Boeing lands $9.2B Air Force contract

Boeing has secured a $9.2 billion Air Force contract to produce T-X aircraft, which officials said would replace the Air Education and Training Command’s 57-year-old fleet of T-38C Talons.

The agreement calls for Boeing to deliver 351 T-X aircraft, 46 simulators and associated ground equipment, but the indefinite-delivery / indefinite-quantity contract allows the Air Force to purchase up to 475 aircraft and 120 simulators.

The contract is designed to offer taxpayers the best value both today and in the future should requirements change. Officials noted more than 90 percent of Boeing’s offering would be made in America, supporting more than 17,000 jobs in 34 states.

Boeing Defense, Space and Security President and CEO Leanne Caret said the announcement is the culmination of years of unwavering focus by the Boeing and its risk-sharing partner, Saab.

“It is a direct result of our joint investment in developing a system centered on the unique requirements of the Air Force,” Caret said. “We expect T-X to be a franchise program for much of this century.”

Boeing and Saab designed, developed, and flight-tested two all-new, purpose-built jets, officials said, proving out the system’s design, repeatability in manufacturing and training capability.

“This new aircraft will provide the advanced training capabilities we need to increase the lethality and effectiveness of future Air Force pilots,” Heather A. Wilson, secretary of the Air Force, said. “Through competition, we will save at least $10 billion on the T-X program.”

The T-X program is expected to provide student pilots in undergraduate and graduate-level training courses with the skills and competencies required to transition to fourth and fifth
generation fighter and bomber aircraft, with the first T-X aircraft and simulators slated to arrive at Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph, Texas, in 2023.