RAAF A330 MRTT progress
...All thats left for Qantas to do now, who are supposed to be performing the remaining 330 MRTT conversion in Brisbane, is for them to find some staff that will accept the rediculously low wages on offer.
With a mass exodus of engineers to the sand pit imminent by all accounts I think the Brisbane facility will have enough trouble just providing manpower to maintain the 767 fleet !
Actually come to think of it, 767s start going offshore soon because they can't keep up....oh deary me
With a mass exodus of engineers to the sand pit imminent by all accounts I think the Brisbane facility will have enough trouble just providing manpower to maintain the 767 fleet !
Actually come to think of it, 767s start going offshore soon because they can't keep up....oh deary me
Thread Starter
The political ramifications have started!
NGC Responds to Comments Concerning USAF KC-45A Award Decision
(Los Angeles, March 5, 2008) -- When the process to replace America's aging fleet of KC-135 aerial refueling tankers began in 2005, the U.S. Air Force made clear that it wanted a full and fair competition. Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) entered the competition with the understanding that if its proposal provided the best value to the warfighter and the American taxpayer, it could win the contract.
Since the Air Force's decision to award Northrop Grumman the KC-45A contract was announced, numerous erroneous comments have been repeated in the media and in Congress. In response, the company wants to make the following points clear:
Industrial Base
* The Northrop Grumman KC-45A tanker program will create a new aerospace manufacturing corridor in the southeastern United States.
* The KC-45A program helps return competitiveness to the U.S. aerospace industry.
Jobs
* The Northrop Grumman KC-45A tanker program does not transfer any jobs from the United States to France or any other foreign country.
* The KC-45A tanker will support more than 25,000 jobs in the United States.
* The KC-45A U.S. supplier base will include 230 companies in 49 states.
* Assembly and militarization of the KC-45A tanker will take place in Mobile, Ala., resulting in the creation of approximately 2,000 direct jobs in the United States.
Acquisition Process
* The KC-45A competition underwent the most rigorous, transparent acquisition process in U.S. Department of Defense history.
* Throughout the process, both competitors in the KC-45A acquisition hailed the Air Force for conducting a fair and open competition.
Foreign Content
* All modern jetliners are built from a global supplier base and the two entrants in the KC-45A competition are no exception. The Boeing tanker includes parts manufactured in Japan, United Kingdom, Canada and Italy. The Northrop Grumman tanker includes parts built in the United Kingdom, Germany, Spain and France.
* The Northrop Grumman KC-45A will include approximately 60 percent U.S. content. It is America's tanker.
Foreign Suppliers to U.S. Military Programs
* There are numerous examples of transatlantic cooperation on vital U.S. military programs. Foreign suppliers currently play essential roles in the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter and the VH-71 Presidential Helicopter. In fact, on the C-27J Joint Cargo Aircraft program, Boeing is responsible for producing the Alenia Aeronautica (Italy) aircraft in Jacksonville, Fla.
* No sensitive military technology will be exported to Europe. For the KC-45A program, a commercial A330 jetliner will be assembled by American workers in EADS's facility in Mobile. The aircraft will then undergo military conversion in an adjacent Northrop Grumman facility. All of the KC-45A's critical military technology will be
added by an American company, Northrop Grumman, in America, in Mobile Ala.
Source : Northrop Grumman Corporation
(Los Angeles, March 5, 2008) -- When the process to replace America's aging fleet of KC-135 aerial refueling tankers began in 2005, the U.S. Air Force made clear that it wanted a full and fair competition. Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) entered the competition with the understanding that if its proposal provided the best value to the warfighter and the American taxpayer, it could win the contract.
Since the Air Force's decision to award Northrop Grumman the KC-45A contract was announced, numerous erroneous comments have been repeated in the media and in Congress. In response, the company wants to make the following points clear:
Industrial Base
* The Northrop Grumman KC-45A tanker program will create a new aerospace manufacturing corridor in the southeastern United States.
* The KC-45A program helps return competitiveness to the U.S. aerospace industry.
Jobs
* The Northrop Grumman KC-45A tanker program does not transfer any jobs from the United States to France or any other foreign country.
* The KC-45A tanker will support more than 25,000 jobs in the United States.
* The KC-45A U.S. supplier base will include 230 companies in 49 states.
* Assembly and militarization of the KC-45A tanker will take place in Mobile, Ala., resulting in the creation of approximately 2,000 direct jobs in the United States.
Acquisition Process
* The KC-45A competition underwent the most rigorous, transparent acquisition process in U.S. Department of Defense history.
* Throughout the process, both competitors in the KC-45A acquisition hailed the Air Force for conducting a fair and open competition.
Foreign Content
* All modern jetliners are built from a global supplier base and the two entrants in the KC-45A competition are no exception. The Boeing tanker includes parts manufactured in Japan, United Kingdom, Canada and Italy. The Northrop Grumman tanker includes parts built in the United Kingdom, Germany, Spain and France.
* The Northrop Grumman KC-45A will include approximately 60 percent U.S. content. It is America's tanker.
Foreign Suppliers to U.S. Military Programs
* There are numerous examples of transatlantic cooperation on vital U.S. military programs. Foreign suppliers currently play essential roles in the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter and the VH-71 Presidential Helicopter. In fact, on the C-27J Joint Cargo Aircraft program, Boeing is responsible for producing the Alenia Aeronautica (Italy) aircraft in Jacksonville, Fla.
* No sensitive military technology will be exported to Europe. For the KC-45A program, a commercial A330 jetliner will be assembled by American workers in EADS's facility in Mobile. The aircraft will then undergo military conversion in an adjacent Northrop Grumman facility. All of the KC-45A's critical military technology will be
added by an American company, Northrop Grumman, in America, in Mobile Ala.
Source : Northrop Grumman Corporation
Thread Starter
I was wrong with my previous speculation!
Cobham Equipment Selected for USAF Tanker Programme
(February 29, 2008) -- Cobham plc ('Cobham') congratulates Northrop Grumman on the selection of the KC-45A by the USAF for the multi billion dollar tanker programme and is pleased to confirm that the Group's all digital hose and drogue refuelling pods ('pods') will be fitted for under wing and fuselage refuelling. The aircraft will also be fitted with Cobham antennas and avionics equipment. It is anticipated that the total value to Cobham over the life of the programme will be up to $1bn.
The pods carry their own power system and can offload approximately 420 gallons of fuel per minute. They are fitted with 90 ft. long hoses and are designed for use with probe-equipped receiver aircraft, and are mounted on pre-existing outboard wing structures under the aircraft's wings. Cobham's fuselage refuelling unit, which also utilises the hose and drogue system, will also be part of the [KC-45's] refuelling capability. It is located within the aircraft fuselage, near the boom and can be used to refuel probe equipped Navy, Marine and allied forces aircraft. Cobham's antennas and avionics equipment are standard equipment on the A330.
Allan Cook, Cobham Chief Executive said:
"I am absolutely delighted that we will be continuing our long association with the USAF and Northrop Grumman on such an important programme. This is a huge boost to our business and gives us an excellent platform for further investment in our technology, capability and product offering to the customer."
Source : Cobham plc
(February 29, 2008) -- Cobham plc ('Cobham') congratulates Northrop Grumman on the selection of the KC-45A by the USAF for the multi billion dollar tanker programme and is pleased to confirm that the Group's all digital hose and drogue refuelling pods ('pods') will be fitted for under wing and fuselage refuelling. The aircraft will also be fitted with Cobham antennas and avionics equipment. It is anticipated that the total value to Cobham over the life of the programme will be up to $1bn.
The pods carry their own power system and can offload approximately 420 gallons of fuel per minute. They are fitted with 90 ft. long hoses and are designed for use with probe-equipped receiver aircraft, and are mounted on pre-existing outboard wing structures under the aircraft's wings. Cobham's fuselage refuelling unit, which also utilises the hose and drogue system, will also be part of the [KC-45's] refuelling capability. It is located within the aircraft fuselage, near the boom and can be used to refuel probe equipped Navy, Marine and allied forces aircraft. Cobham's antennas and avionics equipment are standard equipment on the A330.
Allan Cook, Cobham Chief Executive said:
"I am absolutely delighted that we will be continuing our long association with the USAF and Northrop Grumman on such an important programme. This is a huge boost to our business and gives us an excellent platform for further investment in our technology, capability and product offering to the customer."
Source : Cobham plc
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Tigers
Chronic Snoozer
As a life long Tigers fan and aviation enthusiast all I can say is....... bring it on.
SIRRO....SIRRRO..SIRRO
Even now on Leichardt Oval Hill it still sounds alright as we watch Benji step the entire opposing defence and flick pass it inside for a try.
How about the 'Sironen' or Sirro for short - cause its a big bastard that offloads.
SIRRO....SIRRRO..SIRRO
Even now on Leichardt Oval Hill it still sounds alright as we watch Benji step the entire opposing defence and flick pass it inside for a try.
Evertonian
Now, are the Yanks buying a Block 4 A330? Or, as the French would say Blocque de sheet! Can't have foreigners fiddling around with state of the art French FMS' can we?
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Airbus tanker
Not wishing to sound negative but as an ex RAAF tanker driver and an Airbus 330 pilot with lotsa hours on type, I wonder if Northrop will change all the wiring harnesses away from Kapton which was the original fit in the 707 tanker convert by IAI (and had to be rewired after several wing root fires etc... ) cos that is the type that Airbus use on its fleet....
I assume that the RAAF tanker guys are aware of this on the new MRTT... these harnesses don't react well to combat damage but maybe the technology has changed .
I am sure that with all large projects this one will have a few issues that the congress men will say makes it badly handled no matter what the facts!!
woodj
I assume that the RAAF tanker guys are aware of this on the new MRTT... these harnesses don't react well to combat damage but maybe the technology has changed .
I am sure that with all large projects this one will have a few issues that the congress men will say makes it badly handled no matter what the facts!!
woodj
Go the Tigers, but get with the times fellas.... the big bloke who offloads... it's got to be Willy Mason. Let's just call the MRTT "Big Willy"!!
PS Both beasts have plenty of bling
PPS I happen to be a St.George diehard, so there is no bias
PS Both beasts have plenty of bling
PPS I happen to be a St.George diehard, so there is no bias
"Hopoate" in the context of sticking a rocket up an opponent's tailpipe would be a very good fit.
For those that don't follow Rugby League ---
http://www.squackle.com/cgi-bin/yabb...num=1053472499
For those that don't follow Rugby League ---
http://www.squackle.com/cgi-bin/yabb...num=1053472499
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OK in keeping with the 'legends of league' them, I suggest we call them 'Wombats', after the great - no, make that 'the legend that is' - Graham Eadie.
But the 'Hopoate' suggestion has a certain attraction to it!
Actually on that basis you could rename the F111s the 'Gillmeister' fleet - they live in Queensland, are pretty robust and smash up anything in their path (dunno about the Mach 2 bit, though)
But the 'Hopoate' suggestion has a certain attraction to it!
Actually on that basis you could rename the F111s the 'Gillmeister' fleet - they live in Queensland, are pretty robust and smash up anything in their path (dunno about the Mach 2 bit, though)
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Nurse: "What's the diagnosis, Doctor Bob?"
Doc: "Possibly THE worst case of thread drift I have ever seen, Nurse Smithers...there's not much we can do I'm afraid."
Nurse: "But surely you're not giving up just like that, Doctor Bob?"
Doc: "Possibly THE worst case of thread drift I have ever seen, Nurse Smithers...there's not much we can do I'm afraid."
Nurse: "But surely you're not giving up just like that, Doctor Bob?"
Thread Starter
The political ramifications continue!
Decision Time Nears for Boeing to Protest AF Tanker Award
(St. Louis, March 10, 2008) -- As the deadline nears for a decision on whether to protest a U.S. Air Force contract award for the next refueling tanker aircraft, officials at Boeing [NYSE: BA] spent the weekend evaluating with growing concern the information provided by the Air Force during a Friday debriefing.
"As we have gone through this process it has become clearer that this competition was much closer than has been reported, and that raises the stakes if the process was flawed and unfair in any way," said Mark McGraw, Boeing vice president and program manager for tanker programs. "We have serious concerns over inconsistency in requirements, cost factors and treatment of our commercial data."
As Boeing enters the final phase of its evaluation, the company is taking exception to reports that the Air Force had not received adequate commercial pricing data from the company. "It was clear from the Request for Proposals that the Air Force was seeking a commercial derivative tanker. However, by treating the Boeing offering as a military aircraft, the process by which the commercial cost/price data provided by Boeing Commercial Airplanes was evaluated has raised significant concerns," McGraw said. "We provided unprecedented insight into Boeing commercial cost/price data that had been developed over 50 years of building commercial aircraft. We believe this data was treated differently than our competitor's information.
"It is also important to note that the task of assembling and presenting this commercial data to the Air Force demonstrates the value of cooperation on this program within one company," McGraw added. "This is in sharp contrast to the higher risk involved in two companies from different countries and business cultures who have never worked together on a program of this size before."
Boeing is also responding to assertions that the company somehow misread Air Force requirements for the new tanker. "Our proposal was based on the stated criteria in the Air Force's Request for Proposal, with a specific focus on providing operational tanker capability at low risk and the lowest total life cycle cost," McGraw said. "We stand by our offering and believe that it did, and continues to, best meet the requirements.
"We take a protest very seriously," McGraw said. "For decades, Boeing has been recognized as a defense company that never takes lightly protests of our customers' decisions. We are following a very rigorous and deliberative process to ensure that we are comfortable that the evaluation was fair, and that ultimately it resulted in the tanker that is best suited to meet the needs of the warfighter."
Source : Boeing
Boeing to File Protest of USAF Tanker Contract Award
(Chicago, March 10, 2008) -- The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] will file a formal protest on Tuesday asking the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to review the decision by the U.S. Air Force to award a contract to a team of Northrop Grumman and European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company (EADS) to replace aerial refueling tankers.
"Our team has taken a very close look at the tanker decision and found serious flaws in the process that we believe warrant appeal," said Jim McNerney, Boeing chairman, president and chief executive officer. "This is an extraordinary step rarely taken by our company, and one we take very seriously."
Following a debriefing on the decision by the Air Force on March 7, Boeing officials spent three days reviewing the Air Force case for its tanker award. A rigorous analysis of the Air Force evaluation that resulted in the Northrop/EADS contract led Boeing to the conclusion that a protest was necessary.
"Based upon what we have seen, we continue to believe we submitted the most capable, lowest risk, lowest Most Probable Life Cycle Cost airplane as measured against the Air Force's Request for Proposal," McNerney said. "We look forward to the GAO's review of the decision."
Boeing said it would provide additional details of its case in conjunction with the protest filing on Tuesday.
Source : Boeing
USAF Completes KC-45A Tanker Debriefing to NGC
(Los Angeles, March 10, 2008) -- The U.S. Air Force completed its debriefing to Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) today and fully explained why the company's KC-45A tanker offering was clearly the superior tanker for the contract to replace the service's aerial refueling tankers.
"We greatly appreciate the customer's rigorous and deliberative debrief today. According to the Air Force, Northrop Grumman's KC-45A was selected because it is more advantageous to the government in the key areas of Mission Capability, Past Performance, Cost/Price, and Integrated Fleet Aerial Refueling Assessment. Our tanker clearly provides the warfighter with the best capability and at the best value to the American taxpayer," said Paul Meyer, Northrop Grumman vice president of Air Mobility Systems and KC-45A program manager. "We are under contract and moving out to get badly needed new tankers into the Air Force fleet as soon as possible."
Over the course of this source selection process, both competitors have repeatedly stated that the Air Force acquisition process for the KC-X program was fair, open and fully transparent. The process employed was unprecedented in many ways because the Air Force involved acquisition personnel from Office of the Secretary Defense and other military services to ensure the use of fair methodologies, and it provided continuing feedback to both companies on their strengths and weaknesses which allowed them to address and resolve issues.
Source : Northrop Grumman Corporation
NGC Sets the Record Straight Concerning the USAF KC-45A Misinformation
(Los Angeles, March 10, 2008) -- Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) said today that since the Air Force's selection of the Northrop Grumman KC-45A, numerous erroneous comments continue to be repeated in the media and in Congress. Northrop Grumman wants to set the record straight on the following points:
Northrop Grumman, a Los Angeles-based company with over 120,000 employees, is the KC-45A tanker prime contractor
- A contract between the U.S. Air Force and Northrop Grumman Corporation for the Northrop Grumman KC-45A was signed on Feb. 29, 2008.
- Northrop Grumman KC-45A primary subcontractors include EADS-North America, General Electric, Honeywell, AAR Cargo Systems, Sargent Fletcher, Knight Aerospace Products, Parker and Telephonics.
Jobs
- The Northrop Grumman KC-45A U.S. supplier base includes 230 companies in 49 states.
- The Northrop Grumman KC-45A tanker will support more than 25,000 direct and indirect jobs in the United States -- a conservative estimate based upon the U.S. Department of Commerce aerospace industry jobs projection formula.
- Using more recent data from our suppliers and applying the Labor Department's formula for projecting aerospace jobs at the state and regional level, the KC-45A will employ approximately 48,000 direct and indirect jobs nationwide.
- Assembly and militarization of the Northrop Grumman KC-45A tanker will take place in Mobile, Ala., resulting in the creation of 1,500 jobs in the United States.
- Job creation was not a part of the evaluation criteria, in accordance with federal law.
- The Northrop Grumman KC-45A tanker program does not transfer any jobs from the United States to France or any other foreign country.
Repayable Loans / WTO Dispute Issue
- The U.S. Department of Defense ruled that the disputes involving Boeing and Airbus currently being adjudicated by the World Trade Organization were not relevant to the U.S. Air Force's KC-X Tanker competition.
Acquisition Process
- The KC-45A competition underwent the most rigorous, fair and transparent acquisition process in Defense Department history.
- Throughout the process, both competitors in the KC-45A acquisition hailed the Air Force for conducting a fair and open competition.
- The size of the proposed tanker aircraft was not dictated by the Air Force nor was size an established criteria -- each contractor was free to propose the best solution and platform to meet Air Force warfighter requirements.
- Both contractors had ample opportunity in the protracted acquisition and source selection process to propose the best aerial refueling capability to meet the warfighter's requirements.
Reduced Risk to the Government
- The first Northrop Grumman KC-45A tanker aircraft was built in July 2007 and flown in September 2007.
- The Northrop Grumman KC-45A Aerial Refueling Boom System has completed 73 test flights totaling more than 200 flight hours. The boom completed the first in-flight fuel transfer on Feb. 29, 2008 passing 2,000 pounds of fuel to a Portuguese Air Force F-16 combat aircraft.
- The Northrop Grumman KC-45A is based upon the Royal Australian Air Force KC-30B Multirole Tanker -- which has been built, flown, and is undergoing flight tests. It will be delivered on schedule to the Royal Australian Air Force in early 2009.
- Boeing's proposed KC-767AT tanker and refueling boom were never built, flown or tested.
Industrial Base
- The Northrop Grumman KC-45A tanker program will create a new aerospace manufacturing corridor in the southeastern United States.
- The KC-45A program helps return competitiveness to the U.S. aerospace industry.
Foreign Content
- All modern jetliners are built from a global supplier base, and the two entrants in the KC-45A competition are no exception.
- Boeing's proposed tanker includes parts manufactured in Japan, United Kingdom, Canada and Italy.
- Northrop Grumman tanker includes parts built in the United Kingdom, Germany, Spain and France -- countries exempt under the Buy America Law.
- The Northrop Grumman KC-45A will include approximately 60 percent U.S. content. It is America's tanker.
Foreign Suppliers to U.S. Military Programs
- There are numerous examples of transatlantic cooperation on vital U.S. military programs. Foreign suppliers currently play essential roles in the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, the VH-71 Presidential Helicopter and the C-27J Joint Cargo Aircraft program.
- No sensitive military technology will be exported to Europe. For the KC-45A program, a commercial A330 jetliner will be assembled by American workers in EADS's facility in Mobile. The aircraft will then undergo military conversion in an adjacent Northrop Grumman facility. All of the KC-45A's critical military technology will be added by an American company, Northrop Grumman, in America, in Mobile, Ala.
Source : Northrop Grumman Corporation
(St. Louis, March 10, 2008) -- As the deadline nears for a decision on whether to protest a U.S. Air Force contract award for the next refueling tanker aircraft, officials at Boeing [NYSE: BA] spent the weekend evaluating with growing concern the information provided by the Air Force during a Friday debriefing.
"As we have gone through this process it has become clearer that this competition was much closer than has been reported, and that raises the stakes if the process was flawed and unfair in any way," said Mark McGraw, Boeing vice president and program manager for tanker programs. "We have serious concerns over inconsistency in requirements, cost factors and treatment of our commercial data."
As Boeing enters the final phase of its evaluation, the company is taking exception to reports that the Air Force had not received adequate commercial pricing data from the company. "It was clear from the Request for Proposals that the Air Force was seeking a commercial derivative tanker. However, by treating the Boeing offering as a military aircraft, the process by which the commercial cost/price data provided by Boeing Commercial Airplanes was evaluated has raised significant concerns," McGraw said. "We provided unprecedented insight into Boeing commercial cost/price data that had been developed over 50 years of building commercial aircraft. We believe this data was treated differently than our competitor's information.
"It is also important to note that the task of assembling and presenting this commercial data to the Air Force demonstrates the value of cooperation on this program within one company," McGraw added. "This is in sharp contrast to the higher risk involved in two companies from different countries and business cultures who have never worked together on a program of this size before."
Boeing is also responding to assertions that the company somehow misread Air Force requirements for the new tanker. "Our proposal was based on the stated criteria in the Air Force's Request for Proposal, with a specific focus on providing operational tanker capability at low risk and the lowest total life cycle cost," McGraw said. "We stand by our offering and believe that it did, and continues to, best meet the requirements.
"We take a protest very seriously," McGraw said. "For decades, Boeing has been recognized as a defense company that never takes lightly protests of our customers' decisions. We are following a very rigorous and deliberative process to ensure that we are comfortable that the evaluation was fair, and that ultimately it resulted in the tanker that is best suited to meet the needs of the warfighter."
Source : Boeing
Boeing to File Protest of USAF Tanker Contract Award
(Chicago, March 10, 2008) -- The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] will file a formal protest on Tuesday asking the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to review the decision by the U.S. Air Force to award a contract to a team of Northrop Grumman and European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company (EADS) to replace aerial refueling tankers.
"Our team has taken a very close look at the tanker decision and found serious flaws in the process that we believe warrant appeal," said Jim McNerney, Boeing chairman, president and chief executive officer. "This is an extraordinary step rarely taken by our company, and one we take very seriously."
Following a debriefing on the decision by the Air Force on March 7, Boeing officials spent three days reviewing the Air Force case for its tanker award. A rigorous analysis of the Air Force evaluation that resulted in the Northrop/EADS contract led Boeing to the conclusion that a protest was necessary.
"Based upon what we have seen, we continue to believe we submitted the most capable, lowest risk, lowest Most Probable Life Cycle Cost airplane as measured against the Air Force's Request for Proposal," McNerney said. "We look forward to the GAO's review of the decision."
Boeing said it would provide additional details of its case in conjunction with the protest filing on Tuesday.
Source : Boeing
USAF Completes KC-45A Tanker Debriefing to NGC
(Los Angeles, March 10, 2008) -- The U.S. Air Force completed its debriefing to Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) today and fully explained why the company's KC-45A tanker offering was clearly the superior tanker for the contract to replace the service's aerial refueling tankers.
"We greatly appreciate the customer's rigorous and deliberative debrief today. According to the Air Force, Northrop Grumman's KC-45A was selected because it is more advantageous to the government in the key areas of Mission Capability, Past Performance, Cost/Price, and Integrated Fleet Aerial Refueling Assessment. Our tanker clearly provides the warfighter with the best capability and at the best value to the American taxpayer," said Paul Meyer, Northrop Grumman vice president of Air Mobility Systems and KC-45A program manager. "We are under contract and moving out to get badly needed new tankers into the Air Force fleet as soon as possible."
Over the course of this source selection process, both competitors have repeatedly stated that the Air Force acquisition process for the KC-X program was fair, open and fully transparent. The process employed was unprecedented in many ways because the Air Force involved acquisition personnel from Office of the Secretary Defense and other military services to ensure the use of fair methodologies, and it provided continuing feedback to both companies on their strengths and weaknesses which allowed them to address and resolve issues.
Source : Northrop Grumman Corporation
NGC Sets the Record Straight Concerning the USAF KC-45A Misinformation
(Los Angeles, March 10, 2008) -- Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) said today that since the Air Force's selection of the Northrop Grumman KC-45A, numerous erroneous comments continue to be repeated in the media and in Congress. Northrop Grumman wants to set the record straight on the following points:
Northrop Grumman, a Los Angeles-based company with over 120,000 employees, is the KC-45A tanker prime contractor
- A contract between the U.S. Air Force and Northrop Grumman Corporation for the Northrop Grumman KC-45A was signed on Feb. 29, 2008.
- Northrop Grumman KC-45A primary subcontractors include EADS-North America, General Electric, Honeywell, AAR Cargo Systems, Sargent Fletcher, Knight Aerospace Products, Parker and Telephonics.
Jobs
- The Northrop Grumman KC-45A U.S. supplier base includes 230 companies in 49 states.
- The Northrop Grumman KC-45A tanker will support more than 25,000 direct and indirect jobs in the United States -- a conservative estimate based upon the U.S. Department of Commerce aerospace industry jobs projection formula.
- Using more recent data from our suppliers and applying the Labor Department's formula for projecting aerospace jobs at the state and regional level, the KC-45A will employ approximately 48,000 direct and indirect jobs nationwide.
- Assembly and militarization of the Northrop Grumman KC-45A tanker will take place in Mobile, Ala., resulting in the creation of 1,500 jobs in the United States.
- Job creation was not a part of the evaluation criteria, in accordance with federal law.
- The Northrop Grumman KC-45A tanker program does not transfer any jobs from the United States to France or any other foreign country.
Repayable Loans / WTO Dispute Issue
- The U.S. Department of Defense ruled that the disputes involving Boeing and Airbus currently being adjudicated by the World Trade Organization were not relevant to the U.S. Air Force's KC-X Tanker competition.
Acquisition Process
- The KC-45A competition underwent the most rigorous, fair and transparent acquisition process in Defense Department history.
- Throughout the process, both competitors in the KC-45A acquisition hailed the Air Force for conducting a fair and open competition.
- The size of the proposed tanker aircraft was not dictated by the Air Force nor was size an established criteria -- each contractor was free to propose the best solution and platform to meet Air Force warfighter requirements.
- Both contractors had ample opportunity in the protracted acquisition and source selection process to propose the best aerial refueling capability to meet the warfighter's requirements.
Reduced Risk to the Government
- The first Northrop Grumman KC-45A tanker aircraft was built in July 2007 and flown in September 2007.
- The Northrop Grumman KC-45A Aerial Refueling Boom System has completed 73 test flights totaling more than 200 flight hours. The boom completed the first in-flight fuel transfer on Feb. 29, 2008 passing 2,000 pounds of fuel to a Portuguese Air Force F-16 combat aircraft.
- The Northrop Grumman KC-45A is based upon the Royal Australian Air Force KC-30B Multirole Tanker -- which has been built, flown, and is undergoing flight tests. It will be delivered on schedule to the Royal Australian Air Force in early 2009.
- Boeing's proposed KC-767AT tanker and refueling boom were never built, flown or tested.
Industrial Base
- The Northrop Grumman KC-45A tanker program will create a new aerospace manufacturing corridor in the southeastern United States.
- The KC-45A program helps return competitiveness to the U.S. aerospace industry.
Foreign Content
- All modern jetliners are built from a global supplier base, and the two entrants in the KC-45A competition are no exception.
- Boeing's proposed tanker includes parts manufactured in Japan, United Kingdom, Canada and Italy.
- Northrop Grumman tanker includes parts built in the United Kingdom, Germany, Spain and France -- countries exempt under the Buy America Law.
- The Northrop Grumman KC-45A will include approximately 60 percent U.S. content. It is America's tanker.
Foreign Suppliers to U.S. Military Programs
- There are numerous examples of transatlantic cooperation on vital U.S. military programs. Foreign suppliers currently play essential roles in the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, the VH-71 Presidential Helicopter and the C-27J Joint Cargo Aircraft program.
- No sensitive military technology will be exported to Europe. For the KC-45A program, a commercial A330 jetliner will be assembled by American workers in EADS's facility in Mobile. The aircraft will then undergo military conversion in an adjacent Northrop Grumman facility. All of the KC-45A's critical military technology will be added by an American company, Northrop Grumman, in America, in Mobile, Ala.
Source : Northrop Grumman Corporation
Thread Starter
Boeing KC-767 Tanker Determined More Survivable in USAF Evaluation
(St. Louis, April 11, 2008) -- Boeing [NYSE: BA] today said the U.S. Air Force's decision to award a contract for the next aerial refueling airplane to the team of Northrop Grumman and the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company (EADS) is at odds with the fact that the Northrop/EADS team's KC-30 is less survivable and more vulnerable to attack than the Boeing KC-767 Advanced Tanker.
The Air Force evaluation cited the Boeing offering to be more advantageous in the critical area of survivability. The evaluators found the KC-767 tanker had almost five times as many survivability discriminators as its competitor.
Speaking this week at the Aerial Refueling Systems Advisory Group (ARSAG) Conference in Orlando, Fla., former U.S. Air Force Chief of Staff and retired Gen. Ronald Fogleman stressed that survivability greatly enhances the operational utility of a tanker.
"When I saw the Air Force's assessment of both candidate aircraft in the survivability area, I was struck by the fact that they clearly saw the KC-767 as a more survivable tanker," Fogleman told the ARSAG audience in his role as a consultant to Boeing's tanker effort. "To be survivable, tanker aircraft must contain systems to identify and defeat threats, provide improved situational awareness to the aircrew to avoid threat areas, and protect the crew in the event of attack. The KC-767 has a superior survivability rating and will have greater operational utility to the joint commander and provide better protection to aircrews that must face real-world threats."
On Feb. 29, the Air Force selected Northrop/EADS' Airbus A330 derivative over Boeing's 767 derivative. Boeing subsequently asked the Government Accountability Office to review the decision, citing numerous irregularities and a flawed process that included deviations from the evaluation and award criteria established by the service for the competition.
During the Air Force debrief, the Boeing team discovered the KC-767 outranked the KC-30 in the critical survivability category. The KC-767 achieved a total score of 24 positive discriminators -- including 11 described as major -- while the KC-30 scored five, none of which were major.
Major survivability discriminators for the Boeing KC-767 included:
- More robust surface-to-air missile defense systems
- Cockpit displays that improve situational awareness to enable flight crews to better see and assess the threat environment
- Better Electro-Magnetic Pulse (EMP) hardening -- the KC-767 is better able to operate in an EMP environment compared with the KC-30
- Automatic route planning/rerouting and steering cues to the flight crew to avoid threats once they are detected
- Better armor-protection features for the flight crew and critical aircraft systems
- Better fuel-tank-explosion protection features.
Boeing's KC-767 Advanced Tanker will be equipped with the latest and most reliable integrated defensive equipment to protect the aircraft and crew by avoiding, defeating or surviving threats, resulting in unprecedented tanker survivability -- far superior to all current Air Force tankers as well as the Northrop/EADS KC-30. The Boeing KC-767 also includes a comprehensive set of capabilities that enables unrestricted operations while providing maximum protection for the tanker crew.
Source : Boeing
The Air Force evaluation cited the Boeing offering to be more advantageous in the critical area of survivability. The evaluators found the KC-767 tanker had almost five times as many survivability discriminators as its competitor.
Speaking this week at the Aerial Refueling Systems Advisory Group (ARSAG) Conference in Orlando, Fla., former U.S. Air Force Chief of Staff and retired Gen. Ronald Fogleman stressed that survivability greatly enhances the operational utility of a tanker.
"When I saw the Air Force's assessment of both candidate aircraft in the survivability area, I was struck by the fact that they clearly saw the KC-767 as a more survivable tanker," Fogleman told the ARSAG audience in his role as a consultant to Boeing's tanker effort. "To be survivable, tanker aircraft must contain systems to identify and defeat threats, provide improved situational awareness to the aircrew to avoid threat areas, and protect the crew in the event of attack. The KC-767 has a superior survivability rating and will have greater operational utility to the joint commander and provide better protection to aircrews that must face real-world threats."
On Feb. 29, the Air Force selected Northrop/EADS' Airbus A330 derivative over Boeing's 767 derivative. Boeing subsequently asked the Government Accountability Office to review the decision, citing numerous irregularities and a flawed process that included deviations from the evaluation and award criteria established by the service for the competition.
During the Air Force debrief, the Boeing team discovered the KC-767 outranked the KC-30 in the critical survivability category. The KC-767 achieved a total score of 24 positive discriminators -- including 11 described as major -- while the KC-30 scored five, none of which were major.
Major survivability discriminators for the Boeing KC-767 included:
- More robust surface-to-air missile defense systems
- Cockpit displays that improve situational awareness to enable flight crews to better see and assess the threat environment
- Better Electro-Magnetic Pulse (EMP) hardening -- the KC-767 is better able to operate in an EMP environment compared with the KC-30
- Automatic route planning/rerouting and steering cues to the flight crew to avoid threats once they are detected
- Better armor-protection features for the flight crew and critical aircraft systems
- Better fuel-tank-explosion protection features.
Boeing's KC-767 Advanced Tanker will be equipped with the latest and most reliable integrated defensive equipment to protect the aircraft and crew by avoiding, defeating or surviving threats, resulting in unprecedented tanker survivability -- far superior to all current Air Force tankers as well as the Northrop/EADS KC-30. The Boeing KC-767 also includes a comprehensive set of capabilities that enables unrestricted operations while providing maximum protection for the tanker crew.
Source : Boeing
Thread Starter
Just to keep things boring!
Boeing KC-767 Tanker Adds Up to Best Value for Warfighter, Taxpayers
(St. Louis, April 15, 2008) -- The Boeing [NYSE: BA] KC-767 Advanced Tanker would save billions of dollars over the anticipated lifetime of the aircraft compared with the larger Airbus-based KC-30. Nonetheless, the U.S. government selected the larger air tanker from the team of Northrop Grumman and the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company (EADS).
Due to irregularities in the competition, such as the cost comparison, Boeing has protested the decision and asked the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to determine if the tanker acquisition process, including the cost analysis, was unfair and flawed. As the GAO reviews the decision, Boeing is also calling on policymakers to question why the comparison of full costs of the new tanker fleet failed to reflect that the Airbus KC-30 tanker is larger, heavier, less fuel-efficient and -- according to the Northrop/EADS team itself -- more costly to operate.
"As Americans pay their taxes this week, it's essential that they consider how effectively those dollars will be spent to equip U.S. warfighters," said Sen. Sam Brownback of Kansas. "It's especially important to think about the total cost of developing, producing, operating and maintaining vital defense assets that must be ready to fly at least two generations of American military men and women."
In evaluating the two tanker offerings, the U.S. government determined that the Boeing KC-767 and the Northrop/EADS KC-30 were nearly equal at a cost of $108 billion to buy and operate 179 tankers over 25 years. Boeing contends that a realistic comparison of life-cycle costs -- what the Air Force calls Most Probable Life-Cycle Costs (MPLCC) -- should have resulted in a significantly higher price tag for the Airbus KC-30 when considering the biggest cost drivers: fuel, maintenance costs and infrastructure.
- Fuel: Using commercial aviation data, a Conklin & deDecker Aviation Information fuel study funded by Boeing indicated that with the price of oil between $100-125 per barrel, the larger, heavier and less fuel-efficient KC-30 would cost $30 billion more in fuel costs than the Boeing KC-767 over an anticipated 40-year service life.
- Maintenance: Based on the requirements for a smaller aircraft, the KC-767 would be approximately 22 percent less costly than the KC-30.
- Military Construction: The larger KC-30 would require approximately $2 billion to build or upgrade hangars, ramps, access roads and other facilities at tanker bases, while existing facilities that are sized for the current fleet of KC-135 tankers will be able to accommodate the smaller KC-767 with substantially less costly improvements required.
- Additional Infrastructure Costs: To accommodate Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve units -- which operate primarily from civilian airfields and have 60 percent of the Air Force tanker fleet -- further costly investment would be required to upgrade facilities where KC-30s would be based.
Source : Boeing
(St. Louis, April 15, 2008) -- The Boeing [NYSE: BA] KC-767 Advanced Tanker would save billions of dollars over the anticipated lifetime of the aircraft compared with the larger Airbus-based KC-30. Nonetheless, the U.S. government selected the larger air tanker from the team of Northrop Grumman and the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company (EADS).
Due to irregularities in the competition, such as the cost comparison, Boeing has protested the decision and asked the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to determine if the tanker acquisition process, including the cost analysis, was unfair and flawed. As the GAO reviews the decision, Boeing is also calling on policymakers to question why the comparison of full costs of the new tanker fleet failed to reflect that the Airbus KC-30 tanker is larger, heavier, less fuel-efficient and -- according to the Northrop/EADS team itself -- more costly to operate.
"As Americans pay their taxes this week, it's essential that they consider how effectively those dollars will be spent to equip U.S. warfighters," said Sen. Sam Brownback of Kansas. "It's especially important to think about the total cost of developing, producing, operating and maintaining vital defense assets that must be ready to fly at least two generations of American military men and women."
In evaluating the two tanker offerings, the U.S. government determined that the Boeing KC-767 and the Northrop/EADS KC-30 were nearly equal at a cost of $108 billion to buy and operate 179 tankers over 25 years. Boeing contends that a realistic comparison of life-cycle costs -- what the Air Force calls Most Probable Life-Cycle Costs (MPLCC) -- should have resulted in a significantly higher price tag for the Airbus KC-30 when considering the biggest cost drivers: fuel, maintenance costs and infrastructure.
- Fuel: Using commercial aviation data, a Conklin & deDecker Aviation Information fuel study funded by Boeing indicated that with the price of oil between $100-125 per barrel, the larger, heavier and less fuel-efficient KC-30 would cost $30 billion more in fuel costs than the Boeing KC-767 over an anticipated 40-year service life.
- Maintenance: Based on the requirements for a smaller aircraft, the KC-767 would be approximately 22 percent less costly than the KC-30.
- Military Construction: The larger KC-30 would require approximately $2 billion to build or upgrade hangars, ramps, access roads and other facilities at tanker bases, while existing facilities that are sized for the current fleet of KC-135 tankers will be able to accommodate the smaller KC-767 with substantially less costly improvements required.
- Additional Infrastructure Costs: To accommodate Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve units -- which operate primarily from civilian airfields and have 60 percent of the Air Force tanker fleet -- further costly investment would be required to upgrade facilities where KC-30s would be based.
Source : Boeing
Thread Starter
NGC KC-45: Why We Won - Mission Capability
Highlighting Reasons the U.S. Air Force Selected the KC-45 Tanker as Best for Our Men and Women in Uniform
(Washington, April 21, 2008) -- The U.S. Air Force found Northrop Grumman's (NYSE:NOC) bid to build the next generation of aerial refueling tankers superior to Boeing's in four of the five most important selection criteria. Despite this fact, the losing bidder wants the Government Accountability Office to overturn the Air Force decision to award the contract to Northrop Grumman. Starting today and regularly in the coming weeks, "Why We Won" will provide detailed examples of why Northrop Grumman was selected, drawing on facts listed in a redacted version of a protected Air Force selection document. We begin with Mission Capability, which includes the crucial function of aerial refueling.
Mission Capability
The Air Force found the Northrop Grumman KC-45 provides "Better fuel offloads at all distances from bases," "Better air refueling efficiency," "Better offload rate and receive rate," and has "A greater boom envelope vs. Boeing."
This means the Northrop Grumman plane can provide more fuel at greater range, is more fuel efficient when executing the tanker mission, can perform many refueling operations faster, and can connect to receivers over a greater volume of airspace behind the tanker than Boeing's aircraft.
In a written explanation of the Air Force thinking on this subject, Sue Payton, the Air Force's chief acquisition officer, said the Air Force determined that Northrop Grumman provided "Significant refueling advantages."
Payton added that Northrop Grumman's aircraft's "Refueling capability was compelling to my decision."
"Northrop Grumman's offer was a superior solution to the air refueling requirement, which is a key performance parameter," Payton wrote.
Despite this, Boeing's defenders in Congress are now demanding that the fair and transparent bidding process that led to the Northrop Grumman selection be overturned to ensure that Boeing is given the contract, in spite of the clear inferiority of the plane it offered to our men and women in uniform.
In fact, Boeing disagrees with the Air Force formula for air refueling efficiency that shows the winning Northrop Grumman tanker as six percent more efficient in relation to fuel delivered versus fuel consumed, so they invented their own.
As the Wall Street Journal concluded in a recent editorial, "There's a word for that, but it's not patriotism."
Source : Northrop Grumman Corporation
(Washington, April 21, 2008) -- The U.S. Air Force found Northrop Grumman's (NYSE:NOC) bid to build the next generation of aerial refueling tankers superior to Boeing's in four of the five most important selection criteria. Despite this fact, the losing bidder wants the Government Accountability Office to overturn the Air Force decision to award the contract to Northrop Grumman. Starting today and regularly in the coming weeks, "Why We Won" will provide detailed examples of why Northrop Grumman was selected, drawing on facts listed in a redacted version of a protected Air Force selection document. We begin with Mission Capability, which includes the crucial function of aerial refueling.
Mission Capability
The Air Force found the Northrop Grumman KC-45 provides "Better fuel offloads at all distances from bases," "Better air refueling efficiency," "Better offload rate and receive rate," and has "A greater boom envelope vs. Boeing."
This means the Northrop Grumman plane can provide more fuel at greater range, is more fuel efficient when executing the tanker mission, can perform many refueling operations faster, and can connect to receivers over a greater volume of airspace behind the tanker than Boeing's aircraft.
In a written explanation of the Air Force thinking on this subject, Sue Payton, the Air Force's chief acquisition officer, said the Air Force determined that Northrop Grumman provided "Significant refueling advantages."
Payton added that Northrop Grumman's aircraft's "Refueling capability was compelling to my decision."
"Northrop Grumman's offer was a superior solution to the air refueling requirement, which is a key performance parameter," Payton wrote.
Despite this, Boeing's defenders in Congress are now demanding that the fair and transparent bidding process that led to the Northrop Grumman selection be overturned to ensure that Boeing is given the contract, in spite of the clear inferiority of the plane it offered to our men and women in uniform.
In fact, Boeing disagrees with the Air Force formula for air refueling efficiency that shows the winning Northrop Grumman tanker as six percent more efficient in relation to fuel delivered versus fuel consumed, so they invented their own.
As the Wall Street Journal concluded in a recent editorial, "There's a word for that, but it's not patriotism."
Source : Northrop Grumman Corporation