Sierra Nevada, Embraer win contract for Afghan planes

The Air Force had picked Embraer’s A-29 Super Tacano in
2011, but it rescinded the contract award last year after a lawsuit from
Beechcraft, then known as Hawker Beechcraft, which claimed it was unfairly
disqualified from the competition.

{mosads}The dispute had become an issue when Brazil’s president
visited the White House last year, as Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff discussed the contract with President Obama when they met.

Brazil is still considering which contractor to award a major deal for 36 new fighter jets, and Boeing is one of the finalists.

After rescinding the initial light air support award, the
Air Force took new bids from both Beechcraft and Sierra Nevada-Embraer last
year.

The selection of Embraer’s Super Tacano over Beechcraft’s
AT-6 was a blow to the Wichita, Kan.-based company, which emerged from Chapter
11 bankruptcy earlier this month.