As reported by Jane’s Australian correspondent (and ADM favourite) Julian Kerr, BAE Systems Australia has been selected as preferred tenderer by the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) for a six-year Interim Basic Flying Training Services (IBFTS) contract, beating other shortlisted contenders Thales Australia, Boeing and Raytheon (who declined to submit a solution despite being shortlisted).
A Department of Defence (DoD) spokesperson confirmed to Jane’s that a preferred tenderer had been selected, but declined to confirm the company’s identity, adding that a number of issues remained to be resolved between the contractor and the DoD before contract signature.
A decision and announcement on the way forward was anticipated in September, the spokesperson said.
The total value of the contract is not known at this time.
The IBFTS contract is a short-term solution to provide basic pilot training for the Australian Defence Force (ADF) prior to the introduction of a delayed project to integrate both the basic flying training role and the advanced training system into a complete fixed-wing training system under Project Air 5428.