USAF Light Air Support Contract??

[sgtgunn]

So the USAF awards the LAS contract to Embraer/Sierra Nevada for thier Super Tucano and agree's to buy 200 aircraft. Hawker Beechcraft is pissed that their AT-6 II is DQ and protests. USAF ignores protest. Hawker Beechcraft sues. The USAF backs down, and re-opens the contract (to include the AT-6 II). Now Embraer is pissed and sues. Brazil makes dark comments that this might derail the possible purchase of US F-18s. On the side some defense experts state that the USAF doesn't even want the LAS anymore becuase of the changing situation in Afghanistan.

WTF?

Is this how this always works? I know the US Defense aquisition process is broken, but this seems pretty ridiculous for what should have been a pretty straight foward purhcase of an off-the-shelf aircraft. Do companies that lose bids on defense contracts get to sue everytime? I'm amazed that we ever manage to actually buy anything.

Adrian

 

[Cailet]

Oh you ain't seen nothin' yet. Dig up the old threads about the KC-X acquisition, between the lawsuits and the politics they must have added five years to the timetable and nothing to the capability.

 

[My2Cents]

Is this how this always works? I know the US Defense aquisition process is broken, but this seems pretty ridiculous for what should have been a pretty straight foward purhcase of an off-the-shelf aircraft. Do companies that lose bids on defense contracts get to sue everytime? I'm amazed that we ever manage to actually buy anything.

Yep, you have summed it up quite nicely. The process is TOTALLY broken.

The basis for the lawsuits is usually ‘lack of transparency’ in the evaluation process, the ever changing Pentagon requirements (the requirements that they evaluate the hardware on are not the ones they specify in the bid request), and the corrupting effects of the political/budget process in Congress.

But that is only after you get past the inanities of the acquisition process itself, most mandated by Congress to give themselves more ways to control over what, who, and how the money is spent, but leaving the military with the legal responsibility.

And I 2nd Cailet. Look at the KC-X acquisition to see how bad it can get (and it is not over YET).

 

[SteelTiger 177]

With all the trouble the Air Force has been having the F-35A has any thought been given to developing a CAS/BAI variant from the propossed LARP program as a A-10 replacement if production of the A-10 can't be resumed or it's not possible to upgrade the Warthog to serve beyound 2030?

 

[Haavarla]

So the USAF awards the LAS contract to Embraer/Sierra Nevada for thier Super Tucano and agree's to buy 200 aircraft. Hawker Beechcraft is pissed that their AT-6 II is DQ and protests. USAF ignores protest. Hawker Beechcraft sues. The USAF backs down, and re-opens the contract (to include the AT-6 II). Now Embraer is pissed and sues. Brazil makes dark comments that this might derail the possible purchase of US F-18s. On the side some defense experts state that the USAF doesn't even want the LAS anymore becuase of the changing situation in Afghanistan.

Adrian

I would not advocate that Light attack role is out of the window. There is still need for such a role. What is most likely to be the next conflict theather?

Though, Not sure about 200 units these days.. since the cuts are eating away at most programs..

 

[gf0012-aust]

I would not advocate that Light attack role is out of the window. There is still need for such a role. What is most likely to be the next conflict theather?

Though, Not sure about 200 units these days.. since the cuts are eating away at most programs..

The USG via various agencies currently has over 60 aircraft of this class tied up in CAS/COIN work - none of them are in afghanistan and all are fully employed

there is a need even if afghanistan is winding down