EFFICIENCY
Defense budget cuts and harsh economic realities have changed the landscape at the U.S. Department of Defense. Program managers need to find innovative ways to extend the life cycle of platforms marked for retirement. As expensive programs like the Joint Strike Fighter are delayed – and other programs are cut altogether – militaries around the world must find replacements for supply chains that have already ramped down for older programs.
Coastal Mechanics is the innovative way to extend program life cycles. We are a reliable contractor that can help the Department of Defense obtain the replacement parts it needs to get older systems operating again – or to keep them from ever stopping in the first place.
With more than 40 years’ experience, Coastal Mechanics is one of the most knowledgeable, agile, and efficient legacy support contract manufacturers in the industry. We are nimble enough to take on the critical projects that are too small for major OEM’s. Our track record shows we can keep legacy programs operational quickly, inexpensively, and successfully.
Our presence also gives contracting officers an option to save typically countless wasted months soliciting for interested parties to handle an obscure requirement, and enables them to handle tough situations where previous source-approved vendors are no longer in operation.
-
Mission
Coastal Mechanics’ mission is to help militaries cut costs while preserving national security, mission readiness, and capability. We help by:
- Alleviating the need for expensive new weapons systems by keeping legacy systems operational
- Leveraging technical expertise to drive down costs and increase readiness
- Enabling one of the fastest response times in the industry, from requirement generation to execution and delivery
-
Supporting Legacy Systems
Coastal Mechanics works with defense departments to build and supply one-off replacement parts for legacy systems. While our competitors require multi-year contracts to even consider a project, our wide base of subcontractors can create replacement parts for a diverse range of material types quickly and efficiently. Our successes in saving customer resources by keeping legacy systems operational include:
- Providing for the manufacturing and supply of discontinued Ground Support Equipment for the P-3A Orion (early version), enabling a South American air force to continue operating the submarine hunter for more than 10 additional years and saving $7 million in annual maintenance costs.
- Providing for the manufacturing and supply of discontinued depot-level tooling equipment for the AIM-9L legacy missile system for an Asian air force, enabling the continued usage of the system and saving tens of millions of dollars in expensive upgrades.
- Providing yearly support of legacy armaments like the GE M134 7.62 mm mount system and the Airborne TOW launcher, for platforms such as AH-1 and OH-6.
- Yearly support of various legacy air defense systems including replacement components and circuit cards for MIM-23 HAWK System, including radar system support.
- Providing for the manufacture of obsolete and non-supported components (converters, transformers, wire harness) for PAC-2 older generation Patriot air defense system for various militaries.
We specialize in providing ongoing upkeep for legacy systems without requiring multi-year or large-scale contracts.
-
Driving Down Costs and Increasing Readiness
When contractors discontinue a product line and component discrepancies arise, it can often send procurement teams into a scramble to find a replacement. All too often, customers pay an expensive premium for a legacy part.
Coastal Mechanics keeps that premium to a minimum. By keeping a large database of legacy system data, making bulk purchases of core components deemed candidates for obsolescence, and engineering F-F-F (Fit Form Function) replacements, we can pass on enormous savings to customers.
Our successes include:
- Managing cockpit instrument modification for variants of the AB205, AB212 helicopters and the Northrop F-5 aircraft for two NATO customers. These customers saved 60% over the OEM replacement candidate.
- Providing for the manufacturing of F-F-F circuit card assemblies and alternative engineering work-scope for the Mast Mounted Sight helicopter reconnaissance system, saving the customer 40% against the OEM proposed engineering package.
- Managing the upgrade of existing early-version power supplies for the AN/FPS-117 radar system in Southeast Asia, bringing them up to the latest version and saving 75% over replacing other radar system components.
-
Enabling Fast Delivery and Execution
A single component sourcing difficulty can worst-case ground an entire fleet from operation. Customers require efficient, timely manufacture and delivery of core component parts. Coastal Mechanics has built an impressive array of difficult jobs completed in record time:
- Two-week delivery of precision-machined components for the US Army’s OH-58D helicopter fleet to fix a maintenance work-stoppage at CCAD (Corpus Christi)
- Days-long repair and return of critical receiver-transmitter units for a grounded Middle Eastern air force AWACS fleet
- One-week turn-around of discontinued UH-60 consumables, made to order for a Far East army aviation unit experiencing an AOG on their Blackhawk helicopter fleet