Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson has said the contract award for the service branch’s new trainer aircraft is likely to be delayed if Congress resorts to a continuing resolution to fund the Defense Department, Defense News reported Friday.
The report said the military branch is expected to award this year the T-X contract that covers the production of 350 trainer jets.
Industry teams vying for the T-X trainer contract include Boeing and Saab; Lockheed Martin and Korean Aerospace Industries; and Leonardo, according to the report.
Wilson said in a Thursday interview a CR could also delay the Air Force’s efforts to hire additional pilots and cybersecurity professionals.
“You probably have a hard freeze, if not a chill, on hiring,†she said.
“This becomes very quickly an extremely difficult problem.â€
Wilson said she is concerned that issues such as Hurricane Harvey’s aftermath and North Korea’s missile threats could divert Congress’ attention away from military funding efforts.