Boeing and Saab T-X design wins Air Force jet coaching competition

The rush of the end-of-year contract for the US Department of Defense has been beneficial to Boeing. As the exercise comes to a close, Boeing clinches its third contract with the DOD in one month. This time, it's the Air Force's T-X Advanced Jet Coach Contract. Boeing's joint offer with the Swedish aerospace company Saab was more than 50% lower than the initial estimate of aviation costs, blocking Lockheed and the US subsidiary of Leonardo (formerly Finmeccanica) . Both entities offer trainers based on existing aircraft.

The prize was awarded less than a week after the Air Force awarded a Boeing-Leonardo Award for the Air Force's victory over the replacement of its UH-1 nuclear safety helicopters. And on August 30, Boeing won the supply contract for the unmanned airline MQ-25.

The T-X is designed to introduce pilot training in the 21st century by providing an aircraft to train pilots in the pipeline to fly the F-35 Lightning II. New jets, including at least 351, will replace the Air Force's aging fleet of Northrop T-38 trainers. These T-38s, based on the Northrop F-5 fighter, have been in service since the 1960s. The new contract also includes 46 training simulators and ground equipment. It could eventually be extended to 475 devices and could also result in international sales to other countries that are committed to buying the F-35.

The TX effort was similar to that of the Boeing Air Force aviation helicopter, as it was a joint effort with a foreign defense company and was designed to reduce costs as much as possible. Once again, the offer seriously undermined the budget for the program, with a proposed price of $ 9.2 billion. The initial estimate of Air Force costs for the T-X program was $ 19.7 billion.

"This new aircraft will provide the advanced training capabilities we need to increase the lethality and efficiency of future Air Force pilots," said Air Force Secretary Heather A. Wilson. in a statement. "Thanks to the competition, we will save at least $ 10 billion on the T-X program."

The training device was designed from scratch in partnership with Saab, using technologies from the Boeing F / A-18E / F Super Hornet and the Saab Gripen fighter. Much of the savings saved through the program comes from component reuse, although it is a "clean" design. The two-tailed aircraft is also designed to facilitate maintenance, with a side-opening awning for its two-seater cockpit that allows easy exchange of ejector seats, reuse of components in multiple systems for cost-effective replacement and easy access drop down panels for access to maintenance.

Two prototypes of the T-X were produced by Boeing and Saab, with Saab construction components for the rear fuselage and other systems. As part of its offering, Saab had promised to open a new manufacturing facility in the United States to build its T-X components, although the company did not announce a site.

In the context of the $ 813 million granted yesterday, Boeing will deliver 2023 aircraft and seven simulators to the San Antonio-Randolph (Texas) base by 2023. The Air Force expects its initial operational capability to be approved by the fall of 2024 before starting to scale up production. . Complete delivery and deployment of the T-X is planned for 2034.