Boeing Tanker Won over EADS's Tanker

Well, I am surprise by this announcement. I thought for sure that enough lobbyists from both sides had enough congressmen and senators paid off that the final decision would be a split purchase between the two companies.

And going by what one article said, that may still be in the works for a future purchase after these first 176 KC-46As are purchased. Price tag is $30 billion plus. EADS version of its Airbus A330 plane to be converted over to a tanker would have been called the KC-45A.

Problems with the F-35 keep on taking place along with the price tag keeps on going up. The USAF is rapidly retiring many of its legacy fighter aircraft such as the F-15 and F-16. Just to try and keep the wonder plane (i.e F-35) on track.

As a smaller aircraft, the KC-46A is expected to burn less fuel in absolute terms than the KC-45 over a 30 year lifespan for the airframe.

Boeing has to deliver the first 18 KC-46As within six years of the contract award date. The production spans over 13 years for building all 179 aircraft. And Boeing has confirmed that first flight for the KC-46A is scheduled for 2015. So, we should see a KC-46A flying by February 2015. I won't hold my breath. Something ALWAYS happens to screw up the production schedule. Then Boeing has to go to Congress to get more funds, etc., etc.

Now its a race against time. The USAF has 400 really old KC-135 Stratotankers that have to be replaced. Many of them are 50+ years old.

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Ref.

1. ELP Defens(c)e Blog. "Boeing KC-46A air-refueling tanker for the USAF. Now what? #military" by Eric Palmer. February 24, 2011. (http://ericpalmer.wordpress.com/2011/02/25/boeing-kc-46a-air-refueling-tanker-for-the-usaf-now-what-military/).

2. Flight Global.com. "USAF selects Boeing for KC-X contract" by Stephen Trimble. (http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2011/02/24/353642/updated-usaf-selects-boeing-for-kc-x-contract.html).

As the KC-X soap opera turns...

Until recently, American bad boy Boeing thought they had finally gotten rid of their opposite number in Northrup Grumman/EADS while going after the fair USAF KC-X tanker bid contract. Northrup said enough of this BS and pulled out on March 8th.

But, from across the north pole on the opposite side of the world. From the land of Vladimir Putin, current Russian Prime Minister; has toss his hat (and shirt to expose his manly chest) into the KC-X Tanker contest.

Speaking with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on a recent trip to Russia, the offer was pitched about greater access to the US economy and vice versa.

Reportly, Putin told Clinton, "As far as our economic cooperation is concerned, certainly our major companies are very much interested in such a cooperation and they're expecting us to support them. A message should be sent that they (the Russian companies) are welcome both in the economy of the United States and of Russia."

The Russian-American joint venture known as United Aircraft Corporation would be based in Los Angeles, but the aircraft could be built anywhere in the country.

Secretary of State Clinton respond favoribly to the idea saying, "We would very much like to get into specifics about how to remove barriers and open opportunities."

The Russian/United Aircraft Corporation(UAC) offering would be based upon the Russian Ilyushin II-96, a four-engine commercial airliner.

Well now, hearing that Russia might get into the act somehow EADS, minus its Northrup partner, has asked the Department of Defense to extend the proposal deadline by 90 days. DoD is thinking about doing just that.

Thus concludes this epsiode of the KC-X Tanker soap opera as it turns. Stay tuned for more hijinks to follow.

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Ref. CNN.com, March 19, 2010. By Mike Mount.(http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/03/19/us.russia.refueling.tanker/index.html?eref=rss_latest&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+rss/cnn_latest+(RSS:+Most+Recent))