No decision yet on competing for Air Force jet contract, Textron says

The Air Force has released details on what it will be looking for in its next jet trainer, but Textron AirLand is still evaluating whether it will offer its Scorpion tactical jet in a competition to win the massive contract.

On Dec. 30, the Air Force released its request for proposal on the requirements for the Advanced Pilot Training, or T-X, program. The Air Force said in a news release the $16.3 billion RFP “will lay the groundwork for delivery of the first five aircraft,” but it also includes contract options for as many as 350 aircraft.

The jet trainer selected for the T-X program would replace the Air Force’s fleet of Northrop T-38 Talon jets, which are more than five decades old and are no longer keeping pace with the service’s newest fighter aircraft, including the F-35.

“Pilot training gaps widen and continue to do so every year as the service brings on more fifth generation aircraft,” Lt. Gen. Darryl Roberson, commander of the Air Force’s Air Education and Training Command, said in the release.

As of Tuesday, Textron officials remained uncertain about entering the Scorpion in the T-X competition.

“Textron AirLand is evaluating the requirements for the United States Air Force Advanced Pilot Training (APT) program to determine if the company will participate,” the company said in an e-mail to The Eagle. “We do not have a decision to share at this time.”

The Scorpion was quietly developed as a clean-sheet airplane by Textron and unveiled in Wichita in December 2013 after the first flight of a prototype. Last month, the company flew its first production-conforming Scorpion.

Textron AirLand is working separately with the Air Force on a first-of-its-kind evaluation program that could help the company more easily sell the jet to foreign military services.

If Textron decides to participate in the T-X competition, it will go up against a number of military aircraft heavyweights that have teamed with other defense contractors to offer their own jets: Boeing and Saab; Lockheed Martin and Korea Aerospace Industries; Northrop Grumman and BAE Systems; and Raytheon and Leonardo.

The Air Force said it expects to award the initial T-X contract in 2017.

This story was originally published January 3, 2017 at 5:00 PM with the headline "No decision yet on competing for Air Force jet contract, Textron says."