Returning Fire

The war of words between the winner and loser of a $355 million contract competition that gave the winning contractor the right to supply up to 20 light attack aircraft to the Afghanistan military escalated today, with contract winner Sierra Nevada Corp. issuing a "point-by-point rebuttal of misinformation being spread by the disqualified contender for the contract," according to an SNC statement.

SNC contends in its statement that since the company -- teamed up with Brazilian aircraft manufacturer Embraer -- won the LAS contract in December, losing competitor Hawker Beechcraft "has undertaken a massive misinformation campaign, challenged the integrity of the U.S. Air Force contracting process, questioned the intentions of the Obama administration, and used litigation to stop work on the contract."

In the statement, SNC contends:

In its Request for Proposal, the Air Force specifically sought a non-developmental, in-production aircraft so that warfighters in-theater could have an advanced solution quickly and so that American taxpayers would not have to pay development costs. The plane proposed by SNC's competitor is a developmental aircraft that is not in production and has never been used for light air support or any other purpose.

In contrast, the aircraft selected by the Air Force and to be provided by SNC, Embraer's A-29 Super Tucano, is a light air support aircraft that is currently in use with six air forces around the world.  This aircraft will be made in America by American workers.  More than 88 percent of the dollar value of the A-29 Super Tucano comes from components supplied by American companies or countries that qualify under the Buy America Act.  The aircraft will be built in Jacksonville, Florida creating at least 50 new high tech jobs and supporting another 1,200+ jobs across the country.

"It's unfortunate that the truth is being sacrificed for the self interests of Hawker Beechcraft and its owners, a Canadian company, Onex, and an investment bank, Goldman Sachs.  Hawker Beechcraft is using aggressive media and lobbying tactics to fight the Air Force decision instead of letting the Court decide this issue in due course. These delaying tactics are having the greatest effect on our fellow Americans currently engaged in combat operations.  They need the capability that only the A-29 can provide. The delay also is preventing the creation of jobs at a time when there is an urgent need to put Americans to work," said Taco Gilbert, Ret. USAF Brigadier General, and Vice President of ISR Business Development at SNC.

"Unbelievably, this is the second time that Hawker Beechcraft has prevented a light air support aircraft that has been thoroughly evaluated by our military from going forward to support our troops in need.  Urgent requests for the A-29 from Afghanistan continue to languish because Hawker cannot provide an acceptable capability, but will not let anyone else provide it either," Gilbert said.

In a separate and unusual action in the midst of a legal proceeding, the USAF issued a fact sheet on the LAS acquisition process and specifically countered claims by Hawker Beechcraft that it has not received information regarding the evaluation of their proposal.

Click here to view SNC's full statement.

Inside the Air Force reported last month that Hawker Beechcraft expected the U.S. Court of Federal Claims to rule on its lawsuit against the Air Force over the LAS contract within the first quarter of 2012. Further, ITAF reported:

Bill Boisture, chairman and CEO of Hawker Beechcraft, told Inside the Air Force on Jan. 4 that the U.S. Court of Federal Claims will rule quickly and, also, that the Air Force would soon be submitting to the court its response to the company's lawsuit. The Air Force will be submitting information to the court sometime next week, according to Hawker Beechcraft spokeswoman Nicole Alexander.

In the meantime, the service has issued a temporary stop-work order for the Light Air Support contract, won by a team of Sierra Nevada Corp. and Brazilian-based Embraer, according to Air Force spokeswoman Jennifer Cassidy.

Cassidy told ITAF via a Jan. 5 email service remains certain that "the competition and source selection evaluation were fair, open and transparent."

"The Air Force is confident about its contract award decision and the merit of our position and we anticipate minimum delay and rapid resolution to this litigation," Cassidy said.