Raytheon gets $4 billion trainer contract

17 Jun 2002

(Reuter) The Air Force said Tuesday it had signed a $4 billion contract with Raytheon Co. to build 711 pilot training planes for the Air Force and Navy after the government rejected challenges to the agreement. The contract for the 372 Air Force and 339 Navy training planes was awarded to Raytheon's Beech Aircraft division of Wichita, Kansas, last June. Two competitors challenged the award.

But the General Accounting Office, the investigative arm of Congress, Monday rejected the last of the challenges by Textron Inc. and Rockwell International Corp.

"The Air Force announced today that it has awarded the joint primary aircraft system contract to Beech Aircraft, a division of Raytheon," Defense Department spokesman Ken Bacon told reporters. Air Force officials said the contract was signed on Monday.