Wichita Gets Kicked In The Teeth, By Washington... Again
Late last week, and for reasons that are still somewhat
mysterious, Hawker Beechcraft received official notification from
the United States Air Force that the Beechcraft AT-6 has been
excluded from continuing in the Light Air Support (LAS) bidding
process. As a result they have requested a review of the USAF Light
Air Support Bidding decision.
Initial reaction from American politicos and analysts has been
fairly negative toward the USAF decision. Rep. Mike Pompeo,
Wichita-R, stated that, “I am disappointed to learn
that Hawker-Beechcraft’s AT-6B proposal was excluded by the
United States Air Force from the Light Air Support (LAS)
competition... I have already demanded answers from the
Pentagon on why they made this very unfortunate decision, and will
continue to do so. This contract is critical both to our
nation’s security and to jobs in Wichita, Kansas.
“It is vitally important for the Pentagon to clarify this
matter, especially in light of allegations that Hawker’s main
competitor in the LAS competition, Embraer, is being investigated
for violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act," his statement
continued. "Just last week, I alerted the Department of Defense to
these allegations. I will continue to closely follow this
issue.”
Up against the Embraer Super Tucano, characterized by many as
something of a dark horse in this race, it would appear that the
competition is now likely to be awarded, a $Billion$ worth no less,
to the Brazilian manufacturer.
The Teal Group's Richard Aboulafia was quoted by the Wichita
eagle as stating, “They (Hawker) seemed to be the front
runner for the contract... They had the most infrastructure spread
over the most states and the most political support.”
On its own behalf, Hawker Beechcraft Corporation (HBC) stated,
"We have been notified by the United States Air Force in a letter
that the Beechcraft AT-6 has been excluded from the Light Air
Support competition. The letter provides no basis for the
exclusion. We are both confounded and troubled by this decision, as
we have been working closely with the Air Force for two years and,
with our partners, have invested more than $100 million preparing
to meet the Air Force's specific requirements.
Additionally, the AT-6 has been evaluated and proven capable
through a multi-year, Congressionally-funded demonstration program
led by the Air National Guard. We have followed the Air Force's
guidance closely and, based on what we have seen, we continue to
believe that we submitted the most capable, affordable and
sustainable light attack aircraft as measured against the Air
Force's Request for Proposal. We have requested a debriefing from
the Air Force and will be exploring all potential options in the
coming days."
Hawker Beechcraft Corporation's headquarters and major
facilities are located in Wichita, KS, with operations in Salina,
KS; Little Rock, AR; Chester, England, UK; and Chihuahua, Mexico.
The company boasts a 'global network' of more than 100
factory-owned and authorized service centers.
ANN has questions into the USAF but has received no response as
yet...
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