Friday, June 10, 2011

Acquisition Board To Review USAF Options on T-38

The U.S. Air Force has accepted the results of an Analysis of Alternatives (AoA) looking at options to replace the service's geriatric fleet of T-38 Talon jet trainers. The next step is for the AoA to be reviewed by a Defense Acquisition Board in the coming months, a service official said.
"Air Education and Training Command (AETC) and [Headquarters] USAF have validated the AoA," Air Force spokesman Maj. Rosaire Bushey said in an emailed statement. "AETC and the Aeronautical Systems Center are now preparing for a Defense Acquisition Board review later this summer."
However, the Air Force won't release the study because it contains propriety data from would-be contractors.
Air Force officials couldn't immediately comment on what course of action the T-X AoA recommended. However, options are known to include replacing the T-38 with a new aircraft, doing further upgrade work or even doing nothing.
Potential contractors include BAE Systems with a version of their venerable Hawk jet trainer, Lockheed Martin/Korean Aerospace with their T-50 Golden Eagle aircraft, and Alenia with their T-100 jet. Northrop, which built the T-38, might also have an offering, as might Boeing.

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