Posted on 02/29/2012 3:09:48 AM PST by sukhoi-30mki
US Air Force cancels deal for Brazilian-made aircraft
AFP - The US Air Force has canceled a $355 million contract for a light attack aircraft made by Brazil's Embraer, saying it would open an investigation after protests from a rival US aerospace firm, officials said Tuesday.
The contract for 20 Embraer AT-29 Super Tucano aircraft was awarded in December as part of plans to arm the Afghan military amid a NATO troop drawdown.
But the US Air Force said it was not "satisfied" with the paperwork supporting the decision to hand the project to US-based Sierra Nevada Corporation, in partnership with Embraer.
The US military wants to provide a light aircraft for Afghan's air fleet to conduct flight training, aerial reconnaissance and combat support operations for ground troops.
The AT-29 Super Tucano is a turboprop aircraft designed for low threat environments.
However Hawker Beechcraft Corp, based in Wichita, Kansas, protested the award, arguing that its AT-6 plane was unfairly shut out of the competition.
Embraer officials denied the allegations but were unable to stop a government investigation.
"Today, the Air Force advised the Department of Justice that it will take corrective action on the Afghanistan Light Air Support contract and will set aside the contract award to Sierra Nevada effective March 2, 2012," the Air Force said in a statement.
"While we pursue perfection, we sometimes fall short, and when we do we will take corrective action," Air Force Secretary Michael Donley said in the same statement.
He added that the service's senior acquisition executive "is not satisfied with the quality of the documentation supporting the award decision" but did not elaborate, citing pending litigation.
The statement also said the head of Air Force Materiel Command, General Donald Hoffman, has launched an investigation into
(Excerpt) Read more at france24.com ...
...see if Soros shorted Brazil’s Embraer
The folks in Afghanistan have shown their true colors. Why should we give them anything but a good view of us leaving their desolate country to its own devices?
Outfit the Afghan air farce? Nah...let’s just give them back their biplane and see how they do.
Build them anyway and give them to me instead of Afghanistan... who cares ,, it’s only Chinese money anyway .. Timmy will print some more treasuries to cover..
I agree with you! That was my first thought, the easiest way to deny the Afghan’s planes that we had “promised” them is to cancel the order under the premise of a faulty procurement process. The review might take several years to complete, “Ya Know”.
Hmmm ....maybe this is reading too much into the report, but could this mean that the Super Hornet’s chances dipped and this is a response to that?
Yeah, there will be a cancellation fee somewhere in this deal. They’ve gotten use to these fees over the last two decades.
There is no AT- 6 plane, it is a half finished drawing.
Uhmmm...this magazine article begs to differ...
http://xairforces.com/newsd.asp?newsid=680&newst=10
...please note the line in the article:
“Last month, Hawker Beechcraft completed weapons drop tests with the AT-6, a modification of the successful T-6 primary trainer on which all U.S. military pilots graduate.” :)
What happened to the Air Tractor? Didn’t it cost enough to meet USAF requirements?
hawker does not have a plane. They have cartoons on paper only.
Air Tractor is out of Texas correct? I don’t see any contract going to TX with our dear leader. Besides, like the A10 is the ugly step-child that nobody wants yet when they got it, it did an incredible job. So why make that mistake twice, go for the tri-cycle geared bird that looks more civil, not something that looks like an Experimental super STOL Cub Clone that can get the job done, its too icky...
Yeah, as usual politics trumps mission requirements. Air Tractor had an armed variant ready in 2008/09. Here it is 2012 and we still don’t have anything in-country. How typical.
Doesn't it seem like we are going backwards on ground support aircraft?
As usual you are your same sharp as a bowling ball obtuse self.
I soloed in a T-6 in 1949
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