GAO Validates USAF Light Attack Aircraft Decision-YET again

Beechcraft again lost their never ending quest to sell their “fake it until they make it” prototype AT-6 derivative of the T-6.

So far all they have done is tragically slowed to a crawl the much need airpower transition of US and Allied Afghan combat engagement.

http://www.sldinfo.com/shaping-the-afghan-transition-the-airpower-dimension/

Beechcraft has just issued their latest press release in which they continue to insist as a private company that they have the right to determine the choice which the public authority needs to make, even when the USAF is the decision maker, not the private company.

In an amazing reversal of logic, the private company now believes IT is builder, decider and arbitrator on a USAF decision.

(Beechcraft’s Statement on U.S. Government Accountability Office Ruling on Light Air Support Contract issued June 13, 2013)

It is now time for Congress to step in and put an end to this flawed acquisition process and limit the purchase of the Brazilian aircraft to only that of the Afghanistan requirement covered by the first delivery order of the LAS contract…

It is deeply distressing that the Air Force selected a more expensive, less capable, foreign-manufactured airplane with weapons and systems unfamiliar to, and outside the control of, the United States military. We have known that the requirements for this procurement were written to favor the competition’s aircraft.

During this protest, we learned that the GAO’s review looks only at whether the Air Force followed its process, but not whether the process itself was actually correct or appropriate. We question whether the Embraer aircraft with its foreign-made weapons can be certified to U.S. military standards in time to provide the mission-capable aircraft per the contract.

This press release continues a process which is amazing in the history of US defense acquisition in terms of determined arrogance and projection of self-importance.

They are NOT the USAF.

They have insulted the integrity of the GAO while asking Congress to intervene.  They are doing this even they have already tried to get the House of Representatives engaged on the issue of limiting the SuperTucano contract and the Committee vote was a resounding “Ney”

They have continued to insult the integrity of their customer, the US Air Force, and suggest that only acquisition criteria which meets their own determination of a “good choice” is proper.

They have insulted the Boeing Company partnership with Embrear which has embraced expanding the weapons employed by the A-29, Super Tucano, for the global market.

They continue to put in jeopardy the potential sale of  F/A-18s to Brazil by engaging in Brazil bashing, a country that is the 6th largest economy in the world. That contract is estimated to be worth around $ 8 Billion.

And they have done this while producing a record of bankruptcy and then barely moving out of bankruptcy but in the process trying to sell a significant part of their company to the People’s Republic of China.

And this “All-American” company uses Swiss licenses, Mexican plants and tries to sell a large part of itself to China.