Forum: Modern Military Aircraft

...not known yet. Scuttlebutt has it that the decision's been made but the paperwork hasn't been signed yet. It appears they want to delay announcement to the end of the week (prolly Friday after the markets close) to make sure all the ducks are in formation before the flood of protests is uncorked.

Here's an article from Reuters

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My lord, just start building the things already. If people saw the condition of the current tanker fleet they would be apalled. It's just a matter of time before the -135's start falling out of the sky, I just hope it's not the one I happen to be flying that day.

Rumour in the UK is that the announcement will be made at 1700PST.

Andy

My guess is that it won't come until after the stock market in the US closes tomorrow. For a contract this large they will try and lessen the stock price loss for the losing company (EADS) Very Happy

. I really hope Boeing wins, I have personally seen the presentations by both companies, and while both jets are great the Boeing is a better fit for the types of wars that we are currently fighting and will most likely fight in the future. However there is a place for the larger KC-330, but we don't need nearly as many of them. I would like to see some type of a split purchase of say 150 767's and 50 330's.
To me the decision seems pretty simple. Do we go with a tanker that is the size we need that can be on the assembly line tomorrow, or do we go with a tanker that is larger that what is needed that is going to be assembled in a plant that does not exist, with a workforce that does not exist.

PRESS RELEASE -- Secretary of the Air Force, Office of Public Affairs

Release No. 030208
February 29,2008

Tanker Contract Award Announcement

WASHINGTON - Secretary of the Air Force, Michael W. Wynne, and Vice Chief of Staff of the Air Force, Gen. Duncan J. McNabb, will announce the KC-X contract award winner in the OSD Press Briefing room 2E579 at 5 p.m. today at the Pentagon. A question and answer session with Ms. Sue C. Payton, Assistant Secretary, Acquisition, and General Arthur J. Lichte, Commander, Air Mobility Command, will follow the announcement

I hope it is 100% Boeing. I'll keep my fingers crossed.

But it's not!? WTF

US DoD/AF buying aircraft that are only 58% American!?

http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/generic/ ... er%20Award

Quote:

Northrop Grumman/EADS Win USAF Tanker Award

Feb 29, 2008

By Amy Butler - Aviation Week

Northrop Grumman and EADS have won the U.S. Air Force's KC-X tanker award, beating a Boeing-led team for the long-awaited, controversial and delayed decision.

The award, for total buy of 179 tankers, is expected to result in a deal worth tens of billions of dollars and leading to a dozen or more new aircraft for several at a cost of about $3 billion per year.

KC-X is the first iteration of a three-phased approach to replace the Air Force's fleet of 530 KC-135E/Rs and 59 KC-10s. The next tranche to replace the Air Force's larger KC-10 tankers, dubbed KC-Y, is not expected until at least 2020, effectively freezing Boeing out of the tanker market for the foreseeable future.

The decision also seals the fate for Boeing's 767 production line. The far newer A330 design continues to outpace the 767 in commercial orders. Boeing has about four years of work left for its Everett, Wash., production line without more orders. The company was looking to the U.S. Air Force to be the only and final 767 customer in the coming years.

The Northrop/EADS win also indicates the team's controversial tactics proved effective. The team threatened just over a year ago not to submit a proposal, effectively leaving the Air Force is a political quagmire without a true horserace after the former lease arrangement fell apart.

Sole-sourcing the deal to Boeing was not an option after two former executives of the company -- including the former top Air Force official that helped to craft the $30 billion lease while working for the government -- were found guilty of conducting illegal job negotiations. They both wound up serving jail sentences, and the scandal prompted Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), the current ranking Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee, and former SASC Chairman John Warner (Va.) to push for a competition to reduce the price and improve the design.

Photo: EADS

Amazing...I used to work in SAF/IA and air refueling technology was something we protected...and now we're giving it to Europe as well as 35+ billion of US dollars. And our government can't understand why we're in an economic crisis...

Un-freakin-believable...

Pardon me while I pick my jaw up off the floor.... Shocked

The MRTT has boom for use with US-built aircraft and has already been ordered for Australia (aircraft 01 on acceptance in France); the boom tech is not being used in european designed aircraft which are sticking firmly with hose and drogue refuelling systems. The future is everyone being able to refuel everybody else afterall the essential technology has not changed that much in the recent past.

Its not everyday the US picks a non-US aircraft but its getting more common. US101 and now the KC contract. Only other essentially non-US aircraft I can think of in the inventory are Harrier and Goshawk.

Regardless, you can probably bet that Boeing will mount a legal challenge.
http://www.airliners.net/photo/Australi ... 1309217/L/

Andy

And now Airbus is pushing to have the A380 be the replacement for the new AF1! Shocked

God Bless
Jer

boff180 wrote:

...the boom tech is not being used in european designed aircraft which are sticking firmly with hose and drogue refuelling systems. The future is everyone being able to refuel everybody else afterall the essential technology has not changed that much in the recent past.

Unless you fly Vipers. Rolling Eyes

Then again if you purchase F-35A you'll be using a flying-boom "Air Force style" but the F-35B and F-35C are to use probe/drogue from what I understand.

The KC-767 was ready to roll off the production line with a functional flying-boom, I don't believe they've even tested the boom system of the KC-30 yet? (Have they?)

I don't agree with the US101 program either. From the sounds of it the DoD/Marines are ready to axe the thing since it's production date keeps slipping further and further into the future.

That's what you get when you buy aircraft that are only on paper when you sign the contract. I'm sure the KC-30 will slip too if they haven't started testing the boom. After Boeing/Politics get done challenging the contract and all the bugs are worked out of the KC-30 I suppose it will be 2020 or so?

So the deal went though, man my Northrop stock is going to make me a happy man indeed...maybe I will find that used Dino after all Smile

[quote="That_Engine_Guy"]

boff180 wrote:

That's what you get when you buy aircraft that are only on paper when you sign the contract. I'm sure the KC-30 will slip too if they haven't started testing the boom.

They have.

Far as I can tell they've only "connected" it to another aircraft. Have they transfered fuel?

Forum: Modern Military Aircraft

KC-X: And the winner is......