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Boeing Wins T-X Jet Trainer Contract


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Boeing's on quite the roll.  They were the longshot on the AF Huey replacement program and won that earlier this week.  Now they just got awarded the T-38 replacement program.

 

Will be interesting to see if they can execute either, given the horrible problems they have had on the KC-46 tanker program.

 

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-boeing-trainingjet-exclusive/exclusive-boeing-wins-9-2-billion-contract-for-new-air-force-training-jet-u-s-official-idUSKCN1M72MP?il=0

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Boeing T-X.jpg

 

Reminds me of a dual seat F-104 in the front, Jaguar in the middle, and an F-15-F-18ish cross breed in the rear.  Kinda ugly is my first impression. At least from that angle.

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More than likely Boeing was chosen to maintain their manufacturing base. They can't build Eagles and Super Hornets forever.  Lockheed has the F-35 production, so DoD "spreads the love" and favors Boeing for T-X.

 

I'm not saying T-X is better/worse than the T-50, just the realities of economics and the bigger picture.

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Such requirements have long figured prominently in aerospace.

 

This may have a similar structure to the USAF helicopter deal, which Boeing won with Leonardo, "Leonardo will assemble the helicopters at its northeast Philadelphia plant, with Boeing integrating military-specific components at its facility south of that city." Perhaps SAAB will similarly build airframes to some level of completion that Boeing will then complete.

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An all-new design completely designed in America, to be built by American labor and engineers. What's not to like?  While the T-50 was a proven design (and would have been built here in the US), it was not designed here, and would have contributed zero to the important goal of keeping American aerospace design skills and infrastructure sharp.  I think it's a great choice, and I am looking forward to seeing the real things in Texas skies soon.

Edited by KursadA
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Soo...  what does SAAB bring to the table?  Did they design this thing?  Are they doing any production work?   Not sure why they are needed, gotta believe that BA could self-perform the entire program.  Maybe SAAB would possibly have a second production line for exports?   Lot of BA Hawks getting up there in age, should be a good international market for this jet.

 

The good news (from a US taxpayer standpoint) is that once they get into full production, it's a firm, fixed price contract (similar to what is used for the KC-46 program), so if BA tried to lowball this bid (as many people felt they did with the tanker), they will take the cost in the shorts, not the USAF. 

 

In addition to the Huey replacement, I forgot to mention that BA also just got awarded the Navy's UAV tanker program.   They really are on quite a run lately.    Wasn't too long ago folks were predicting that they'd be out of the military fast jet market within a few years.

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17 hours ago, GreyGhost said:

 

Why would the AF want a twenty year old design when they're getting an all new one?

 

-Gregg

Sarcasm😉?  Anywho, the T-50 is a tested & proven design, which, from what I've read, is one of the reasons why the MH-139 won.  In addition, design work on the AW-139 (on which the MH model is based) began in 1997 and its first flight was in 2001.  Besides a USAF T-50 variant probably could have had an in service date a lot sooner than the one expected for this new bird.  

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On 9/28/2018 at 8:13 AM, Mfezi said:

I don't know. I think it is very good looking, and will be even more so once they remove the flight test air data probe on the nose:

JWHTD2IJJZAOFBLEYGSMX6NW3I.jpg

I agree with this. Really nice looking aircraft in my opinion. The T-50 looks too chubby from the side.

Doubt we'll see a kit of it any time soon, and I'm rather tempted to scratch build one... 🤔

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