SAIC proposing fee-per-flight-hour Eclipse 550 as alternative to T-1A

Science Applications International Corp. (SAIC) says the U.S. Air Force will save money by switching from the T-1A to using the Eclipse 550 under a fee-per-flight-hour contract.

US Air Force (48th FTS) - Raytheon Beech T-1A Jayhawk - s n 95-0055 (4322839860)
By Josh Beasley from USA [CC BY 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons

Not only will the flying branch avoid any upfront investment, the Eclipse 550 is more relevant in training multi-engine military pilots due to its digital cockpit, SAIC’s Air Force business development manager told AIN.

The very light jet is also ideally positioned to replace the service’s C-21.

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