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| Air Force issues new tanker request | |
| 2009-09-29 | |
The two expected contenders for the contract are The Boeing Co. and a consortium of Northrop Grumman Corp. and EADS, the maker of Airbus aircraft. Evendale-based GE Aviation would play a major part in the project if Northrup Grumman wins the bid. Boeing and Northrop have operations in the Dayton region that support Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. The consortium won the contract in 2008, but that win was canceled after protests from Boeing and political leaders about irregularities. Earlier, Boeing won the contract in 2004, but that win was canceled after it was revealed that Boeing's former chief financial officer had hired the former Air Force official who had helped negotiate the deal. In comments Thursday, Defense Secretary William Lynn said the new competition will be much more precise than the last one. "This time we will be crystal clear about what we want and what the bidders need to do to win," he said, adding that the Air Force will be looking at other factors beyond just acquisition price. These will include "life cycle" costs, or how much it will cost to maintain and operate the aircraft throughout its lifetime. The winner for the new proposal -- for 179 tankers worth about $35 billion -- is to be chosen according to 373 "mandatory requirements," according to Air Force briefings. Another 93 "value-added capabilities" also will be weighed, with points assigned to them. Chicago-based Boeing released a short statement after receiving the request for proposals Friday, opening the possibility that Boeing might offer an option based on its 767 or 777 jetliners. The 767 is smaller than the Airbus A330, the likely EADS option, while the 777 is larger. All three wide-body aircraft are similar in configuration, with twin jets mounted under the wings. The new tanker aircraft are to enter service in 2017, replacing an aging fleet of 707-based tankers that has become increasingly expensive to maintain. The first of these KC-135 tankers was delivered in 1957, and the last in 1965. Keeping these aircraft safely aloft has become increasingly difficult as many of the aircraft are suffering from metal fatigue and corrosion requiring increasingly expensive maintenance. A recent article in Aviation Week and Space Technology estimated that the Air Force is spending about $2 billion a year to maintain the current fleet, which could climb to $6 billion a year by 2018 or 2020. | |
| Posted by:Steve White |
| #3 TFSM, thank Darlene Druyon and the culture of corruption at Boeing for that debacle. Darlene killed it the first time and the massive outcry from Dem politicians killed the second attempt because the award was not in their districts. |
| Posted by: rwv 2009-09-29 13:04 |
| #2 I dislike Zero intently, but I'd like to point out that the Bush administration spent two whole terms never-quite-getting-to-the-point-of-actually-buying tankers. |
| Posted by: Thing From Snowy Mountain 2009-09-29 09:07 |
| #1 Zero doesn't want tankers. He wants zero tankers. See, if we buy tankers then that's less money for ACORN. Too bad that tankers fall out of the sky. |
| Posted by: Maggie Ebbuter2991 2009-09-29 00:25 |