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.

Odds and Ends: XYZ–Next USAF aerial tanker specs; Analysts on CSeries ahead of earnings

KC-XYZ: The USAF hasn’t even received the first Boeing KC-46A, which was the tanker award from the KC-X competition, and it has begun drawing up specifications for the follow-on competition, the KC-Y. The KC-Y is the second tranche… Read More

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