US Army to choose C-XX by year end

THE US ARMY IS to award a contract for 35 off-the-shelf, medium-range business aircraft by the end of this year.

The $175 million purchase is part of a plan to slash the number of aircraft types operated by US Army active and reserve aviation units, from 21 to a handful of types by 2015. They include aircraft for short, medium and long-range utility operations and a type for specific missions such as medical evacuation and intelligence gathering duties.

The formal request for proposals for the C-XX medium-range (MR) transport was issued in early August. The deadline for proposals is 2 October. Source selection and the initial contract award is set for 15 December.

The competition is open to US- and foreign-made turbofan and turboprop-powered aircraft. Aircraft cited by the US Army as potential C-XX-MR candidates include the Raytheon Beechjet 400A, the Lear 31 A and 35 A, the Cessna Citation Ultra and the Piaggio P.180 Avanti.

The 35 aircraft will be based across the USA and in South Korea, Germany and Panama.

Source: Flight International