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) is suing the Air Force after its initial win for the Light Air Support (LAS) contract, featuring the A-29 Super Tucano, was rescinded following a protest from Hawker Beechcraft Corporation (HBC).
SNC is seeking to reinstate its original award, arguing that restarting the competition was an "extreme response" to mere "paperwork errors" by the Air Force.
SNC alleges the new competition is flawed, claiming HBC's AT-6B benefited from Air Force development funding and allowed modifications, and that the contract may be awarded before test flights of a production version, introducing significant risk.

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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.