By Ann Roosevelt
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) Sept. 27 denied a protest by Raytheon [RTN] over the potential $2 billion Army-Air Force Joint Cargo Aircraft (JCA) program won by a team led by L-3 Communications [LLL].
L-3, Finmeccanica‘s Alenia North America, Boeing [BA] and Global Military Aircraft Systems offered the C-27J Spartan.
“With the protest hurdle cleared, we’re moving full bore toward delivering the first aircraft,” Jason Decker, L-3 Communications spokesman, told Defense Daily. The first delivery will be by October 2008.
Raytheon has not had an opportunity to review the GAO decision, thus has no comment at this time. Raytheon and partner European Aeronautic Defence and Space Co. (EADS) offered the C-295 aircraft. The bid protest, filed in June after the contract award, was based on concerns over proposal evaluation and scoring rules (Defense Daily, June 14, 22, 28).
The JCA is a “top priority for the Army,” Secretary of the Army Pete Geren told reporters at a Defense Writers Group breakfast the same day. The aircraft, smaller than a C-130, would take critical people and supplies the last tactical mile, which is an Army mission, not an Air Force mission.
While Congress has tried to move the program exclusively to the Air Force “the current arrangement is the best one,” Geren said.
The Army wants the aircraft as soon as possible, while the Air Force doesn’t plan procurement until after the turn of the decade.
“We are pleased that the GAO confirmed the selection of our C-27J offering–we have had confidence in our JCA offering and our team from the beginning. The C-27J is the right choice for the JCA mission,” Bob Drewes, president and chief operating officer, L-3 Integrated Systems Group, said in a statement.
Giuseppe Giordo, president and CEO, Alenia North America, said the GAO announcement “reconfirms that our aircraft and our team represent the best value solution for the warfighter. This decision also validates a detailed and exhaustive competitive process during which the U.S. Army and U.S. Air Force both recognized the unique capabilities of our C-27J aircraft, our team and our JCA offering as a whole.”
The C-27J is a mid-range, multifunctional and interoperable aircraft able to perform logistical re-supply, medical evacuation, troop movement, airdrop operations, humanitarian assistance and homeland security missions for the Army and Air Force.
The C-27J will replace the Army’s C-23 Sherpas, C-12 and C-26 aircraft and augment the existing Air Force fleet of intratheater airlifters. The aircraft will play a key role in providing responsive aerial sustainment and critical re-supply support for the maneuver force to maintain operational momentum.