Can split tanker buy save money?

Here is an interesting think piece about the controverisal proposal by some Members of Congress to split the KC-X tanker procurement between Boeing and Northrop Grumman.

Aviation Week reports the FAA has certified Boeing’s Wedgetail, the 737-based electronics airplane ordered by the Australian services. The program, which includes electronics from Northrop Grumman, is years behind schedule.

One Comment on “Can split tanker buy save money?

  1. The competition cited in the article is for competing items that are essentially the same. But in the case of the KC-767 and KC-45, the aircraft are substantially different sizes, so the benefits of competition may be limited. Neither aircraft was substantially technically superior to the other, and the decision seemed based more around the USAF deciding midway through the competition that it preferred a bigger aircraft. Savvy pricing by the KC-45 team helped, so maybe there were benefits of competition there. But I don’t think we’d see the same results as in the engine programs.

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