Wichita ? Hawker Beechcraft CEO Bill Boisture says the contract for an Air Force light air support plane cost the U.S. 1,400 U.S. jobs, including 800 at Hawker’s facility in Wichita.

Boisture says the company may have to “pare down” its work force if a competitor gets to keep the contract, although no layoffs are imminent.

His comments come two days after the Air Force temporarily halted work on a $354 million contract awarded to Sierra Nevada Corp. and its Brazilian partner Embraer. The shut down came after Hawker Beechcraft sued in the U.S. Court of Federal Claims.

Hawker Beechcraft invested $100 million in the project before learning in November it was excluded from bidding on it.