Originally Posted by
KenV
I've heard from a number of quarters that the 777 is too highly optimized to cost effectively turn it into a tanker. The 787 even more so.
KenV, that's not the way I heard it - the 777F would have made an great tanker. But there were three primary problems:
The ARINC 629 data system would have been a bitch to harden for HIRF/EMI/EMP;
The 777 is relatively expensive to build relative to the 767;
Most importantly, during the time frame in question (~2010), Boeing was able to readily sell all the 777s it could build to commercial customers, while orders for the 767 had pretty much dried up.