Frankly, I'm amazed they have held on this long. This procurement has been in the works for quite a while. With the civilian market likely in the doldrums, it has to be rough out there.
I guess the question is who might be in the market for a distressed aircraft manufacturer with a shot at a Government contract? Sounds like there is significant potential for profit here for someone with inside information.
Hawker blew it even trying to get this contract. It is a tiny order when they have bigger fish to fry in the T-6 and military King Air 350 markets. The good news for Hawker is that almost every twin engine low threat ISR contract is built on a King Air 350.
They might have figured a successful bid might open up an ability to compete with the Super T on other contracts. There isn't that much demand for these light turbo props.