State Awards $18.2M to Sustain Colombia Police Black Hawk Fleet
COLOMBIA — The U.S. Department of State has awarded Amentum Services Inc. an $18.2 million delivery order to continue aviation support for the Colombian National Police’s Aviation Division, commonly known as ARAVI.
The time-and-materials order covers work in Colombia from September 17, 2026, through March 16, 2027. The entire $18,203,544 value was obligated at award by the State Department’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, or INL.
Award 19AQMM26F1429 was issued through Amentum’s OASIS+ Unrestricted contract, 47QRCA25DU016.
An Urgent Bridge Contract
Although the award continues a longstanding aviation-support mission, it is not the program’s permanent follow-on contract.
State Department acquisition documents identify the order as a six-month bridge contract issued after a protest delayed the competitive successor award. Amentum’s previous ARAVI order expired on September 16, making the new contract effective the following day.
State invoked unusual and compelling urgency to prevent an interruption in helicopter maintenance. According to the government’s justification, a break in support could ground aircraft, reduce operational readiness and interfere with Colombian National Police missions.
The department determined that Amentum’s established workforce, familiarity with the aircraft, maintenance history and knowledge of operating locations made it the practical contractor for the interim period. State expects to complete the longer-term competition by March 16, 2027, provided another protest does not create an additional delay.
Keeping Colombia’s Black Hawk Fleet Operational
The bridge order centers on maintenance and technical support for the Colombian National Police’s UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters.
Contractor responsibilities include maintaining aircraft in safe, airworthy and mission-ready condition; maximizing the number of aircraft ready for tasking; and minimizing maintenance-related downtime. Amentum will also provide technical, safety and logistics support at fixed and mobile operating locations across Colombia.
Additional work includes maintenance planning, parts and supply-chain coordination, readiness reporting, technical records and on-the-job training for Colombian aviation personnel.
ARAVI aircraft support Colombian counternarcotics and law-enforcement operations throughout the country. Missions have historically included aerial escort, airmobile operations, intelligence collection, transportation of police personnel and logistics support in remote operating areas.
INL provides maintenance, logistics and technical assistance for aircraft used to strengthen the Colombian National Police’s aviation capabilities and support interdiction and other operations against narcotics trafficking and organized crime.
Continuity After a Major Incumbent Contract
The new order extends a substantial incumbent operation rather than establishing an entirely new program.
Amentum held the preceding ARAVI support order from March 2018 through September 16, 2026. Federal contracting records place the total value of that contract at approximately $341.2 million.
That history helps explain why State selected the incumbent for the bridge period. Replacing an established aviation-maintenance workforce for only six months would have introduced transition, safety and readiness risks while the permanent acquisition remains unresolved.
What the Award Means for Contractors
The immediate demand is concentrated in experienced aviation-maintenance and support personnel, including:
- UH-60 mechanics and inspectors
- Aviation quality-control specialists
- Production-control and maintenance planners
- Parts, procurement and inventory personnel
- Aviation safety specialists
- Technical trainers and instructors
- Maintenance-records and readiness-reporting personnel
- Program and logistics support staff
Amentum currently lists several related positions in Bogotá, including UH-60 mechanic, UH-60 inspector, general aircraft mechanic and aviation training roles. Many of the publicly listed technical positions are restricted to Colombian nationals, indicating that the bridge award should not be viewed as a broad new U.S.-expatriate hiring surge.
Instead, the order primarily protects the existing operation and prevents a workforce drawdown while the longer-term acquisition is completed.
“From a contractor-market standpoint, the six-month term matters as much as the dollar value. This award preserves aircraft readiness and the incumbent workforce today, while the permanent competition will determine who controls the program—and where the larger staffing demand sits—after March.”
For companies and aviation professionals tracking Colombia, the next major development will be the permanent ARAVI award. That decision could determine whether Amentum continues operating the program or whether another contractor assumes responsibility for one of the State Department’s longest-running overseas aviation-support missions.