Friday, December 21, 2012
Jacksonville Business Journal
by Michael Clinton, Web Producer

The Jacksonville Aviation Authority is renovating the former Piedmont hangar in preparation for a decision on a contract that could bring 50 high-paying jobs to Jacksonville.

JAA is expecting the U.S. Air Force to make a contract decision for the construction of light attack aircraft — the same contract that Embraer and Sierra Nevada Corp. won a year ago and were planning to build the A-29 Super Tucano at the Jacksonville International Airport, the Daily Record & Financial News reports.

Sierra Nevada asked a federal court to reinstate the defense contract awarded to the company in June.

The Air Force chose Sierra Nevada over competitor aircraft manufacturer Hawker Beechcraft, but canceled the Light Air Support contract at the end of February and decided to rebid the contract to both companies.

Hawker Beechcraft, based in Wichita, Kan., filed a lawsuit contesting the bidding process with the U.S. Court of Federal Claims in December 2011.

Source: http://bit.ly/Wuj5XW