Both Sierra Nevada and Hawker Beechcraft submitted revised bids to the Air Force for the Light Air Support contract. The service originally awarded Sierra Nevada the contract last December, but later set aside the contract after then-unsuccessful offeror Hawker Beechcraft filed a lawsuit. “While nearly a year and a half has passed since the original [request for proposal] was issued, the A-29 Super Tucano remains the only aircraft in the running that is combat-proven and capable of meeting the needs of commanders in theater today,” said Taco Gilbert, Sierra Nevada’s vice president of ISR business development, in a June 19 release. Hawker Beechcraft Chairman Bill Boisture said the LAS contract, which ultimately could be worth up to $1 billion, remains a top priority, reported Kansas’ Wichita Eagle. His company is offering the AT-6 platform. “We are producing the most capable, affordable, sustainable, and interoperable light-attack and armed reconnaissance platform in the world today,” he stated in the newspaper’s June 18 report. Air Force officials have said they intend to award the LAS contract early next year. Both companies’ bids came about one week after Sierra Nevada filed suit in federal court against the Air Force, seeking reinstatement of the initial $355 million contract.
China thinks it will be able to invade Taiwan by 2027 and has developed a technology edge in many key areas—but it is artificial intelligence that may be the decisive factor should conflict erupt, Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall said.