I told you so...
Could the delayed tanker programme actually have a silver lining in bringing in new technology for KC-Y/Z? (Boeing)
Should this not happen and the programme be significantly delayed, there may also be another side-effect – extra time for more radical tanker solutions to be put forward -especially for the follow-on KC-Y/KC-Z contracts. By 2025, when the last of the initial batch of KC-X tankers should have been delivered,
Blended Wing Bodies (BWB) aircraft may be viable. Boeing/NASA, for example, are still continuing flight tests with the
X-48 scale BWB demonstrator (Made by UK’s
Cranfield Aerospace) and a flying wing design could offer a breakthrough in volume and efficiency for a military tanker/transport. Without airline passengers to certify the aircraft for, a tanker would be an ideal first application of BWB technology.
The only bit missing from this is that X-48 is unmanned!
iRaven