Gilbane Federal, a US-based international construction company, has been awarded a $166-million design-and-build construction project for the Royal Saudi Air Force in the southwest of the kingdom.

The project at King Khalid Air Base, which has been awarded by the US Department of Defence (DoD), aims to provide facilities necessary to support the modernisation of the F-15SA aircraft at the air base, said a statement from the wholly-owned subsidiary of Gilbane Building Company.

The project requires the design and construction of new facilities, renovation of existing facilities, demolition, and infrastructure upgrades.

It features the construction of King Khalid Training Centre, which will provide academic and hands-on training for F-15SA aircraft maintenance within a campus environment; a new avionics and pod facility; and a variety of renovation work on existing facilities, it stated.

The scope of work includes building a two-storey academic wing, a one-storey auditorium, a one-storey task training wing, a maintenance hangar with two hangar bays, a headquarters and administration facility, four dormitories, a dining facility that seats up to 700 personnel, a multi-purpose room for private dining and presentations, a mosque, a student centre, a library and utility infrastructures, said the US firm.

Gilbane Federal has been appointed by Air Force Installation Contracting Agency (Afica) under an indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity (IDIQ) single award task order contract (Satoc).

The project, which is funded by the Saudi Arabian government, is a joint initiative between the United States Air Force and the Royal Saudi Air Force and is managed by the Air Force Life Cycle Management Centre.

Sarabjit Singh, the president of Gilbane Federal, said: “I am pleased that the Air Force has selected Gilbane for this important contract. The Air Force is one of our most valued clients and we look forward to a continued partnership with them worldwide."

"Our company will continue to uphold high quality performance, dedication to our work, and successful execution of projects for all our clients around the globe," he added.-TradeArabia News Service