Touts Early Delivery, Established History
Aero-News learned Friday the Team
JCA partnership, led by Raytheon and EADS CASA North America,
submitted its final proposal revision (FPR) to the US Army and Air
Force for the Joint Cargo Aircraft program January 30, beating the
deadline by one day.
"Our early delivery and final proposal enhancements are the
latest examples of our continuing commitment to provide the Army
and Air Force the world's best intratheater lift capability right
now," said Jim Hvizd, Team JCA vice president. "The C-295 aircraft
we propose has proven itself through ongoing operations in Iraq,
Afghanistan and humanitarian missions worldwide. We're thrilled to
be able to offer this battle-tested aircraft to our US
warfighters."
The FPR is the final proposal submission for the JCA program.
The bid is centered on the C-295 military transport aircraft, which
Team JCA says demonstrated its capability to perform the full range
of required missions during the Early User Survey phase in late
2006.
As Aero-News reported, the
Joint Cargo Aircraft contract calls for a plane to provide
intra-theater cargo-lift capability for deployed forces operating
in challenging environments such as Iraq and Afghanistan.
The Army wants the new planes to replace the C-23 Sherpa, C-12
and other small cargo aircraft used by the Army to deliver small
amounts of cargo to military hot spots with unpaved or rough
airstrips. The Air Force plans to use some of the new planes as
well.
Team JCA says its production and logistics network will enable
the Army to receive the first aircraft within a year of contract
award.
"That means the C-295 can be in commanders' hands sooner to
support combat operations, humanitarian missions and potential
homeland security and disaster relief contingencies," Hvizd
said.
In military service with coalition partners around the world,
the C-295 is the only combat-proven aircraft competing for the
program and the only one certified by military authorities and the
Federal Aviation Administration.
The C-295 is completing its seventh year of JCA-type missions
with the armed services of Spain, Poland, Algeria and Jordan and is
in production for Brazil, Portugal and Finland. It also has won
formal competitions in Australia, Switzerland and the United Arab
Emirates. Team JCA notes the C-295 has flown over one million
flights on missions similar to the JCA requirements.
A team comprised by L-3 Communications Integrated Systems Group,
a subsidiary of L-3 Communications, Alenia North America, Boeing
Integrated Defense Systems, and Global Military Aircraft Systems
(GMAS) is offering the C-27J as an alternative to the JCA
contract.