Leonardo flies
solo in US Air Force training fighter bid
David Szondy Feb 09, 2017
The USAF
Advanced Pilot Training Program (T-X) competition took another twist today.
Aircraft company Leonardo confirmed it's carrying on in the contest for the
contract to replace 400 T-38 training jets, which have been in service for over
50 years, as a solo bidder. Leonardo had previously been working in partnership
with Raytheon to present the T-100 trainer and its integrated training system
as an entrant.
On January
25, Raytheon announced that it – and Leonardo – were withdrawing from the T-X
competition for unspecified reasons. That seemed to be the end of the matter,
but Leonardo has decided to go it alone through its US company, Leonardo DRS,
acting as prime contractor and the aircraft being built at a new US
manufacturing plant.
The
two-seater T-100 is derived from the Alenia Aermacchi M-346 Master jet trainer
that is currently in service with the Italian, Israeli, and Singaporean air
forces. The T-100 is powered by twin F124 turbofan engines developed by
Honeywell Aerospace's International Turbine Company, which Leonardo says has
the best-in-class thrust-to-weight ratio. In addition, the jet has an embedded
tactical training system that provides immersive training for pilots using realistic
mission scenarios.
"Leonardo's
commitment to pursue the T-X builds on our deep experience in military pilots'
training and on the competitiveness of our T-100 integrated Training Systems
that can meet the U.S. Air Force's current and future needs," says Mauro
Moretti, CEO and General Manager of Leonardo.
Original post: newatlas.com
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