JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-RANDOLPH, Texas –
The Air Force hosted an Advanced Pilot Training Industry
Immersion for the T-X Sept. 4 at Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph.
The event afforded each registered vendor a session to
engage with Air Education and Training Command and other government leadership
on the APT program, also known as the T-X program.
The T-X is a replacement for the T-38 and will meet the Air
Force’s advanced fifth-generation pilot training needs for the next several
decades. The T-X’s requirements focus on capability, adaptability and
affordability.
“The purpose of the Industry Immersion was to afford the new
AETC commander and his senior staff the opportunity to interact with the
Advanced Pilot Training T-X vendors,” said Col. Philip Wielhouwer, AETC
capability requirements division chief. “The vendors previously participated in
the May 2015 Pre-Solicitation Conference.”
The industry immersion event included a 45-minute session
for each of the registered prospective prime vendors to meet and brief the Air
Education and Training commander, AETC’S director of plans, programs,
requirements and assessments and other USG representatives.
Lt. Gen. Darryl Roberson, AETC commander, said the event
provided a better understanding of the T-X system.
“The Industry Immersion was an exceptionally informative
event,” Roberson said. “As the incoming AETC commander, I’ve now had the
opportunity to engage with industry on T-X and I am better informed about what
our prospective advanced pilot training vendors plan to offer.”
The initial draft requirements were released in 2012,
allowing industry to make more informed, early design decisions. T-X
requirements identify three key performance characteristics for the APT
mission. These include sustained G, simulator visual acuity and performance,
and aircraft sustainment. While there are more than 100 requirements, these
characteristics are the most critical to close training gaps and create
strategic agility for the future.
Collaboration amongst all vested parties will shape a more
capable and affordable pilot training system for the Air Force. The Air Force
is making a concerted effort to maintain open dialogue with industry, allowing
for clearer understanding of the cost impact of certain performance
characteristics, as part of Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James’ “Bending the
Cost Curve Initiative.”
“In accordance with the Secretary of the Air Force ‘Bending
the Cost Curve Initiative,’ our dialogue with industry during this event will
further our efforts toward delivering the Advanced Pilot Training T-X system
with the best value that meets our requirements,” said Brig. Gen. Andrew Croft,
AETC plans, programs, requirements and assessments director.
Currently, 350 T-Xs are scheduled to replace 431 T-38s in
Undergraduate Pilot Training and Introduction to Fighter Fundamentals. The Air
Force plans to finalize the T-X acquisition strategy later this year.