Martin-Baker declines to protest US Air Force ejection seat contract to Collins Aerospace

Martin-Baker will not protest to the US Government Accountability Office (GAO) the US Air Force’s (USAF’s) plan to award a contract to Collins Aerospace to procure its ACES V ejection seat.

The USAF said in a 2 October announcement that it planned to sole source a contract to Collins Aerospace for the service’s Next Generation Ejection Seat (NGES) programme because the air force believes any delay would put pilot safety at risk. The USAF has a requirement to improve the safety and sustainability of the current Collins Aerospace-developed ACES II seat found in the Lockheed Martin F-16 Fighting Falcon, Boeing F-15 Eagle, Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor, Fairchild-Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II, and Boeing B-1 Lancer.

The US Air Force expects to sole source a contract to Collins Aerospace to procure its ACES V ejection seat. (Collins Aerospace)

Martin-Baker spokesperson Richard Johnson said on 5 November that the company chose not to protest because the justification and approval (J&A) has no money put against it and is not a programme of record. Martin-Baker agreed with the USAF’s assertion that any delay would put pilots as risk. Johnson said a protest would potentially delay any improvements to the escape system for legacy aircraft from 6 to 24 months.