Trainer and light attack aircraft are the easiest military aircraft to build. There are few barriers to market entry. Many countries have their own trainer design. Trainers are to fighters as regional transports are to large jet transports. Almost any company can design, build and lose money on trainers or regional aircraft; it's much harder to make the jump to more capable (and profitable) fighters and jet transports.

The specter of the Joint Strike Fighter haunts the fighter market. The Pentagon's November, 1996, JSF concept demonstration contract awards to Lockheed Martin and Boeing has virtually eliminated McDonnell Douglas as a builder of fighter aircraft once its current aircraft cease production.

The business aircraft market has been flat for over three years. There were 305 business jet deliveries in 1993, 315 in 1994 and 307 in 1995. And 10% of deliveries in each of these years were Beechjet T-1s for the USAF Tanker, Transport Training System (TTTS) program. WAITING FOR GROWTH