Services for Packing Press and Centrifuge

Description of Services: On-site contractor repair and maintenance for the Centrifuge Time and Altitude Test Set which is used to test the Automatic Backup Unit, the Barostatic Time Release Unit and the Time Delay Unit to ensure these components will properly function if the aircrew member must eject from the T-38C aircraft.  These items provide automatic operation of the head box deployment and initiate the seat separation time delay subject to the aerodynamic de-acceleration rate.  The centrifuge is capable of testing components in altitude and/or on gas fired units to 32,00 feet and acceleration up to 10g and timings to a second; and the  packing press is a piece of support equipment used to pack the head box for the US16T ejection seat which is the USAF standard for the T-38C aircraft.  Major reductions in U.S defense procurement of new aircraft in the last decade have severely eroded the market for new ejection seats and the associated market for ejection seat development efforts and their components.  The economic environment has resulted in a sharp drop in employment for ejection seat-related jobs, and in the specialized expertise required to design, produce, and improve ejection seats.