NutLoose
18th Jun 2021, 23:16
Looks like with the doubling of the initial cost and the Boeing 767 tanker woes... Airbus might be back in the game.
https://www.defenseone.com/business/2021/06/air-force-begins-search-new-refueling-tanker-lawmakers-push-airbus/174787/
The U.S. Air Force has begun its search for as many as 160 new refueling tankers. The contest, a long-planned follow-on to the competition that produced the troubled Boeing KC-46, may be Airbus’ best chance yet to win a foothold in the American strategic tanker market.
The contest for what the military is calling a “bridge tanker (https://www.airforcemag.com/after-kc-46-usaf-looks-ahead-to-bridge-tanker/)” kicked off the same week President Biden and the European Union called a five-year truce (https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/biden-eu-tariffs/2021/06/15/88fcfe92-cd4c-11eb-a7f1-52b8870bef7c_story.html) in a 17-year-old trade battle over state subsidies allegedly given to the U.S. and European planemakers—and as some U.S. lawmakers say it’s time to give Airbus a role in the U.S. strategic refueling mission.
The Air Force said in a contracting notice (https://sam.gov/opp/df2d170039c448988ad8111a6dac295d/view) posted Wednesday that it wants to buy between 140 and 160 new tankers—at a rate of 12 to 15 aircraft per year—that are based on a commercial aircraft design.
“The Commercial Derivative Aircraft must be operational by 2029,” the notice states. “The Air Force is still finalizing the requirements for this acquisition.”
Boeing and Airbus are the only makers of new, jet-powered, strategic refueling planes. Boeing’s KC-46 is based on the 767 airliner, while Airbus’ Multi-Role Tanker Transport, or MRTT, is based on the A330. Lockheed Martin and Embraer make smaller, tactical refueling aircraft.
Airbus has partnered with U.S. defense giant Lockheed Martin, which said it intends to respond to the Air Force’s request.
“We are responding to the U.S. Air Force’s Sources Sought Notification for the Bridge Tanker Program, offering a mission-ready solution to meet the Air Force’s future tanker requirements,” Rob Fuller, a Lockheed Martin spokesman, said in a statement.
https://www.defenseone.com/business/2021/06/air-force-begins-search-new-refueling-tanker-lawmakers-push-airbus/174787/
The U.S. Air Force has begun its search for as many as 160 new refueling tankers. The contest, a long-planned follow-on to the competition that produced the troubled Boeing KC-46, may be Airbus’ best chance yet to win a foothold in the American strategic tanker market.
The contest for what the military is calling a “bridge tanker (https://www.airforcemag.com/after-kc-46-usaf-looks-ahead-to-bridge-tanker/)” kicked off the same week President Biden and the European Union called a five-year truce (https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/biden-eu-tariffs/2021/06/15/88fcfe92-cd4c-11eb-a7f1-52b8870bef7c_story.html) in a 17-year-old trade battle over state subsidies allegedly given to the U.S. and European planemakers—and as some U.S. lawmakers say it’s time to give Airbus a role in the U.S. strategic refueling mission.
The Air Force said in a contracting notice (https://sam.gov/opp/df2d170039c448988ad8111a6dac295d/view) posted Wednesday that it wants to buy between 140 and 160 new tankers—at a rate of 12 to 15 aircraft per year—that are based on a commercial aircraft design.
“The Commercial Derivative Aircraft must be operational by 2029,” the notice states. “The Air Force is still finalizing the requirements for this acquisition.”
Boeing and Airbus are the only makers of new, jet-powered, strategic refueling planes. Boeing’s KC-46 is based on the 767 airliner, while Airbus’ Multi-Role Tanker Transport, or MRTT, is based on the A330. Lockheed Martin and Embraer make smaller, tactical refueling aircraft.
Airbus has partnered with U.S. defense giant Lockheed Martin, which said it intends to respond to the Air Force’s request.
“We are responding to the U.S. Air Force’s Sources Sought Notification for the Bridge Tanker Program, offering a mission-ready solution to meet the Air Force’s future tanker requirements,” Rob Fuller, a Lockheed Martin spokesman, said in a statement.