the collaboration with FRCE will strengthen HH-60W readiness and fleet reliability.
FRCE Commanding Officer Col. Christopher C. McDonald II called the induction a significant milestone in the depot’s support of warfighter readiness. “This induction and the expansion of our industrial capacity are more than milestones,” McDonald said, adding that they reflect the command’s commitment to strengthening joint force aviation.
How the Global TransPark complex came together
FRCE is based at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point in Havelock, North Carolina, and operates as part of the U.S. Navy, Naval Air Systems Command and Commander, Fleet Readiness Centers. In its May 4, 2026 lease announcement, it described itself as North Carolina’s largest maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) and technical services provider, with more than 3,600 civilian, military and contract workers.
The Navy signed the lease for the Kinston property on April 15, 2026. It gives FRCE 65 acres at the Global TransPark for work on Navy and Marine Corps C/KC-130 Hercules and Super Hercules transport aircraft as well as the HH-60W. The Navy described the arrangement with the state as the first partnership of its kind within the Department of War, and said the idea originated more than six years before that announcement, from the need for an East Coast C-130 maintenance facility and a lack of adequate space for one.
The North Carolina Office of the Governor said on April 16, 2026, that the 10-year agreement covers space at the 2,500-acre multimodal industrial park, and that the Navy had signed a $15 million-per-year contract that takes effect once FRCE fully occupies its 65-acre space. It added that the finished hangars will give the Navy 17 acres under roof.
State lawmakers approved a $350 million loan in 2023 for site improvements to accommodate FRCE, according to the governor’s office, and the Navy describes the FRCE facility as 750,000 square feet. The Navy said the long-term lease, executed by Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command (NAVFAC), yields an estimated $700 million cost avoidance for the U.S. government and cuts the construction timeline by more than 50%.
At the September 17 opening of what the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) called the Fleet Readiness Center East C-130/HH-60 MRO Complex, Governor Josh Stein and other officials welcomed the Navy to the park’s newest hangar. NCDOT said the facility will maintain the C/KC-130J Super Hercules and C/KC-130T Hercules alongside the HH-60W, and that the Navy expects more than 400 high-skilled jobs and estimates $164 million a year for the eastern North Carolina economy.
Earlier HH-60W work at Kinston and what comes next
The September induction was not FRCE’s first HH-60W work at the Global TransPark. In an earlier release, FRCE described its first on-site HH-60W in-service repair, carried out at its existing H-1 facility at the Global TransPark. That helicopter arrived on an Air Force C-5M Super Galaxy, and the team had earlier completed its first HH-60W in-service repair at Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico. FRCE said its HH-60W team had trained alongside operational Air Force maintenance squadrons since 2024, and had trained at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, on loading and unloading the helicopter, because many future HH-60W inductions will arrive by C-5.
Construction is not finished. NCDOT said on September 17, 2026, that most of phase one, which began in March 2024, was complete, with final work expected the following summer. The C-130 complex project began in 2020, and NCDOT said the Navy chose the park because it could host a facility large enough for large military aircraft and is centrally located on the East Coast.
Supply Chain
Mobix Labs Wins Engine Connector Order for Fighters and Widebodies
Mobix Labs received a six-figure order from a tier-one supplier for EMI-filtered engine connectors on US fighters and wide-body jets.
Mobix Labs has received a six-figure production order from an unnamed tier-one aerospace and defense supplier for connectors used in engine systems on multiple U.S. fighter jet platforms and on wide-body commercial aircraft, extending its engine-system work across military and commercial aviation.
In a press release published through Business Wire on November 5, 2026, the company (Nasdaq: MOBX) said the order covers custom-engineered connectors filtered against electromagnetic interference (EMI) that protect engine control and monitoring electronics. The release does not name the supplier, the specific fighter or wide-body types, or the exact value of the order. It presents the award as the next step after F-16 production orders and what it calls a 500% increase in F-22 component orders.
What the order covers
Mobix Labs, which describes itself as a U.S.-based provider of advanced, mission-critical electronic components for aerospace and defense, said modern fighter jets operate in demanding electromagnetic environments, where radar, communications and electronic warfare systems coexist with digital engine controls. The company said its filtering helps protect engine electronics from that interference.
“From front-line U.S. fighter jets to the world’s largest commercial aircraft, engine reliability is nonnegotiable.”
Phil Sansone, chief executive officer of Mobix Labs, said the order reflects the expanding role of the company’s technology and its growing reach into commercial aviation. The company said the award supports its strategy of expanding into mission-critical aerospace and defense applications through specialized, high-reliability components for established aircraft programs. The release does not give a delivery schedule for the new order.
How the order builds on F-22 and F-16 work
Fighter programs
On April 2, 2026, Mobix Labs reported new and expanded activity on the F-22 Raptor program from Irvine, California, including a new customer and increased demand from an existing partner. That release described the combined activity as “approximately a five-fold increase in component orders,” with production underway to support deliveries in 2026.
On September 8, 2026, the company announced its initial F-16 connector order, placed by a veteran-owned U.S. aerospace sustainment contractor that supports the Air Force F-16 fleet. Those EMI-filtered connectors are made by its EMI Solutions unit at a military-approved facility in Irvine. The September release noted that the Air Force’s F-16 Service Life Extension Program extends upgraded aircraft from an original 8,000-hour service life to as much as 12,000 flight hours, supporting operation of parts of the fleet toward 2050.
Beyond fighters
According to the September release, Mobix Labs components are used on the F-22 Raptor, F-35 Lightning II, F/A-18 Super Hornet and F-16 Fighting Falcon. Its wider portfolio includes Apache helicopters, U.S. Navy shipboard secure communications systems, missile programs, Gulfstream aircraft, where AirPro News covered its Gulfstream component orders, and certified onboard systems for Boeing 737NG aircraft. The company operates through subsidiaries including EMI Solutions and RaGE Systems.
For scale, Mobix Labs said in an earlier release listed on its Business Wire page that revenue for its fiscal fourth quarter of 2026, which ended September 30, 2026, would exceed $1.6 million, the midpoint of guidance of $1.4 million to $1.8 million issued on August 17, 2026.
The commercial backlog behind the pitch
To support the commercial side of the order, Mobix Labs cites figures from ADS, the UK trade association for aerospace, defence, security and space. In data published on August 31, 2026, ADS said the global commercial aircraft backlog reached a record 17,037 aircraft in July 2026, equal to more than 12 years of production at current delivery rates.
ADS reported that 1,573 aircraft were ordered in the first seven months of 2026, up 31% on the same period of 2025. Deliveries for January to July reached 794, the strongest performance for that period since 2018, but ADS said the backlog keeps growing because demand exceeds production, and it acknowledged supply chain and industrial challenges. Mobix Labs said engine supply is a critical factor in the pace of deliveries.
The company said it believes its U.S.-based manufacturing and its experience with high-reliability components position it for more military and commercial work. Its release also states that no assurance can be given of additional orders or revenue.
MRO & Manufacturing
Lufthansa Technik Extends PSA Airlines CF34 Engine Services Deal
Lufthansa Technik AERO Alzey has signed a new multi-year CF34-8 engine services deal with PSA Airlines, a customer of more than 26 years.
Lufthansa Technik AERO Alzey and PSA Airlines have signed a new multi-year agreement for CF34-8 engine services, extending a customer relationship that Lufthansa Technik says spans more than 26 years. The engines power PSA’s fleet of 60 CRJ700 and 94 CRJ900 regional jets.
Lufthansa Technik announced the agreement in a press release dated November 5, 2026, datelined Alzey and Charlotte. AERO Alzey, a wholly owned Lufthansa Technik subsidiary, will continue to provide comprehensive CF34-8 services to the American Airlines Group regional carrier.
What the agreement covers
Under the agreement, AERO Alzey will provide maintenance, performance restoration shop visits, on-site support, life limited part replacement shop visits and module shop visits. Lufthansa Technik did not disclose the value or the exact term of the contract beyond describing it as multi-year.
The company said the relationship is among the longest-standing in AERO Alzey’s CF34 engine business and has grown alongside PSA’s fleet growth and operational needs.
Matthew Key, Vice President of Technical Operations Strategy and Sourcing at PSA Airlines, said: “Relationships like this don’t last 26 years because of contracts.” He credited mutual reliability, mutual support and a focus on delivering results. Judith Wedlich-Blender, Chief Operations Officer of Lufthansa Technik AERO Alzey, said: “Every engine we maintain in Alzey represents much more than a technical component.”
The carrier and the engine shop
PSA Airlines is a wholly owned subsidiary of American Airlines Group and flies regional service as American Eagle. It has more than 5,500 employees and operates over 730 daily flights to more than 100 destinations across the United States. The carrier has also invested in its own maintenance infrastructure, including a Knoxville maintenance base that AirPro News covered in April 2025.
Lufthansa Technik AERO Alzey GmbH provides manufacturer-independent engine maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) services for regional passenger aircraft and the latest-generation medium-haul jet engines. It has operated for over 35 years at its facility in Alzey, in the Rhine-Hessian region, where the 71,000 square meter site employs around 800 people. Its parent, Lufthansa Technik, employs more than 22,000 people worldwide.
Lufthansa Technik’s other recent engine news includes Flair Airlines’ 15-year LEAP-1B deal, covered by AirPro News in September 2026, and an expansion of Lufthansa Technik Engine Services in Tulsa, which the company’s newsroom lists under October 21, 2026.
MRO & Manufacturing
Liebherr-Aerospace Opens Sydney Office for Australasian Customers
Liebherr-Aerospace has opened a representative office in Sydney to serve Australia and New Zealand ahead of major Qantas fleet programs.
Liebherr-Aerospace has opened a representative office in Sydney to serve customers across Australia and New Zealand, as the Australian market prepares for major fleet programs including Qantas Group’s Project Sunrise. The office sits within the Liebherr Group’s existing facility in Pyrmont, New South Wales.
The company announced the opening in a press release dated November 5, 2026. It said the office will strengthen existing relationships, build new local ones and improve customer services in a region where aviation is undergoing significant fleet renewal and investment.
Why Australia and New Zealand
Liebherr-Aerospace described Australia and New Zealand as important markets for both commercial aviation and maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) activities. The release ties the timing to three fleet programs in the Australian market: Project Sunrise with the Airbus A350-1000ULR, the introduction of the Airbus A321XLR and the modernization of the regional fleet of Qantas Airways (QF).
Joël Cadaux, Asia-Pacific Regional Head for the Aerospace & Transportation Division, said: “We are very pleased to be closer to our customers in Australia and New Zealand.” Andrew Schultz, Managing Director of Liebherr-Australia Pty Ltd, welcomed the division to the group’s Sydney facility. Liebherr-Australia has provided machinery, services and technical support across Australia since 1981.
How the office fits the Liebherr-Aerospace network
Liebherr-Aerospace supplies flight control and actuation systems, landing gear, air management systems, and gears, gearboxes and electronics for civil and military aircraft and helicopters. Its centers of excellence include Liebherr-Aerospace Lindenberg GmbH in Germany, for flight control, actuation, gears, gearboxes and landing gear systems, and Liebherr-Aerospace Toulouse SAS in France, for air management systems. The Lindenberg company, founded in 1960, employs 3,490 people.
The Sydney office follows a similar regional step in India. In February 2019, Liebherr-Aerospace opened a larger regional office in Bangalore to support Indian operators, manufacturers and suppliers and to coordinate projects with Lindenberg and Toulouse. At the time, its customer service network also included centers in Singapore and Shanghai.
The company’s recent MRO work in the wider region includes China Airlines’ A350 nose landing gear contract, served through an asset exchange in Singapore. In Europe, it opened a heat transfer equipment center in France in October 2026.
Liebherr-Aerospace did not disclose how many people will work at the Sydney office.
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