Boeing has secured a trio of impressive competition victories in recent months, crowned by the huge USAF T-X trainer win.
BOEING IS ON a roll. It has secured the US Navy’s MQ-25 Stingray unmanned tanker requirement, and its MH-139 — ofered jointly with Leonardo Helicopters — has won the US Air Force competition to replace the service’s ageing fleet of UH-1H ‘Huey’ utility helicopters. But biggest of all, its all-new, clean-sheet, training aircraft has been chosen as the replacement for the T-38 Talon.
The USAF announced Boeing’s new trainer as the winner of the T-X contract on September 27. ‘Today’s announcement is the culmination of years of unwavering focus by the Boeing and Saab team,’ said Leanne Caret, president and CEO of Boeing Defense, Space and Security. ‘It is a direct result of our joint investment in developing a system centered on the unique requirements of the USAF.’
Boeing’s approach was ambitious from the outset. While Leonardo and Lockheed Martin chose existing designs, as far back as 2012 Boeing was already saying that a clean-sheet efort was the only way to win T-X, by meeting the exact needs of the USAF. It also had to be super-aggressive on price.
From the start Boeing intended to …
