Sweden has started the procedure to buy new training aircraft for the Swedish Air Force to replace the Saab-built SK 60 trainer which entered service in the 1960s.
The Swedish government has authorized the country’s defense procurement agency (FMV) to acquire new aircraft, simulators and other related equipment.
The goal is to have the so-called basic trainer aircraft system ready for the first batch of pilot students in Linköping by the summer of 2023. Before that, flight instructors should be able to fly into the system.
“It is a very tight timeline but the air force’s clear requirement is that the system should be based on existing products and that there should be no Swedish special solutions,” FMV’s Malin Olofsson said.
“The supplier will also be responsible for maintenance for the first three years with an option for another two years. The idea then is to postpone the competitive maintenance contract.”
Interested companies will have time to submit their offers by July 31, 2020, when the agency will start evaluating the proposals.
