Graham Warwick/ATLANTA
RAYTHEON AIRCRAFT, prime contractor for the US Air Force/Navy Joint Primary Aircraft Training System (JPATS), has revamped the selection process for the accompanying ground-based training system (GBTS).
The company now plans to choose two finalists, not one, from the shortlist of four, possibly next month, then make a final selection in the second quarter of 1997, slightly later than had been originally planned.
David Reimer, vice-president of the trainer-systems division, says that the change results from technical challenges involved in developing the GBTS training-integration management system.
This is a networked, distributed computer system, which integrates control and administration of pilot training under the JPATS programme.
The change will allow the two finalists to work with the USAF and USN for seven months, to refine the GBTS requirements before submitting final bids. Raytheon has short-listed FlightSafety Services, Hughes Training, Lockheed Martin and McDonnell Douglas to bid for the GBTS.
"Previously, we planned to select a contract based on the bid only. Now, we will select the contractor based on the company's proven ability to produce the training-software system the customer wants," Reimer says.
USAF and USN programmes have in the past been affected by problems with the training-management system.
The US company is conducting the GBTS competition, on behalf of the armed forces, under its $4 billion JPATS prime contract awarded earlier this year.
Raytheon will build 712 Beech MkII trainers for the Air Force and Navy and provide logistic support, while the $3 billion GBTS subcontract will cover training devices, courseware, the training-integration management system and logistic support.
Source: Flight International
