T-X programma ... the new trainer ... or next light multi-roll fighter ?

[Harald]

http://www.boeing.com/defense/t-x?utm_source=breakdef&utm_medium=adbanner&utm_campaign=2018%20bds%20t-x&utm_content=creative

( nee, ik heb geen aandelen..  ... maar wel een mooi toestel  )

bij onderstaande foto, krijg ik weer het beeld voor me van de F-104, met de cockpitdak dat zijwaards scharniert, de neus en onderstelvorm, alleen geen T staart... 

[Harald]

T-X to replace T-38 at pilot training bases    ( contract voor eerste nieuwe trainers in 2018, levering van eerste toestellen in 2022 )

JB San Antonio-Randolph preferred location for first T-X unit

WASHINGTON (AFNS) --  The Air Force announced Feb. 21, 2018, that the Advanced Pilot Trainer (T-X) will replace T-38C Talon aircraft at existing undergraduate pilot training bases, with Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph, Texas, named as the preferred location for the first T-X aircraft scheduled to arrive in 2022.

The other locations include Columbus Air Force Base, Mississippi; Laughlin AFB, Texas; Sheppard AFB, Texas; and Vance AFB, Oklahoma.

Current pilot training installations rely on a unique runway structure and special-use airspace capable of supporting high volume pilot training which makes them ideal for the new aircraft.

"As we bring the T-X training aircraft into service, we'll base them at our current undergraduate pilot training bases which have the airspace and runways needed for the mission," said Secretary of the Air Force Heather A. Wilson.

The new trainer will provide student pilots with the skills and competencies required to transition into 4th and 5thgeneration fighter aircraft.

"We need the T-X program to properly train our pilots to fly our growing fleet of 5th generation aircraft," said Chief of Staff of the Air Force Gen. David L. Goldfein. "This new training capability will enable pilots to receive realistic training in a system similar to our fielded fighters."

Basing the T-X at JB San Antonio-Randolph first, home to Air Force instructor pilot training, is an essential step to establishing a T-X instructor pilot pipeline and sets the conditions to transition to T-X training at the other flying training locations.

The Air Force will now begin the required environmental analyses at all of the existing undergraduate pilot locations. Final basing decisions are dependent on the outcome of the environmental analyses.

The Air Force expects to award a contract for the new aircraft in 2018, with the first aircraft expected to arrive at JB San Antonio-Randolph as early as 2022.

http://www.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/1447116/t-x-to-replace-t-38-at-pilot-training-bases/

[Harald]

Italian pilot school achievements may benefit American T-X trainer program

A pilot school in Italy built around the M-346 jet trainer and advanced simulators — both on the ground and in the aircraft — will reach its full potential early next year, according to officials, who hope the achievement will boost the M-346's chances in the U.S. T-X trainer contest.

With three more aircraft arriving in January, the Italian Air Force base at Lecce, southern Italy, will reach its full complement of 18 M-346s, allowing about 40 students to graduate annually from Phase IV courses before they shift to fighter squadrons.

"With the aircraft and simulators up and running, we will be at 100 percent," base commander Col. Luigi Casali said.

Since the M-346 debuted at the school in 2014, 15 instructors have qualified to teach pilots to fly the aircraft and 13 are now training, said Casali. By mid-2018, the number of qualified instructors will rise to 18, including instructors from Italy, the Netherlands, Austria, France, Spain and the U.S.

.../...

https://www.defensenews.com/training-sim/2017/12/15/italian-pilot-school-achievements-may-benefit-american-t-x-trainer-program/

[Harald]

KAI adjusting price of T-50A to win T-X bid

The new CEO of Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) told reporters that the company is seeking to make adjustments to the price of the T-50A advanced jet trainer to win the U.S. Air Force T-X competition.

"It's a life or death opportunity for KAI and we have been making efforts by transforming the management and cutting costs including labor costs", Kim Jo-won said.

Lees meer via http://alert5.com/2017/12/04/kai-adjusting-price-of-t-50a-to-win-t-x-bid/#KPEOos1MqUj7Vbvk.99

[Sparkplug]

T-X trainer award not likely until at least spring 2018

DefenseNews

[Harald]

If CR persists, Air Force could announce T-X winner ahead of contract award

If a continuing resolution extends past December, the Air Force may consider choosing a winner for the T-X program while deferring the actual award, the service's uniformed head of acquisition said Tuesday.

The service plans to award a contract for the T-X trainer program by the end of the calendar year. However, if the current continuing resolution — which runs until Dec. 8 and prohibits new programs from starting — is extended past into 2018, the service may have to reevaluate its options, said Lt. Gen. Arnold Bunch, the Air Force's uniformed head of acquisition.

"We will look at options to see if we can award with a delayed start. There are ways, we have done it before, when you award a contract and you delay the start of the contract for a few months," he said at the Air Force Association's annual conference.

.../...

http://www.defensenews.com/digital-show-dailies/air-force-association/2017/09/19/if-cr-persists-air-force-could-announce-t-x-winner-ahead-of-contract-award/

[Harald]

US Air Force secretary names T-X trainer contract, new hires as potential CR victims  ( .. nog geen keuze gemaakt... het probleem ... GEEN geld ... )

WASHINGTON ― The contract award for the U.S. Air Force's new trainer, as well as an influx of new pilots and cyber experts, are at risk if Congress funds the Pentagon through a long continuing resolution, according to Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson.

During an Aug. 31 joint interview with Defense News and Air Force Times, Wilson said the T-X contract award is one of the many programs that would likely be delayed under a CR, which funds the government at previous fiscal year levels.

The T-X is the Air Force's next big contract, with the long competition for the right to produce 350 next-generation trainer aircraft finally expected to conclude before the end of the year. Boeing-Saab, Lockheed Martin-KAI, and Leonardo are the final three competitors for the T-X design.

Asked if the service could still name a winner for T-X while delaying an actual contract, Wilson indicated that wouldn't be happening, saying, "Well, what's the point? We don't have the money to be able to do it, so you end up delaying a lot of new starts."

Another concern for Wilson is the impact a CR would have on the service's attempts to plus- up pilot numbers and increase the number of cyber experts in the service.

"You probably have a hard freeze, if not a chill, on hiring," Wilson said. "We're trying to hire people in cyber, in training. We're trying to increase the number of pilots we're putting through pilot training. ... This becomes very quickly an extremely difficult problem."

In theory, that could potentially harm the service's chances of getting exemptions for big programs like the T-X. Under a CR, the services can request Congress to create special allowances for vital programs to be funded, but those are typically few and far between.

Wilson also is cocerned that the number of major issues going on in the world right now, including the standoff with North Korea and the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, could divert the attention of members of Congress at a time when they need to be making big decisions about how to fund the military.

.../...

http://www.defensenews.com/air/2017/09/01/secaf-t-x-trainer-contract-new-hires-could-be-among-cr-victims/

[Sparkplug]

PARIS: Leonardo touts operational pedigree of T-100 for T-X

FlightGlobal

[jurrien visser (JuVi op Twitter)]

Mega stakes as defense companies face deadline on Air Force trainer bid

http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/article/2626198 via @dcexaminer

[jurrien visser (JuVi op Twitter)]

PARIS: USAF trainer competition heats up

https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/paris-usaf-trainer-competition-heats-up-438159/

[Harald]

The Italian M-346 Fighter Pilot Trainer Is Almost Undefeated

Leonardo's entry in the U.S. Air Force's jet trainer competition has a solid record

Italian aerospace conglomerate Leonardo submitted its bid for the U.S. Air Force's T-X advanced jet trainer program in March 2017. The company will submit its flight data for its T-100 aircraft—a derivative of the M-346 Master advanced jet trainer—by the end of this month. Leonardo is going head-to-head against Lockheed Martin's T-50A and a new Boeing design that was custom designed for the Air Force contest.

"We feel good about the proposal," Bill Lynn, chief executive officer for Leonardo DRS—the American subsidiary of the Italian giant—told me in his office in Arlington, Virginia.

"We have been the most successful internationally."

Lynn noted that the M-346 is already training future F-35 pilots in Israel, and it's in service with the Italian air force, which will use it to train its future Joint Strike Fighter pilots.

Indeed, the M-346 has won four out of the five international trainer contests it has been submitted into—defeating the South Korean-developed T-50 on more than one occasion.

The wild card this time round is Boeing's new entrant, which the M-346 has never faced-off against before.

One of the Leonardo's key strengths in Lynn's estimation is the company's integrated training approach. Leonardo's T-100/M-346 design pioneered the integrated training system, which has been adopted by other manufacturers, but the Italian company was the first.

"That's one of the real differentiators," Lynn said.

Leonardo's submission to the U.S. Air Force's T-X program involves more than just the aircraft.  The company is partnering with Honeywell to supply the engines, but more importantly, it is teaming with CAE to build the T-100's ground-based training system.

"We have—I think—the kind of system that the Air Force is looking for, which is something that is not only an aircraft, but integrated a ground-based training system and has a fluency between the two," Lynn said.

As the T-X competition has evolved, the program has become a price shootout according to most industry observers.

Indeed, Northrop Grumman—which had designed a new clean sheet design for the T-X competition—dropped out of the program after deciding that it was not worth its effort to submit a bid. Lockheed and Boeing remain in the competition, but Raytheon—Leonardo's former partner in the T-100 venture—declined to submit a bid.

Thus, the Italian company decided to submit a bid on its own using a "lean" structure to minimize costs.

"We think we're well positioned to offer the Air Force a very good price for this system," Lynn said.

One of the potential challenges for Leonardo, even though the T-100 is a mature design—is that it is a foreign company. But while the T-100 design might be of foreign origin, the aircraft will be assembled in Tuskegee, Alabama, where Leonardo plans to build a new factory. The plant would directly employ 750 people, but additional American jobs would be created because many of the subsystems are of U.S. origin.

CAE USA will build the ground-based training system in Florida while the jet's twin Honeywell F124-GA-200 engines are built in Arizona. Thus, while the T-100 might have been designed in Italy, it will be largely built in the United States.

"The plane will be built in America," Lynn said. "It will be very American."

The Air Force will likely select a winner for the T-X program by the end of the year. The initial contract will be for 350 aircraft worth roughly $16 billion, however that is just the initial buy. The Air Force—which will use the T-X to replace its Northrop T-38C Talons—has to replace more than just 350 aircraft. Moreover, once the U.S. Air Force adopts the T-X, other air arms around the world are likely to adopt the new trainer.

"I think there is a reasonable chance that the Air Force might buy more and there is a very, very high probability that you would have substantial numbers of international sales," Lynn said.

"That's one of the reasons this competition is getting so much attention."

Lynn estimates that if Leonardo wins the contract, it could sell as many as 1000 T-100 aircraft worldwide. Thus, it is a potentially very lucrative prize.

https://warisboring.com/the-italian-m-346-fighter-pilot-trainer-is-almost-undefeated/

[Harald]

Who Will Power the T-X Trainer? Play the Percentages

The T-X competition is receiving a lot of attention in the aviation world. Such a lucrative contract—350 aircraft and further orders likely—promises a heated contest, with the triumphs and upsets a competition of this scale brings. The contending entrants are impressive and include both clean-sheet and current production models.

While the designers – Boeing/Saab, Lockheed Martin/KAI, Leonardo, Sierra Nevada/TAI, and Stavatti – prepare for the impending battle, it's worth a look at the engines that will power the aircraft.

While the airframe manufacturers are globe-spanning enterprises, the builders of the engines that power the aircraft are all U.S.-based. Two of these, Williams International and General Electric, have an equal chance of being part of the winning package, based on sheer percentages alone: each company produces engines for two of the planes under consideration. The third engine manufacturer, Honeywell, enters the arena with a popular, proven design.

Despite powering only one of the aircraft, Honeywell has a fighting chance, as its engine is fitted to the T-100. Based on the successful Leonardo M-346, an aircraft in service with many countries, the T-100 is to be fitted with two F124 engines. The engine is familiar, in Taiwan especially, thanks to its afterburning cousin, the F125, which powers the AIDC F-CK-1 Ching-Kuo. The dual-engine model joins similar aircraft powered by Williams International.

A pair of Williams FJ44s will power the Sierra Nevada/TAI Freedom Trainer, a clean-sheet design which has yet to fly. The Stavatti entrant, based on the ATG Javelin, will presumably be powered with the two Williams FJ33 engines that powered the Javelin. Williams International's bailiwick is lightweight, fuel-efficient turbofans, many of which equip light business jets, cruise missiles, and drones, but their engines are not unknown to trainer aircraft. In fact, a Williams International engine powers the Leonardo M-345HET. Still, despite favorable odds, the Williams-powered aircraft face stiff competition.

General Electric F404 engines power both the Boeing/Saab T-X and the Lockheed Martin/KAI T-50. The F404 is no stranger to military aircraft: its platforms include the Saab Gripen and legacy Boeing F/A-18s. Unlike the other entrants, both the T-X and T-50 are single-engine models. The F404s feature afterburners, something the Honeywell and Williams International engines lack. The T-X and T-50 match-up will likely provide excitement, as Boeing and Lockheed Martin rivalries run deep.

The T-X competition has the potential to become legendary, as entrants vie for the profitable contract. Training men and women in the art of flying fast jets, the T-X has a crucial role to fill. Look for the trainer finally selected to begin operations in the early to mid-2020s.

http://www.defense-aerospace.com/articles-view/release/3/184120/who-will-power-the-t_x-trainer%3F-play-the-percentages.html

[Harald]

Boeing Details T-X

At its annual media trip, Boeing presented its T-X solution for the US Air Force (USAF) trainer of the future. The company is very proud that it took only 36 month from the start of planning until the first flight. Boeing's main partner, responsible for the fuselage, is Saab.

All tests are done by industry, following the requirements and guideline book of the USAF. At the end, all test data has to be handed over to the USAF on 28 June 2017. Boeing built two of T-X demonstrators, BT-X1 and BT-X2, which are equal. These are more than just demonstrators, though, as they are series ready, Boeing pointed out. "They could be handed over tomorrow," one Boeing official said. If Boeing wins the tender, production will take place at Boeing's St. Louis, MI/USA facility, expected to support approximately 1,800 jobs in the region. Story here.

The cockpit is reconfigurable and offers a growth capability. As to who will provide the cockpit, Boeing stayed mum, i.e. did not disclose any information. It is offering a great field of view for both seats, and can be used by small and large personnel. Another built-in option is air-refuelling. As part of the concept, the T-X can also go supersonic with its afterburner, which is not an USAF requirement. "Boeing is meeting all the requirements," the official said. No other capabilities were disclosed.

Looking into the future, the T-X could be also the future trainer for the US Navy or other nations, as well as a light fighter. The aircraft has the possibility/growth capability of hard points, e.g. for sensors or weapons. These are no requirements stated by USAF, but gives industry better export chances. This is the first time in the US that  industry had to pay for design and production by themselves. There has not been an USAF order for the demonstrators this time, just requirements. In the end, 351 jets could be ordered, but Boeing thinks there is an opportunity for 2,000+ in the world.

http://www.monch.com/mpg/news/11-air/1482-boeing-tx.html

[Ace1]

Boeing-Saab victory in T-X competition would bring work to St. Louis production line

http://www.defensenews.com/articles/boeing-saab-victory-in-t-x-competition-would-bring-work-to-st-louis-production-line

[Sparkplug]

Swedish air force interested in Boeing-Saab trainer jet, but probably not other T-X options

DefenseNews