Leeham News and Analysis
There's more to real news than a news release.
Leeham News and Analysis
- Bjorn’s Corner: New aircraft technologies. Part 14. Airframe for lower friction drag May 26, 2023
- Bjorn’s Corner: New aircraft technologies. Part 14P. Airframe for lower friction drag May 26, 2023
- The Small Airliner Problem, Part 6 May 25, 2023
- Pontifications: Looking ahead to a major Defense procurement: Boeing vs Lockheed-Airbus May 23, 2023
- Making the case for competing the next USAF tanker procurement May 22, 2023
Making the case for competing the next USAF tanker procurement
Subscription Required By Scott Hamilton May 22, 2023, © Leeham News: The US Air Force is moving slowly toward another aerial refueling tanker procurement. With hundreds of ancient Boeing KC-135 tankers still to replace, the procurement will be… Read More
Pontifications: “The mother of the last pilot on the 707 tanker hasn’t been born yet”
Part 3 of the Boeing focus for the USAF Aerial Refueling Tanker Jan. 31, 2022, © Leeham News: Following the 9/11 terrorist attacks in the United States, Boeing offered the US Air Force a lease deal for 100… Read More
Lockheed Martin sees LMXT as complementary to KC-46A, not competitive
Subscription Required Now open to all readers By Scott Hamilton Jan. 30, 2022, © Leeham News: Lockheed Martin’s LMXT US Air Force refueling tanker will be a complementary offer to the service in the forthcoming KC-Y competition. In… Read More
Pontifications: A retrospective of the KC-X refueling tanker competition from Boeing’s perspective
Part 2 of the Boeing focus for the USAF Aerial Refueling Tanker Jan. 24, 2022, © Leeham News: Jim Albaugh was president of Boeing Integrated Defense System (IDS), now known as Boeing Defense, Space and Security (BDS) during… Read More
Pontifications: Applying commercial production principles to the A330 MRTT
Second in a series. Dec. 13, 2021, © Leeham News: When EADS, the forerunner of Airbus Group, pondered whether to proceed on its own to compete with the A330 MRTT for the US Air Force’s aerial tanker competition,… Read More
Boeing KC-46A cleared for production
Aug. 14, 2016: The Pentagon cleared Boeing’s KC-46A aerial refueling tanker for Low Rate Initial Production (LRIP) after the aircraft completed Milestone C refueling tests. All that remains now is for the US Air Force and Boeing to… Read More
Pontifications: Airbus USA321 a milestone for US aerospace
March 28, 2016, © Leeham Co.: The first US-built A320ceo family member took to the skies for its first flight last week. The A321ceo, destined for JetBlue, is the first assembled at the new Airbus A320 plant in… Read More
Boeing and Washington State; and: Congressional meddling may threaten KC-46A
The Washington State Legislature may consider implementing a mechanism to track the benefits of the Boeing 777X tax incentives granted last year, according to the on-line news service Crosscut. Boeing opposes the measure, according to the report.
USAF considers scrapping KC-10 in sequester
KC-10 scrapping: The US Air Force is considering scrapping the KC-10 aerial tanker fleet as a result of budget cutbacks in the sequester, The Army Times reports. This is stunning news, considering the seven year battle to recapitalize… Read More