Battle to win Singapore’s trainer contest heats up
Singapore has completed technical evaluations of four primary trainers and is set to begin contract negotiations in late June or early July with Aermacchi and Lockheed Martin, offering lease deals on the M311 and Pilatus PC-21 respectively.
Industry sources say Singapore’s evaluation team has determined the M311 and PC-21 meet the requirement, but has rejected the Embraer EMB-314 Super Tucano and Raytheon T-6B.
The evaluation, conducted by the Defence Science and Technology Agency, is expected to be approved by air force leaders within the next few weeks. After the evaluation is approved, price bids will be opened and one or two companies will be invited for contract negotiations. Sources say Singapore could enter into contract negotiations with one company if only one proposal meets the budget, but this is unlikely because it would reduce its leverage during the negotiation process.
Singapore was planning to award a contract in August and begin operating new primary trainers at Pearce airbase in Western Australia from April 2008. But sources say contract negotiations will likely spill into the fourth quarter and a final selection is now expected towards year-end.
The air force has kept the April 2008 date for the start of the new 20-year training operation despite several delays in the competition. Aermacchi, however, is offering to take over the service’s current S211s in the interim if new M311s cannot be delivered in time.
Singapore seeks a contractor team to supply about 7,000 block hours per year, which will require an estimated 18 to 20 aircraft. Aermacchi has teamed with Qantas Defence Services to provide maintenance and Bombardier to supply training services. Hawker Pacific will provide maintenance under Lockheed’s PC-21 bid.
Elbit Systems backed the Super Tucano bid and Singapore Technologies (ST Aero) is the prime for the T-6B proposal.
Sources say the evaluation team concluded the T-6B’s performance is too low end for the requirement, but ST Aero is now trying to persuade the air force to re-consider the evaluation, arguing the solution is less risky.
Singapore would be the launch customer for the M311 or PC-21, while the T-6A is operated by the USA, Singapore’s largest source for defence equipment.
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