Rhetoric Heats up in Embraer vs. Beechcraft Contract Drama

Isabel Goyer

Thursday, June 14, 2012 at 10:42 PM ET

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Embraer Super Tucano

Key Takeaways:

Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) initially won the USAF's Light Air Support (LAS) contract with its A-29 Super Tucano, but the award was nullified after a protest by Hawker Beechcraft Corporation (HBC).
SNC is suing to reinstate its original award, arguing that reopening the competition was an "extreme response" to minor "paperwork errors" by the Air Force.
SNC further claims the new competition is flawed, alleging HBC benefited from aircraft modifications and Air Force funding during the evaluation, and that the process will conclude without testing the winning production aircraft.

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Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC), which has entered the Embraer A-29 Super Tucano in the United States Air Force’s Light Air Support competition, is crying foul over the latest developments in what is proving to be an ongoing drama with elements of international intrigue. To be sure, one of SNC’s complaints is an en eye-opener.

To refresh your memory, Sierra Nevada actually won the competition last December, with the Air Force selecting the Super Tucano. Hawker Beechcraft Corporation (HBC) officially protested, however, claiming that they weren’t given proper notification. The DoD eventually accepted the protest, threw out the earlier award to Sierra Nevada and reopened the competition.