Finmeccanica battles American defense giants for Air Force contract

Italian defense and aerospace group Finmeccanica is fighting American contractors to have its T-100 jet trainers purchased by the U.S. Air Force, reports DOD Buzz.

Joining them in the boxing ring includes defense giants Lockheed Martin, Boeing and BAE Systems who also want to nab the Air Force T-X contract to build about 350 two-seat jet trainers.

The new fleet would replace the Air Force’s T-38 Talons and Finmeccanica claims its trainer has twice the platform of Lockheed's T-50, hence the T-100 name.

Finmeccanica is the parent company of DRS Technologies, a Top 100 contractor.