Lockheed Martin reportedly is out of the running for the Joint Cargo Aircraft competition because its proposed aircraft—a short-fuselage variant of the C-130J Hercules—failed to meet initial requirements. According to the Washington Post, the Army, which is working the JCA program in concert with the Air Force, eliminated Lockheed because it hasn’t received FAA approval for the short-fuselage J model. Lockheed could protest the decision and probably will since the J model has full FAA approval. If the Army decision stands, that would leave two competing contractor teams: Alenia/Boeing/L3 Communications offering the C-27J Spartan and Raytheon/EADS North America with the C-295 and CN-235.
As Air Force leaders consider concepts of operations for Collaborative Combat Aircraft, sustainment in the field—and easing that support by using standard parts and limiting variants—should be a key consideration, according to a new study from AFA's Mitchell Institute of Aerospace Studies.