Programma T-X

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Ha volato il secondo esemplare del T-X di Boeing/Saab e ... tanto per dirla alla vecchia maniera sovietica ... "Tutto si è svolto secondo i piani prestabiliti" ...

“The jet handled exactly like the first aircraft and the simulator, meeting all expectations,” says Matt Giese, Boeing test pilot for air force programmes.

Fonte: FlightGlobal ... Boeing/Saab fly second T-X test aircraft ...

Boeing ... "Second Boeing T-X Aircraft Takes Flight" ...

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L'ottimismo di Håkan Buskhe ... Amministratore Delegato di Saab ...

Saab has made a major capital investment in its T-X partnership with Boeing over the past three years, but Buskhe says the scale of the USAF's requirement justifies its commitment.

"This will be a contract starting with 351 aircraft, and then probably another 350, and a huge global market. This will have – for us at least – a great impact over the years to come."

Buskhe remains bullish about the clean-sheet Boeing/Saab T-X platform's prospects with the USAF, and says company pilots are very happy with its performance, as a second example has recently joined the test campaign.

"From a technical perspective, I'm extremely sure that we have the best trainer system, with the latest technology," he says, adding: "We can also show that our aircraft is working very well."

Fonte: FlightGlobal ... T-X competitive field could expand, Saab suggests ...

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Qualora il velivolo di Boeing & Saab riuscisse a vincere la competizione T-X ... anche le Forze Aeree svedesi potrebbero acquistarlo per sostituire gli ormai vecchi Saab 105 ..... altrimenti ...

If Boeing and Saab’s trainer wins the U.S. Air Force’s T-X competition, the Swedish Air Force will put serious thought into buying it.

If another company nabs the contract, however, Sweden will likely opt for a much less expensive turboprop training aircraft, a Swedish Air Force official said Monday.

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“If Saab-Boeing will not win, we will not take the aircraft that the U.S. Air Force will go for because it doesn’t make sense in that case.”

Then it would pursue a less expensive turboprop plane with a glass cockpit, like the Pilatus PC-21, he said.

Fonte: DefenseNews ... Swedish Air Force interested in Boeing-Saab trainer jet, but probably not other T-X options ...

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Qualora il velivolo di Boeing & Saab riuscisse a vincere la competizione T-X (e questo è bene sottolinearlo sempre) ... la sua produzione avverrebbe in quel di St. Louis ...

AFA ... Boeing Would Build T-X in St. Louis ...

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

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Boeing incontra la stampa ... ma è avara di dettagli ...

The Boeing-Saab offering for the U.S. Air Force’s T-X advanced jet trainer requirement is a “production relevant” aircraft, Boeing asserted this week.

The manufacturer batted down the suggestion that its clean-sheet design will take longer to deliver to the service than competing jets based on operational models.

Meeting with reporters on May 17 in St. Louis, Boeing’s T-X program manager Ted Torgerson maintained a tight grip on information about the single-engine, twin-tail, high-wing design the companies rolled out last September, declining to reveal their investment in the program, the workshare with Saab or the number of flight hours flown by now two working jets.

The T-X1 flew for the first time on December 20; the T-X2 flew on April 24.

Asked about how many flight hours the jets have accumulated, Torgerson said only: “They have flown a lot, as many as four times in a day.”

He added that Boeing has already collected what the Air Force requires for flight-test data, including time-stamped cockpit audio and video, to make the service’s June 28 deadline.

Fonte: AINonline ... Boeing: T-X Offering for U.S. Air Force is 'Production Relevant' ...

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Ultime da Parigi ...

FlightGlobal dedica un articolo alla competizione ... soffermandosi prevalentemente sulla sfida fra Boeing e LM e riservando soltanto poche righe al velivolo italiano ...

... PARIS: USAF trainer competition heats up ...

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A margine del programma T-X ...

 

“Very cheap and fast” ... così gli Svedesi vorrebbero il successore del Saab 105 ...

 

FlightGlobal ... PARIS: Swedish new trainer programme moves forward ...

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Leonardo ...

 

... 'Siamo in grado di fornire all'USAF tutti i dati di volo del T-100 entro i tempi stabiliti' ...

 

Leonardo DRS will submit all required flight data for its T-100 trainer offering on or before the US Air Force's 28 June deadline, with chief executive Bill Lynn describing its M-346-based solution as "low-risk, low-cost and operationally proven".

"We will have everything submitted on time, and it will be complete," Lynn said at the Paris air show on 19 June.

"We think we can make a very competitive bid."

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

 

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Un sedile eiettabile per il T-X ... la proposta di Martin-Baker ...

Martin-Baker is showing its candidate ejection seat for the US Air Force's T-X trainer for the first time at a major show, with the Mk18 design also to be the basis for offers to equip future fighters and upgrade in-service types.

Developed using the UK company's experience gained from designing and producing the US16E seat for Lockheed Martin's F-35, the new product matches the USAF's requirement to accommodate pilots with an unclothed weight of between 46.7-111kg (103-245lb).

But the lighter-weight design incorporates enhancements including updated neck protection, passive arm restraints and a rocket motor that can be rotated for pitch control during the ejection sequence.

Fonte: FlightGlobal ... PARIS: Martin-Baker shows candidate ejection seat for T-X trainer ...

Fra l'altro ...

The USAF is expected to choose between the Boeing/Saab T-X, Leonardo DRS T-100 and Lockheed/Korea Aerospace Industries T-50A early in 2018, with 346 aircraft to be acquired as replacements for its Northrop T-38C trainers.

 

346 ?

 

Suona bene ...

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I legislatori esortano l' USAF ad accelerare ...

U.S. lawmakers have encouraged the U.S. Air Force to sustain or accelerate fielding of its T-X successor for the Northrop T-38C trainer aircraft .....

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In its mark of the fiscal 2018 defense authorization act, the House Armed Services tactical air and land forces subcommittee makes several aerospace-related recommendations and seeks briefings from service chiefs on several hot topics.

The legislation, released June 22, will be considered by the full House Armed Services Committee as part of its defense authorization bill for fiscal 2018.

The committee takes aim the Air Force’s long-running pursuit of a replacement for the 50-year-old T-38, which has been ongoing since the mid-1990s.

The fleet has already logged an average of 16,000 flight hours per aircraft, and the future T-X trainer doesn’t hit full operational capability until 2034.

A T-X contract is expected later this year, followed by a relatively short development cycle to meet initial operational capability in 2022.

“Any delay to the program will place the Air Force’s combat readiness at risk and maintaining or accelerating the current [T-X] program schedule is required to ensure safe and effective training,” the markup states.

Fonte: Aerospace Daily & Defense Report/AW&ST ... House Lawmakers Back T-X Acceleration, Analysis Of MQ-9B ...

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Su questo sito c'è un commento che riassume , in modo conciso, la situazione .

 

https://www.ilcaffegeopolitico.org/56435/t-x-la-gara-per-il-nuovo-aereo-addestratore-usa

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Un passo indietro ... N400NT ...

 

Ho trovato questo filmato ... forse l'unico che presenta il prototipo di Northrop Grumman / Scaled Composites ...

 

 

Ricapitolando ... dal sito di Combat Aircraft ... una serie di articoli riguardanti lo sfortunato progetto ...

 

... http://www.combataircraft.net/category/t-x/northrop-grumman/ ...

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Stanno emergendo timori di ritardi nell' assegnazione del contratto ...

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.

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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.”

Fonte: DefenseNews ... US Air Force secretary names T-X trainer contract, new hires as potential CR victims ...

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Mentre il momento della scelta si avvicina ... l'Amministratore Delegato di Leonardo DRS si dichiara convinto che esistano ancora possibilità di vittoria ...

The U.S. Air Force’s hunt for a next-generation military trainer aircraft is seemingly a cost shootout between Boeing and Lockheed Martin, with Leonardo DRS as the underdog.

But as the government reviews industry submissions for the T-X Advanced Pilot Training program and scrolls through hard drives full of flight data ahead of a down-select this fall, Leonardo DRS CEO Bill Lynn is confident his company’s M-346 Master-based T-100 proposal is a solid contender with every chance of victory.

The pending contract to replace the 1950s-era Northrop T-38 is valued at $16.3 billion for 350 aircraft.

Lynn’s T-X team has the full support of Leonardo’s leadership group in Rome, especially since victory in the U.S. would be a boon for global sales of the M-346, particularly among Lockheed F-35 operators.

“The history of predicting who is going to win these major competitions is poor; neither the tanker nor bomber competitions came out as many had predicted,” Lynn tells Aviation Week ahead of the Air Force Association’s Air, Space & Cyber Conference in Washington.

“The fact is, we have a proven trainer. We’re the only ones already training F-35 pilots,” he points out.

The aircraft has already beaten Lockheed’s South Korean-built T-50 in a number of international contests, and it remains to be seen how the government rates the Boeing-Saab BTX clean-sheet combat trainer.

Lynn disputes assertions by analysts and pundits that the T-100 is at a disadvantage compared to Boeing’s and Lockheed’s offerings.

He also expects the T-100 to be very cost-competitive without the added overhead of a large U.S. teammate, like Raytheon.

Leonardo DRS is the U.S.-registered subsidiary of Leonardo and was essentially the fallback option for Leonardo Aircraft after it and Raytheon split in January.

“The current structure we have of Leonardo DRS with Leonardo Aircraft gives us the leanest cost structure we can have; and price is an important criterion,” Lynn says.

“The corporate leadership in Rome is completely behind this bid. They see this as a very significant opportunity.”

Lynn does not anticipate Leonardo DRS’s Italian heritage will be a hindrance.

If selected, final assembly and checkout will take place at a purpose-built facility at Moton Field in Tuskegee, Alabama.

Partner Honeywell will resume production of the M-346’s F124 turbofan engine in Phoenix, and CAE will produce the ground training system in Florida.

“This is going to be an American worker-built product,” Lynn says.

“We’re going to be employing a lot of Americans.”

Fonte: AW&ST ... T-X Trainer Competition Narrows Ahead Of Down-Select - Boeing, Leonardo DRS and Lockheed Martin await notice of T-X award ...

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Mancano ormai soltanto tre mesi alla decisione ... ma permangono tuttora i dubbi relativi al livello dei finanziamenti ...

 

A continuing resolution signed by President Donald Trump on Sept. 8 will keep the military funded - albeit at reduced levels - until Dec. 8, but Defense Department leaders have warned that a longer CR could adversely impact the Air Force’s ability to buy new aircraft.

The Air Force’s biggest ongoing aircraft competition, the T-X trainer program, is one of the programs that could be caught in the crossfire of a longterm CR, Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson told Defense News on Aug. 31.

However, other programs of record and technology development efforts also stand to be hurt if a continuing resolution is extended into the spring.

The service plans to award a contract in December to one of the three competing teams: Boeing-Saab’s clean sheet T-X, Leonardo DRS’s T-100 and Lockheed-Korean Aerospace Industries’ T-50A.

However, it may not be able to do so if still under a CR, which keeps funding at the same level as the previous fiscal year and prohibits new programs from starting, Wilson said.

Asked whether the Air Force could announce a T-X winner without awarding a contract, Wilson responded, “Well, what’s the point? We don’t have the money to be able to do it.”

Some of the T-X competitors are already starting to voice concerns about the effect continuing budget turmoil could have on the program going forward.

 

Fonte: defensenews.com ... T-X, F-35 among programs potentially afflicted by longterm continuing resolution ...

 

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OOPS !

 

Qualche zucca vuota forse ( ? ) si sta accorgendo che a furia di voler fare tutto in casa - America first - si è costretti a spendere soldi in più per pagare lo sviluppo dei due prototipi di Boeing e Lockheed , mentre comprando il 346 avrebbero la soluzione pronta e i soldi risparmiati potrebbero servire per sistemare i problemi di F-35 e di sistemi d'arma dhe non funzionano ( es. : le catapulte elettromagnetiche della portaerei Ford ).

Ditemi che è veramente così !

 

Finora hanno perso tempo a cercare un motivo per escludere il Macchi ( che cattivone : non si fa da parte ) ; adesso sono in confusione mentale.

Modificato 18 Settembre 2017 da engine

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'America First', in verità, credo c'entri poco ...

E' dai primi tempi della presidenza Obama che il 'complesso militare industriale' USA (così lo definì Eisenhower) sta boicottando i prodotti italiani ... e l'USAF è in testa nell'appoggiarlo ...

 

 

 

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Sul 346 americanizzato , o anche sul AW139 , spazio per il lavoro americano non manca.

 

Hai ragiona ma speravo che Trump mollasse l'andazzo impresso da Obama .

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Nel frattempo ... novità da Leonardo DRS ...

 

 

Leonardo DRS has named a new head of its T-100 program, who will be responsible for leading the development and of the T-100 if the company wins the T-X trainer contract later this year.

Marc Lindsley, an Air Force veteran with more than 15 years of experience at Northrop Grumman, has been appointed vice president of T-100 programs, DRS announced Monday.

“Marc is a proven leader with extensive industry and military experience who has consistently demonstrated an ability to lead major programs and commands,” said Bill Lynn, CEO of Leonardo DRS.

“We are excited to have Marc join our team where his leadership strengths and knowledge of aerospace systems will be tremendous assets in both the capture and execution of the T-X program,” Lynn said.

Fonte: defensenews.com ... Leonardo DRS announces new head of T-100 program ...

 

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Saab promette che, in caso di vittoria, produrrà negli USA ...

 

 

Saab intends to establish a manufacturing and production center in the U.S. to handle the Swedish company’s work on the Boeing-Saab T-X trainer aircraft.

But it’s unclear if that plan will remain in place should the team-up fail to win the U.S. Air Force’s contract.

Also unclear is where the facility might end up.

At a speech on the floor of the Air Force Association’s annual conference, Boeing defense chief Leanne Caret and Saab AB president and CEO Haken Buskhe said the goal is for their T-X design to be more than 90 percent built in America.

Fonte: defensenews.com ... Saab pledges to open new facility in US for T-X, but questions remain ...

 

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Comunanza ... parlano due generali a riposo dell'Air Force ... ora consulenti di LM ...

The training syllabus for the Lockheed Martin/Korean Aerospace Industries T-50A is so common to that of the F-16 that Air Combat Command could offload 50 percent of tasks taught on the F-16 to the T-50A, Lockheed Martin consultant retired Gen. Don Cook said Monday in promoting the jet.

“It’s a nine-month syllabus in the F-16,” observed Cook, who retired as head of Air Education and Training Command in 2005.

After learning many of the same skills in the T-50A, which resembles the F-16 and was developed with training F-16 pilots in mind, “you’re basically checking out in a similar airplane,” and the F-16 program need be only four months, he said.

“This is the experience the Koreans have had” in flying both aircraft, added retired Gen. William Looney, who also retired as head of AETC.

Fonte: airforcemag.com ... Lockheed Martin T-X Would Absorb Half of F-16 Training ...

Nota ... la foto non c'entra niente ... si riferisce ad un'altra notizia ...

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Comunanza ... parlano due generali a riposo dell'Air Force ... ora consulenti di LM ...

Fonte: airforcemag.com ... Lockheed Martin T-X Would Absorb Half of F-16 Training ...

Nota ... la foto non c'entra niente ... si riferisce ad un'altra notizia ...

 

 

Vedo che, nel frattempo, hanno provveduto a sostituire la foto ...

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A.A.A. ... scappatoia cercasi ...

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.

“But we need some budget certainty before we go do that. If we go to sequestration funding levels, we’re going to have to look at everything that we’re doing. I hate to say the acquisition answer of depends, really, on what the situation is when we get to that point.”

Fonte: defensenews.com ... If CR persists, Air Force could announce T-X winner ahead of contract award ...

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Il T-X di Northrop Grumman ... si solleva il velo sulla riservatezza che ha circondato il ritiro del velivolo dalla competizione ...

Northrop Grumman subsidiary Scaled Composites has spoken out about its Model 400 jet that was tested for the ill-fated Northrop Grumman bid for the US Air Force’s T-X trainer program.

Having built and test-flown its Model 400 ‘clean-sheet’ T-X aircraft, Northrop Grumman looked like a certain bidder for the competition … until February this year, when it dramatically dropped out of the running.

 

Fonte: combataircraft.net ... More details revealed on NG’s failed T-X jet ...

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Non sarà per quest'anno ...

A contract for the Air Force’s T-X trainer program probably won’t be awarded until next spring, even if Congress is able to pass a spending bill that would remove restrictions on new-start programs, one of the service’s top leaders said.

At the time of the release of the final T-X solicitation last year, the service stated it planned to announce a winner before the end of calendar year 2017.

Now, the Air Force is aiming for a later goalpost, said Air Force Under Secretary Matt Donovan during his first interview in his new role at the Pentagon.

“Source selection is never based on the calendar, it’s based on events that they finished the source selection, and they do expect that to be somewhere in the spring,” he told Defense News, adding that the new target date is probably sometime near the end of March.

Fonte: defensenews.com ... T-X trainer award not likely until at least spring 2018 ...