Jane Edwards
Leonardo’s U.S.-based subsidiary DRS plans to establish a Tuskegee, Alabama-based facility to manufacture its proposed aircraft for the U.S. Air Force’s T-X trainer jet program.
The Leonardo DRS-led industry team will set up its final assembly and manufacturing facility for its proposed T-100 Integrated Training System at Moton Field Municipal Airport in Tuskegee in an effort to leverage the location’s workforce and airfield infrastructure, Leonardo said Thursday.
“We believe that consolidating the T-100 integrator and airframe manufacturer under one roof streamlines the proposal’s management,†Leonardo DRS CEO William Lynn said.
Mauro Moretti, CEO and general manager of Leonardo, said the T-100 trainer aircraft will have an open-system architecture, fifth-generation cockpit, training system and in-flight refueling function.
The proposed manufacturing facility comes a month after Leonardo DRS was designated as prime contractor that will collaborate with CAE‘s U.S. arm and International Turbine Engine Co. as part of an industry team that will compete for the T-X program.
CAE USAÂ will manufacture ground-based training systems for the T-100 trainer at its facility in Tampa, Florida.
ITEC – a joint venture of Honeywell‘s aerospace business and Aerospace Industrial Development Corp. – will use its facility in Phoenix, Arizona, to accommodate production work on F124 turbofan propulsion engines for the aircraft.
