AF releases RFP for T-X trainer

WASHINGTON - The battle to build the Air Force’s $16.3 billion T-X trainer officially kicked off Jan. 6 with its release of the final Request For Proposals. The competition will likely pit defense contractors Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Northrop Grumman, Raytheon and Sierra Nevada Corp. against one another. The T-X will replace the T-38 and will be the first trainer designed to train F-22 and F-35 fifth-generation pilots. F-35 Air Force pilots and maintenance personnel are initially trained at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. T-38s are used at Tyndall AFB, Fla., to dogfight with F-22 pilots. The winner of the contract - planned for award this year - will likely be responsible for manufacturing all 350 aircraft. Initial operating capability for the T-X is planned for the end of FY 2024. Raytheon opted to update its T-100 existing design, and has partnered with Leonardo, Honeywell and CAE, to manufacture the trainers in Meridian, Miss. (Source: Defense News 01/06/17)