Well, the Air Force's effort to buy a fleet of 20 or so light attack turboprops has kicked off once again. Yup, several months after a 'paperwork error' caused the service to tear up the $355 million contract that it gave Embraer and Sierra Nevada for 20 Brazilian-made Super Tucanos in February, the effort is back.
Once again, the service is pitting Embraer's Super T against Hawker Beechcraft's AT-6 Texan with the aim of awarding a contract nearly next year with aircraft arriving in Afghanistan by 2014, according to the Air Force's May 4 Light Air Support Request for Proposals. Given the fact that this effort has been bouncing around since oh, 2008, it would be nice if the service could get the tiny fleet of planes to Afghanistan before the war is over.
Click here to read more about the light attack effort and here to read the latest RfP.
