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Beechcraft protests Air Force contract decision
WICHITA, Kan. — Airplane maker Beechcraft said Friday it will formally protest an Air Force decision to award a competitor a contract worth more than $427 million, claiming the decision puts an estimated 1,400 jobs in Kansas and other states in jeopardy.
The announcement is the latest development in a bitter, high-stakes competition that has taken nearly three years with legal challenges from both sides. The contract could be worth as much as $1 billion, depending on future orders.
The loss deals a major blow to Wichita, Kan.-based Beechcraft as it emerges from bankruptcy protection.
Beechcraft’s move to file a protest with the U.S. Government Accountability Office comes two weeks after the Air Force awarded Sierra Nevada, based in Sparks, Nev., a contract to build 20 light air support planes for use in Afghanistan. Sierra Nevada, in a partnership with Brazil’s Embraer, will make the planes in Jacksonville, Fla.
The light air support aircraft aims to give Afghan forces a fixed-wing strike capability that is a vital part of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.
Beechcraft, formerly known as Hawker Beechcraft, developed the AT-6 attack aircraft for the project. The plane is a version of its T-6 trainer. Sierra Nevada and Embraer are offering Embraer’s combat-proven A-29 Super Tucano.
Beechcraft CEO Bill Boisture said in a statement that the company was debriefed by the Air Force about its decision and is “very perplexed.”
“Our belief that we have the best aircraft was confirmed by the Air Force rating our aircraft ‘exceptional,’ and the fact that we are the lower cost solution was confirmed by the USAF’s public award announcement,” Boisture said.
Sierra Nevada and Embraer issued a joint statement late Friday saying the Air Force looked at three criteria, in priority order: mission capability, past performance and pricing to determine the best overall value.
It noted the A-20 Tucano received an exceptional rating on technical capability and low-risk in all other categories.
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