The US Air Force has canceled a $355 million contract for a light attack aircraft made by Brazil’s Embraer, saying it would open an investigation after protests from a rival US aerospace firm, officials said Tuesday.
The contract for 20 Embraer AT-29 Super Tucano aircraft was awarded in December as part of plans to arm the Afghan military amid a NATO troop drawdown.
But the US Air Force said it was not “satisfied” with the paperwork supporting the decision to hand the project to US-based Sierra Nevada Corporation, in partnership with Embraer.
The US military wants to provide a light aircraft for Afghan’s air fleet to conduct flight training, aerial reconnaissance and combat support operations for ground troops.
The AT-29 Super Tucano is a turboprop aircraft designed for low threat environments.
However Hawker Beechcraft Corp, based in Wichita, Kansas, protested the award, arguing that its AT-6 plane was unfairly shut out of the competition.
Embraer officials denied the allegations but were unable to stop a government investigation.
“Today, the Air Force advised the Department of Justice that it will take corrective action on the Afghanistan Light Air Support contract and will set aside the contract award to Sierra Nevada effective March 2, 2012,” the Air Force said in a statement.
“While we pursue perfection, we sometimes fall short, and when we do we will take corrective action,” Air Force Secretary Michael Donley said in the same statement.
He added that the service’s senior acquisition executive “is not satisfied with the quality of the documentation supporting the award decision” but did not elaborate, citing pending litigation.
The statement also said the head of Air Force Materiel Command, General Donald Hoffman, has launched an investigation into the award.
Lawmakers who represent Kansas, where Hawker Beechcraft is located, had raised questions about the deal with Sierra Nevada and Embraer.
In Brazil, Embraer said in a statement that it had provided “on time and without exceptions, all the required documentation” in partnership with Sierra Nevada.
The decision “in favor of the Super Tucano… was a choice for the best product with proven performance in action and all the necessary capabilities to meet client demands,” Embraer said.
