Defnse News:
USAF Could Award KC-X Contract by End of Feb.
The U.S. Air Force will award the contract for the long-running KC-X tanker contract before the end of the month, two senior defense officials said.
"We'll roll-off the KC-X, hopefully, at the end of this month," said Maj. Gen. David Scott, U.S. Air Force director of operational capability requirements at an aerospace and defense conference hosted by Aviation Week on Feb. 16.
Less than 20 minutes later at the same conference, Pentagon Comptroller Robert Hale echoed Scott's words. "We're asking for $900 million for the KC-X tanker, hopefully to make an award within the month," Hale said.
Though not directly linked to the comments made by the two senior officials, earlier in the day Ralph Crosby, EADS's North America chief, held a press conference telegraphing the company's revised final bid, which he said, offered lower costs.
Dan Goure, an analyst at the Lexington Institute, Arlington, Va., said that there is "general sense in the community" that the Air Force will select the EADS Airbus A330 derived tanker.
Offering a concurring opinion, Richard Aboulafia, an analyst at the Teal Group, Fairfax, Va., added that politically, the A330 might be an easier choice for the Air Force despite the objections in Congress.
However, no matter which tanker the Air Force chooses, a protest is all but guaranteed, he said.