As platforms age, OEM support for sustainment diminishes and end-users tasked with maintaining operational readiness are faced with critical supply chain deficits. Kellstrom Defense offers its military customer base legacy aircraft solutions that address these shortfalls. We are a global provider of comprehensive support for U.S. manufactured legacy defense platforms including fighters, transports, patrol aircraft and helicopters.

Kellstrom Defense is a stocking distributor of US Department of Defense and OEM approved components. Agreements with key industry partners to support this platform, including OEMs and manufacturers, play a vital role in the company’s commitment to its "Total Support" approach to legacy platform sustainment. Kellstrom Defense has identified the major AH-1/UH-1 distribution channel deficits and partnered with providers to bridge that gap. We collaborate with OEMs, manufacturers and Customers to establish and maintain availability for a broad range of components.

We team with Bell Helicopter Textron, Inc. approved sources to offer a number of engineering & manufacturing solutions designed to reduce traditional replacement costs and lead times of aging airframe components. Our experience on the AH-1/UH-1 platforms encompass both knowledge and capability across many of the airframe elements of the aircraft including the manufacture of numerous airframe components. This has afforded us substantial experience working within the parameters of the OEM’s quality and technical documentation, and enabled us to provide solutions for challenges unique to the AH-1/UH-1’s lifecycles.

In an effort to offer maximum benefits from our “Total Support” business model, we work with our Customers to establish short and long term program packages customized to specific sustainment requirements and budget limitations. Current programs include:

Contractor Logistics Support (CLS)

We offer our Customers comprehensive parts management for AH-1/UH-1 fleet sustainment in collaboration with their depot maintenance partners.

Rotable Repair Program

We offer rotable inventory management programs including exchange pools for systems and sub-systems: hydraulic, pneumatic, electrical, fuel and engine, etc.

Life Extension/Sub-system Upgrades

We offer system modernizations designed to extend service life by replacing obsolete systems and components with modern solutions.

UH-1 Auxiliary Fuel System

Kellstrom Defense’s proprietary Auxiliary Fuel Cell System Solution was made with design flexibility in mind. The system can be customized to nearly all rotary platforms and varying customer specific parameters that address safety, performance and life extension concerns. Independent of customer specific modifications, the overall design uses modern technology, is lighter, smaller, more structurally sound, safer and offers a non-permanent installation feature.

UH-1 Ammo Box Solution

Kellstrom Defense provides a complete Ammo Box solution with overall better performance and much longer service life. We worked at the lowest sub-component level to determine the best ways to improve performance and reliability.