[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 116 (Thursday, September 9, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1813]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     T-38 AVIONICS UPGRADE PROGRAM

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. J.D. HAYWORTH

                               of arizona

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, September 8, 1999

  Mr. HAYWORTH. Mr. Speaker, I would like to bring the T-38 Avionics 
Upgrade Program (AUP) to the attention of my colleagues and the 
American people. The T-38 program is an essential aircraft system for 
training Air Force pilots. Recently, during OPERATION ALLIED FORCES, we 
became acutely aware of the critical shortage of pilots in the Air 
Force and the other services. The T-38 AUP is a key asset in helping 
the Air Force to reduce this pilot shortage. I am pleased to report 
that, following some early hardware-software developmental problems, 
this week the Air Force gave the go-ahead for Low Rate Initial 
Production for the T-38 AUP.
  Earlier this month, the House Appropriations Committee recommended 
substantial reductions in production funding for the T-38 AUP for both 
fiscal year 1999 and fiscal year 2000. The rationale was to give more 
time for development and testing to correct hardware and software 
deficiencies and to meet the ``fly before buy'' criteria established by 
the Air Force. This action will delay the program by a year or more and 
consequently delay the delivery of state-of-the-art advanced training 
aircraft to the Air Force.
  The T-38 AUP is an Air Force modernization program to update obsolete 
avionics, controls, and cockpit displays in 509 T-38 trainer aircraft. 
it also provides 36 new ground-based trainers that reflect the new T-38 
cockpits, and provides logistics support at six Air Force bases around 
the country. I am proud of the work that is being done in my district 
at Williams Gateway Airport to provide a modernized trainer for 
America's future fighter and bomber pilots.
  Over the past year, the Williams Gateway team has been hard at work 
to bring the T-38 trainer up to the level necessary to produce pilots 
who are ready to step into our current fighters and bombers. However, 
as stated in the House Appropriations Committee report language, 
hardware and software problems discovered during developmental flight 
testing at Edwards Air Force Base caused the Air Force to decide on 
March 10, 1999 to delay the program for correction and flight testing 
of the discrepancies.
  With the tremendous efforts of the Air Force and the T-38 contractor 
team, all critical hardware and software problems discovered during 
flight testing have been fixed and the following flights were 
successful flights. All flight testing was completed at Edwards on July 
9, 1999. This entire corrective process, typical of a development 
phase, took less than four months. The Air Force has thoroughly 
reviewed the entire process, determined that the ``fly before buy'' 
criteria have been met, and on July 26, 1999 approved initial low-rate 
production of the T-38 AUP. There is no longer any reason to further 
delay the program. I do not think that this information about the rapid 
correction of problems was available to the House Appropriations 
Committee prior to the House vote to reduce funding earlier this month.
  Full fiscal year 1999 and 2000 production funding is required to keep 
the T-38 AUP on schedule. First aircraft deliveries are required at 
Moody Air Force Base in Georgia by August of next year. Delaying the T-
38 AUP program will have a significant effect on pilot training and 
will increase overall program costs and operations and maintenance 
costs associated with the older versions of the T-38 aircraft.
  Air Force pilot training and retention is a national security issue. 
The T-38 AUP is a critical vehicle in the process of helping the Air 
Force improve its pilot situation. In addition to being a low cost 
trainer, the T-38 AUP will provide the configurations in avionics and 
cockpit design the pilots need to train. By slipping this program out a 
year, we will be forcing America's finest new fighter and bomber pilots 
to use an aircraft with 1950's and 1960's cockpit technology.
  Funding reductions this year would unnecessarily delay the T-38 
development efforts by a year or more, delay needed upgrades for 
critical Air Force pilot training needs, and increase fiscal year 2000 
research and development costs by millions and program production costs 
by tens of millions. Additionally, if the program is delayed, 
operations and maintenance costs will increase by millions annually 
because of parts shortages and other difficulties associated with 
maintaining he older T-38 aircraft with the high failure rates of their 
obsolete avionics components. Finally, the delay will result in loss of 
some of the valuable workforce experience that has been hard-won during 
the development phase of the program.
  Mr. Speaker, as we enter the new millennium, we would be doing a 
disservice to our future pilots by training them in aircraft with 
1960's and 1970's technology. With full funding of $85.7 million for 
the T-38 AUP program, the Boeing Company and the Air Force will ensure 
that our future pilots will have state-of-the-art avionics to begin 
their training.

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