Pontifications: Retrospective of KC-X tanker competition

The first in a series. By Scott Hamilton Dec. 6, 2021, © Leeham News: The US Air Force began the process this year to procure the KC-Y aerial refueling tanker. Originally, this was to follow the KC-X (awarded… Read More

Counting options, Letters of Intent

Should manufacturers be counting options and letters of intent toward program certainty? We’ve always thought this was pretty cheeky, but in reality there is a reasonable foundation and history for doing so. Years ago Boeing regularly ridiculed Airbus… Read More

Punching through the hysteria about closing Boeing Wichita

Mike Mecham of Aviation Week has a thorough analysis of what’s behind the decision to close Boeing Wichita. Contrast Mike’s story with this ridiculous analysis. It’s very, very rare that we call out someone else but this one… Read More

Fallout from Boeing’s Wichita move continues

Wichita (KS) politicians continue to grouse about the decision by Boeing to close the defense operations there and move jobs to Oklahoma City, San Antonio and Puget Sound (Seattle). The Seattle Times has this article, quoting the Wichita… Read More

Tanker updates: More financial analysis, 2020 market share

As interested parties and aviation geeks wait for EADS to make (likely not) and announce its decision (as soon as March 4) on whether to protest the USAF contract to Boeing on the KC-X aerial tanker, more updates… Read More

Concern grows over mum Air Force, but EADS won’t protest, says Reuters

Update, 10:30 PST: Loren Thompson of the Lexington Institute, who has come in for our share of criticism for his unabashed bashing of Airbus and subsidies as it relates to the KC-X competition, has this very good essay… Read More

Pricing the KC-X: $163m estimate for Boeing, $169m for EADS

One of our readers, with the screen name OV-099, provided a comment on our Dewey Defeats Truman post calculating the possible prices on the KC-45 and the KC-767. OV-099 has been a long-time poster and when the occasion… Read More

Recapping the KC-X contest

With the expectation that the USAF is going to announce its tanker award this week, we’re going to forego our Odds and Ends kick-off and deal with the tanker. We’re going to try and synopsize many of the… Read More

Top DOD buyer signals globalization is reality; tanker contract might come Feb. 25

Two top Defense Department officials today (Feb. 16) told a conference sponsored  by Aviation Week magazine that the contract award for the KC-X could be made by the end of the month. The buzz in Washington is that… Read More

PNAA conference: EADS likely to win tanker contest

We’re at Day 1 of the Pacific Northwest Aerospace Alliance conference in Lynnwood (WA) and at the Defense Focus Day co-organized by the Pacific Northwest Defense Coalition, consultant Michel Merluzeau of G2 Solutions (Kirkland, WA) predicted EADS will… Read More