Air Force Materiel Command is looking to replace the wings on the service’s aging T-38 trainers. The command issued a sources sought synopsis Tuesday to notify interested contractors of an upcoming buy, which is expected to result in a five to 10-year contract that will call for 12 to 24 wings per year. The service expects to replace the T-38 Talon, first produced in the 1960s, with a new trainer, dubbed the T-X, that will reach initial operational capability by 2024. (See also: Pilot Training for the Future from the September 2016 issue of Air Force Magazine)
Anduril and General Atomics will develop their Collaborative Combat Aircraft for the Air Force, beating out Boeing, Lockheed Martin, and Northrop Grumman, the service announced on April 24. But any of the non-selected companies can compete to actually manufacture the eventual design, the Air Force said.