Rapid Fire October 22, 2012: Of Unintended Consequences
- The USAF issued a solicitation for their 300-plane T-X trainer program, but don’t get excited yet. It isn’t even an RFI, just advance clarification re: Military Airworthiness Certification requirements. If Boeing really wants to invest in a new design, that will be just one of their challenges. IAI/ATG’s Javelin could give them a running start, but… this is a very high wall to climb without a proven design, no matter how you go about it.
- The US Navy christens their new escort carrier America [LHA 6] in a ceremony at HII’s Pascagoula, MS shipyard. Technically, she’s still “Pre-Commissioning Unit America”.
- Todd Harrison at the CSBA think tank published a paper on the effects of competition on defense acquisitions. “In some instances, the structure of the competition can actually incentivize contractors to bid higher and drive up costs.”
