U.S. Air Force Looking For New ‘Janet’ Operator

737-600
Credit: Aviation Visuals/Alamy Stock Photo

The U.S. Air Force is shopping for a new contractor to operate the fleet of Boeing 737-600s, popularly known as “Janet,” that ferries workers from Las Vegas to highly secretive locations in the region.

The service will host an industry day Dec. 14-15 to solicit bids for operating and maintaining the six aircraft, along with limited support for five Beechcraft King Airs for the important mission.

“The government has a requirement for safe, secure and reliable air transportation between various points within the continental United States,” a Nov. 7 solicitation says. “This critical operation should be considered a ‘no fail’ mission.”

The contractor will cover operations on a daily basis, seven days a week, to four locations within an approximate 300-mi. radius, the Air Force says.

In the solicitation, the Air Force provides details on the pace at which Janet aircraft operate based out of Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas, also known as Station 9. The government will require up to 190 sorties per week, though that pace will rarely surge to 200 with prior coordination.

In recent history, the Air Force has required about 9,000 sorties, transporting up to 490,000 passengers annually on a standard schedule.

The contractor will be required to perform all operations and maintenance of six 737-600s, operating out of both commercial airfields and restricted locations.

The Janet mission was long operated by EG&G, which has since been acquired by URS Corp. and AECOM.

Brian Everstine

Brian Everstine is the Pentagon Editor for Aviation Week, based in Washington, D.C. Before joining Aviation Week in August 2021, he covered the Pentagon for Air Force Magazine. Brian began covering defense aviation in 2011 as a reporter for Military Times.