Raytheon, Leonardo bow out of T-X competition

Raytheon and Leonardo announced today they've backed out of the Air Force's T-X trainer competition, stating they were "unable to reach a business agreement that is in the best interest of the U.S. Air Force."

The companies announced last February they would team up for the program, offering the T-100 to replace the Air Force's legacy T-38 fighter jet trainer.

Today's announcement narrows the program's current competitive field to four likely bidders: Boeing and Saab with a clean-sheet design; Lockheed Martin and Korean Aerospace with the T-50A; Northrop Grumman and BAE Systems with a clean-sheet jet; and Sierra Nevada Corp. and TAI, also with a clean-sheet design. Textron AirLand will likely offer its Scorpion jet, but the company has not confirmed that it will bid.

The Air Force last month released a request for proposals for the program's engineering and manufacturing development phase, valued at $16.3 billion. The service plans to select a design this year.