The US Air Force (USAF) plans to soon award contracts to Light Attack Experiment (LAE) participants Sierra Nevada Corp (SNC) and Textron Aviation Defense for the procurement of light attack aircraft.
The service announced on 8 May on the Federal Business Opportunities (FBO) website that it intended to solicit proposals from one source and award a contract. The air force expects to issue a formal solicitation later this month and issue a contract to SNC between July and September.
The USAF announced on 8 May that it planned to issue a contract award to Sierra Nevada Corp for Super Tucano procurement. (USAF)
USAF spokesperson Ann Stefanek said on 8 May that the exact number of aircraft to be contracted is unknown but that the air force plans to procure two to three A-29 Embraer/SNC Super Tucanos. The plan remains to use fiscal year 2018 (FY 2018) and FY 2019 funds for this procurement, she said.
The USAF also plans to award a contract to Textron Aviation Defense for AT-6 Wolverine aircraft, despite saying in the FBO notice that SNC was the only company that appears to possess the capability necessary to meet the service’s requirement within the time frame without causing an unacceptable delay in fielding the aircraft. Stefanek said the USAF expects a separate procurement action for two to three AT-6 aircraft.
Stefanek said the USAF did not issue the Textron Aviation Defense announcement at the same time as the SNC announcement because they will be different types of contract actions with different requirements. She did not return a request for further clarification. Textron Aviation Defense spokesperson Sylvia Pierson said on 8 May that Wolverine aircraft to be procured by the USAF would be used at Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada.
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