ARLINGTON, Va., Sept. 9 (UPI) -- BAE Systems said it will offer its Hawk jet trainers to the U.S. Air Force as a replacement for the service's aging T-38s.
"Hawk is the lowest cost, fully-integrated, advanced training system available now," Samuel Cole, BAE System's vice president of aerospace solutions, said at a news briefing this week.
The Hawk Advanced Training System is already in service with Britain's Royal Air Force and in more than 18 countries, he said, and embracing the Hawk system would enable the Air Force to meet its desired 2017 Initial Operational Capability date for T-38 replacements.
The Air Force is conducting an analysis of alternatives for the T-38 training system and is expected to deliver the results in March. New system requirements would then be formally issued.
BAE said in a news release that with the Hawk it is well-positioned to compete for the Air Force Advanced Pilot Training Family of Systems -- commonly called the T-X system -- and to provide the training system for the next generation of operational pilots.
"As the premier provider of fast jet training systems worldwide, BAE Systems is training for the future now," said Larry Prior, executive vice president of Service Sectors for BAE Systems. "BAE Systems will prime this pursuit from its U.S. business and leverage its extensive experience and highly relevant global capabilities to offer the most advanced family of systems available now to replace the aging T-38 training system.
"We will pursue strategic partners in the U.S. to provide best value to the U.S. Air Force while investing in the U.S. industrial base."
