Wednesday, April 21, 2010
EADS North America intends to submit proposal for U.S. Air Force tanker
EADS North America announced that it intends to submit a proposal on Jul. 9 for the U.S. Air Force’s tanker modernisation programme and will offer the KC-45.
Labels: KC-X
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Friday, April 16, 2010
L3 cool to EADS' KC-X bid
Word on the street is L-3 Communications Holdings Inc has decided not to join EADS to bid in the KC-X contest.
EADS is now talking to other companies but time to form a team is running out.
Labels: KC-X
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Wednesday, April 07, 2010
EADS could pick L-3 as partner for KC-X
Sources say EADS could partner with L-3 Communications Holdings Inc for the USAF's aerial tanker contest.
"Based on what we know today -- and things can change -- it appears that L-3 seems to be the likely subcontractor," Scott Hamilton of Leeham Co said.
Labels: KC-X
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Friday, April 02, 2010
Boeing to study its options for tanker contract
Boeing said on Thursday that it is reviewing its options for bidding in the KC-X contest after the Pentagon announced that it might extend the May 10 bidding deadline by two months to give EADS a chance to bid.
Labels: KC-X
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Thursday, April 01, 2010
Pentagon will extend KC-X deadline by 60 days if EADS bid
The Pentagon announced that it will extend the deadline for KC-X program by another 60 days if EADS confirms it will submit a bid.
EADS said it would consider the 60-day extension but also said actually needed a 90-day extension.
Labels: KC-X
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Monday, March 22, 2010
UAC CEO denies bid on KC-X
CEO of United Aircraft Corp. has refuted U.S. media reports that his company is joining hands with an American partner to bid on the KC-X contest.
"This is utter nonsense," Alexei Fyodorov said in a telephone interview with Bloomberg News. "UAC is not planning to take part in the tanker tender or set up a joint venture."
Labels: KC-X
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Saturday, March 20, 2010
Russians to offer aerial tanker based on IL-96 to USAF
United Aircraft Corp. of Russia is planning to bid in the KC-X contest as well using a tanker converted from the Il-76 airliner.
The aircraft maker will team with a still unidentified U.S. public company and existing defense contractor for the contest.
Labels: KC-X
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Friday, March 19, 2010
EADS tells Pentagon it might still vie for tanker deal
The Pentagon has been informed by EADS that the company is still interested in vying for the aerial tanker contract.
The Pentagon said it would consider a "reasonable extension" to the May deadline in order for EADS to bid.
Labels: KC-X
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Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Sarkozy and Merkel unhappy over U.S. tanker deal
The leaders of France and Germany on Tuesday issued a rare joint statement in which they voiced their displeasure over the latest bid by the USAF to buy aerial tankers.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy and German Chancellor Angela Merkel said they would consult their EU partners over concerns that protectionism is at play in the tanker race.
Labels: KC-X
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Saturday, March 13, 2010
Sarkozy Criticizes Washington on KC-X
French President Nicolas Sarkozy accused the U.S. of protectionism in a deal to supply the USAF with aerial refueling tankers.
During a joint press conference with British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, Sarkozy was asked on what he thinks about the issue.
"Such methods by the United States are not good for its European allies, and such methods are not good for the United States, a great, leading nation with which we are on close and friendly terms," he said.
Labels: KC-X
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Friday, March 12, 2010
Gates: Pentagon will drive a hard bargain on tanker
US Defence Secretary Robert Gates said on Thursday the Pentagon will drive a hard bargain with Boeing which is currently the sole bidder for the USAF's refueling tanker program.
"We will certainly be sharpening our pencil when it comes to negotiating a contract with Boeing", Gates said.
Labels: KC-X
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Thursday, March 11, 2010
France warns U.S. of 'consequences' over tanker deal
France's Minister for Europe told reporters that there will be 'consequences' over what Paris perceive as favoritism in Washington's aerial tanker contest.
"I can assure you that there will be consequences. The president will act on the matter at the appropriate time. This matter is in no way finished."
Labels: KC-X
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Wednesday, March 10, 2010
EADS won't go alone on KC-X; Boeing thinks 'soap opera' not ended yet
Boeing's Jim Albaugh doesn't think the KC-X saga will end anytime soon. Albaugh compared the last nine year's to supply the USAF with an aerial refueling tanker as equivalent to soap opera.
In the mean time, EADS made it clear that it won't go alone in bidding for the KC-X.
Labels: KC-X
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Tuesday, March 09, 2010
Northrop Grumman not bidding on KC-X
Northrup Grumman has decided not to bid for the USAF's KC-X program. CEO Wes Bush said the Pentagon's RFP favors Boeing's smaller 767 tanker.
Labels: KC-X
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Friday, March 05, 2010
Boeing unveils 767 tanker for KC-X
Boeing announced that its offer for the KC-X competition will be based on a 767.
The new design will feature a new refueling boom and a flight deck based on the 787.
Labels: KC-X
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Wednesday, March 03, 2010
NGC nears decision on KC-X; EADS keen to bid
Northrop Grumman said yesterday that the company was "getting closer to a decision" on whether to submit a bid for the USAF tanker contest.
An anonymous source is reported by Reuters as saying the EADS is keen to bid in order to get a foothold in the U.S. market.
Labels: KC-X
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Monday, March 01, 2010
USAF hopes to have first KC-X flight in 2012
USAF officials hope that the maiden flight of the first KC-X tanker will take place by 2012.
The service wished that 18 aircraft can perform basic aerial refueling missions by 2017.
Labels: KC-X
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Thursday, February 25, 2010
KC-X final RFP is out
The Pentagon has released the final KC-X request for proposals (RFP) and as expected, there are no major changes.
One notable adjustment made is that the fixed price structure will only be applied to Lot 1 and 2 instead of the first five lots planned previously.
Labels: KC-X
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Friday, February 19, 2010
USAF prepared for single bidder on KC-X
The U.S. Air Force is prepared for only Boeing to bid for its KC-X tanker program as it gets ready to release the RFP next week.
Labels: KC-X
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Saturday, February 13, 2010
Pentagon will revisit fixed-price contract clause for KC-X
The latest statement from the Pentagon suggest the issue of fixed-price contract for the KC-X program will be looked into again.
Labels: KC-X
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Thursday, February 11, 2010
Three out of three analysts agree Boeing will win KC-X
Three out of three analysts attending the Pacific Northwest Aerospace Alliance annual conference agree that Boeing will win the next KC-X competition.
Labels: KC-X
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Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Morin asked Gates to give KC-30 a fair chance
French Defense Minister Hervé Morin said he told U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates that he hoped the A330-based tanker could have a fair chance in the USAF's tanker competition.
Labels: KC-X
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KC-X RFP expected no sooner than Feb. 23
The U.S. Air Force plans to issue its RFP for the KC-X program not before Feb. 23 according to a pre-solicitation notice posted on Monday on the federal business opportunities website.
Labels: KC-X
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Tuesday, February 09, 2010
Murtha death bad news for Northrop tanker bid
Leeham News thinks the death of U.S. Rep. John Murtha, chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, could be bad news for Northrop Grumman in its bid to sell aerial tankers to the USAF.
Murtha had championed for a split-buy and with his death, Rep. Norm Dicks is likely to take over his post. Dicks supports the Boeing bid and opposes to a split-buy.
Labels: KC-X
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Saturday, February 06, 2010
White House blasts Senator for blocking nominees over tanker war
The White House has voiced its unhappiness with U.S. Senator Richard Shelby, the top Republican on the Senate Banking Committee, for blocking more than 70 of Obama's nominees over the handling of a contract to build aerial tankers for the Air Force.
Labels: KC-X
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Thursday, January 21, 2010
Schwartz: "Modest" changes to KC-X RFP
USAF Chief Gen. Norton Schwartz has signaled that the upcoming KC-X tanker RFP will only make "modest" changes.
Schwrtz further hinted that the Pentagon may walk away from the idea of a fixed-price approach.
Labels: KC-X
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Friday, January 08, 2010
Pentagon will alter KC-X draft RFP in next few weeks
The Pentagon said on Wednesday it will alter its acquisition strategy for the KC-X before releasing the final RFP.
Pentagon spokesman Geoff Morrell added that the team is correcting mistakes and the document could be released before the end of the month, or in early February.
Labels: KC-X
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Woman suggest prayer session every Wednesday to secure KC-X contract for Alabama
A woman suggested to Mobile City Council on Tuesday that a prayer meeting be held every Wednesday so that the city can secure the USAF contract to build aerial refueling tankers.
Labels: KC-X
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Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Airbus fears delayed WTO report on Boeing could hurt its KC-X bid
Airbus is furious over a six-month delay by the World Trade Organization in releasing its report on Boeing.
The report's delay could help Boeing in its bid to supply airborne tankers to the U.S. Air Force, Airbus say.
Labels: KC-X
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Friday, December 18, 2009
Pentagon could make minor changes to KC-X RFP
U.S. Deputy Defense Secretary William Lynn on Thursday signaled that the Pentagon is likely to make minor changes to the KC-X final RFP.
Among the changes made are the projected fuel cost assumptions and extending the projected life cycle costs from 20 years to 40 years.
Labels: KC-X
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Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Donley: No major changes to KC-X RFP
U.S. Air Force Secretary Michael Donley told the annual Reuters Aerospace and Defense Summit that his service is unlikely to make changes to the KC-X final RFP.
"The requirements part of the RFP (request for proposals) is very strong," Donley said. "I wouldn't anticipate major changes to the RFP in that area."
Labels: KC-X
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Saturday, December 12, 2009
EADS will stick to plan to boycott KC-X competition
Sean O'Keefe, chief executive of EADS' North America unit, told reporters at a briefing on Friday that his company's move to boycott the KC-X competition is "not a negotiating ploy."
Labels: KC-X
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Thursday, December 10, 2009
NGC will not walk away from KC-X
Many analysts believe Northrop Grumman is unlikely to walk away from the USAF's tanker competition.
Labels: KC-X
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Wednesday, December 09, 2009
Boeing confident of solving tanker boom fuel flow requirement
Dennis Muilenburg, chief executive officer of Boeing Integrated Defense Systems, said his company is confident of meeting a Pentagon requirement for the refueling boom of the KC-X.
The refueling boom developed by Boeing for the JASDF couldn't meet the 1,200 gallon-per-minute (GMP) offload rate required by the USAF but Muilenburg says the company "have come up with a way to meet the requirement."
Labels: KC-X
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Tuesday, December 08, 2009
KC-30 fans say USAF using criteria GAO rejected in new draft RFP
Leeham News looks at complains from supporters of Northrop Grumman/EADS tanker team on how the draft RFP for the KC-X competition favors Boeing.
Labels: KC-X
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Wednesday, December 02, 2009
NGC informs Pentagon it won't bid in KC-X under current terms
Northrop Grumman President Wes Bush told Ashton Carter, the Pentagon's chief weapons buyer, Dec. 1 that the company would not submit a bid in the KC-X competition under current terms.
"The department's responses to date to our submitted questions suggest that the department is not planning to substantially address our concerns in the final release of the RFP (request for proposals)," Bush said.
"As a result, I must regrettably inform you that, absent a responsive set of changes in the final RFP, Northrop Grumman has determined that it cannot submit a bid to the department for the KC-X program," he said in the letter, which was released by the company.
Labels: KC-X
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Tuesday, November 24, 2009
KC-767 will benefit from 2nd 787 line
One of the less obvious benefits of having a second Boeing 787 line is that the current existing 767 will be moved to a new location and this will incorporate efficiencies to boot production.
Labels: KC-X
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Friday, November 20, 2009
Norm Dicks wants $5 million to be added to each NGC's KC-X tanker
Rep. Norm Dicks, a member of the House of Representatives Defense Appropriations subcommittee, urged the Pentagon on Wednesday to add as much as $5 million per plane to NGC/EADS' bid.
Dicks claims this is to "neutralize" advantages allegedly obtained by Airbus through illegal subsidies given out by European governments.
Labels: KC-X
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Thursday, November 12, 2009
McCain criticizes KC-X criteria
U.S. Senator John McCain is questioning the U.S. Air Force's draft proposal for the latest KC-X contest.
A copy of a letter McCain sent to Defense Secretary Robert Gates that was obtained by Reuters said the Senator has raised serious concerns on the program.
Labels: KC-X
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Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Former chief of Tanker Operations at TACC throws weight behind KC-X
Stu Pugh, a retired U.S. Air Force officer and former chief of Tanker Operations at the Tanker Airlift Control Center has thrown his support behind Boeing's KC-X.
Labels: KC-X
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Wednesday, November 04, 2009
Lawmakers want Obama to force USAF to include WTO ruling in KC-X
A bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers sent a letter to U.S. President Obama on Monday seeking to include a recent World Trade Organization ruling against Airbus on aircraft subsidies in the KC-X selection process.
Labels: KC-X
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Thursday, October 29, 2009
Northrop won't rule out boycott of KC-X, Petagon says bring it on
Northrop Grumman has threatened to boycott the latest round of the KC-X competition. But the threat was dismissed by the Pentagon.
Geoff Morrell, the Pentagon press secretary, said: "I find that extraordinarily hard to believe. This is an extremely lucrative contract and I don't think we have any doubt that there will be a healthy competition to win it."
Northrop Grumman said the new draft is favoring Boeing as the new rules put more weightage on cost rather than capabilities.
Labels: KC-X
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Saturday, October 24, 2009
Boeing refused to release pricing data from last KC-X competition
A copy of a letter by Pentagon General Counsel Jeh Johnson to Northrup Grumman revealed that Boeing had declined to release its pricing data from the last KC-X competition to Northrup Grumman.
One source familiar with the letter, who was not authorized to speak on the record, said Boeing's refusal to release the information was telling. "It must be important if they don't want to release it," said the source.
Labels: KC-X
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Friday, October 23, 2009
Holes found in KC-X "bulletproof" draft proposal
Industry watchers are beginning to question if the U.S. Air Force's draft for the KC-X is falling apart after serious questions were raised by both competitors.
Others are asking if pursing a fixed-price contract could actually work.
Labels: KC-X
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McCain calls on GAO to monitor KC-X
U.S. Sen. John McCain said Wednesday that the Government Accountability Office should monitor the latest KC-X tanker contest.
"I'd like to see them track it along the way," McCain said in a wide-ranging interview with Reuters.
Labels: KC-X
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Wednesday, October 21, 2009
USAF answers questions on KC-X draft
The USAF has answered some questions it has received regarding its KC-X draft proposal.
Labels: KC-X
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Friday, October 16, 2009
Boeing leaning towards KC-767
Leeham News reports that a Boeing executive has hinted that the company is leaning towards offering the KC-767 for the revamped USAF tanker contest.
Labels: KC-X
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Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Aboulafia: Gates punted tanker decision to Air Force
Aerospace analyst Richard Aboulafia said Wednesday that the decision by U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates to let the USAF run the KC-X contest was more about unloading a political headache than trust in the Air Force.
Aboulafia added that the current political climate favors Boeing and the WTO ruling is disadvantageous to EADS as long as the A350 airliner continues to get aid from European governments.
Labels: KC-X
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Saturday, September 26, 2009
Boeing could offer 2 tankers
After looking at the draft bidding rules for the USAF's KC-X contest released on Friday, Boeing says it could offer both the 767 and 777 to the USAF.
Labels: KC-X
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Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Lawmakers who back Boeing weighing legislative action in KC-X draft
Reuters reports that U.S. lawmakers who back Boeingsaid they were considering legislative action to ensure the Pentagon did not exempt EADS from U.S. export restrictions and other laws in the KC-X competition.
Representative Todd Tiahrt said subsidies given to Airbus had given Boeing a disadvantage and it is important to ensure that Boeing was not disadvantaged in the tanker competition as well.
Labels: KC-X
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Saturday, September 19, 2009
Five U.S. Senators urged Obama to bar Airbus in KC-X contest
U.S. Senators Maria Cantwell, Debbie Stabenow, Sam Brownback, Pat Roberts, and Kit Bond together wrote a letter to President Barack Obama on Friday asking him to deny Airbus the chance to bid for the KC-X contract.
The bipartisan group of lawmakers said recent WTO interim ruling found that the European consortium had benefited from illegal subsidies.
"These subsidies have given Airbus an unfair advantage in the competition to replace aerial refueling tankers at the Department of Defense."
Labels: KC-X
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Thursday, September 17, 2009
Gates says U.S. Air Force to run tanker contest
U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates announced on Wednesday that the U.S. Air Force will run the KC-X tanker contest.
Labels: KC-X
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Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Boeing unveiled additional details on KC-7A7
Boeing says it will not go the Franken-tanker path again this time for the KC-X contest.
Rick Lemaster, Boeing KC-X director and program manager, said Boeing would not offer a plane with major modifications, regardless of whether it will bid using the 767 or 777.
Labels: KC-X
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Tuesday, September 01, 2009
WTO ruling could affect tanker war
The release of a long-expected World Trade Organization ruling on aircraft subsidies could be used as ammunition by the Boeing camp for the U.S. Air Force's aerial tanker competition.
Lawmakers could make the Pentagon take into account the WTO dispute when selecting a winner.
Labels: KC-X
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Friday, July 17, 2009
KC-X tanker request delayed to fourth quarter
The Pentagon has decided that it will only release the draft request for proposals (RFP) of the KC-X aerial tanker program after August.
Secretary of Defense Robert Gates initially planned to release the draft RFP in late July or early August.
Labels: KC-X
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Saturday, July 11, 2009
Inouye now opposed KC-X split buy
U.S. Senator Daniel Inouye, chairman of the Appropriations Committee, has indicated that he opposed the plan being put forward by his House counterpart, Rep. John Murtha, to split the KC-X contract between the two competitors.
Labels: KC-X
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Friday, June 26, 2009
Gates still oppose to tanker split buy
Pentagon spokesman Geoff Morrell clarified that U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates is still opposed to a split in the KC-X tanker contract.
"The secretary has been, and continues to be, opposed to a split buy," said Geoff Morrell, adding, "It doesn’t matter what you call it, he believes in a sole-source provider."
Rep. John Murtha had said earlier that during his meeting with Gates, the latter didn't oppose to his suggestion of splitting the buy between Boeing and Northrop Grumman/EADS.
Labels: KC-X
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Thursday, June 25, 2009
Murtha: Pentagon may consider KC-X split buy
The Pentagon may be willing to consider splitting the KC-X contract between the two competing teams, Rep. John Murtha said.
He said he discussed the issue with both Gates and the new Pentagon acquisition chief, Ashton Carter, and both listened to his views.
Labels: KC-X
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Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Boeing expands KC-7A7 flexibility with GEnx as engine option
Boeing is putting more pressure on Northrop Grumman/EADS by signaling its intention to offer the GEnx engine for its 767 or 777 tanker proposal to the USAF.
This would give the USAF a wide range of options to choose from when it selects its next tanker aircraft.
Stephen Trimble also said the 777 option should offer Boeing a size advantage over the smaller Airbus A330-200.
Labels: KC-X
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Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Boeing pitches 7A7 for KC-X contest
Boeing plans to offer a tanker version of its 777 airliner together with the 767 for the U.S. Air Force's KC-X aerial tanker contest.
Boeing will rename its tanker program KC-7A7 until it decides which plane to offer for the contest.
Labels: KC-X
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Saturday, June 13, 2009
USAF won't make same mistake on KC-X again
To avoid making the same mistakes that thwarted its attempts to buy a new aerial refueling tanker, the USAF has stepped up training, elevated oversight and reached out to outside experts for help.
"The bottom line is we have taken lessons from that very searing experience and we intend to be very much more rigorous here once the secretary of defense decides one, what the acquisition strategy will be and two, who will execute that strategy," Air Force Chief of Staff General Norton Schwartz said.
Labels: KC-X
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Thursday, June 11, 2009
Inouye: Tanker bid split still being considered
U.S. Sen. Daniel Inouye, chairman of the Appropriations Committee, said he can't ignore reports that splitting the KC-X contract between the two competitors could result in massive savings.
"I just can't ignore these things," said Inouye, D-Hawaii. "I want to make sure the fleet we provide is the finest we can get for the buck."
Inouye's counterpart in the House, Rep. John Murtha, D-Penn., has said he favors splitting the buy.
Labels: KC-X
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Gates to decide KC-X tanker arbiter soon
U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates told a congressional panel Tuesday he’ll decide in the next week whether the U.S. Air Force or senior Pentagon officials will pick the winner of the KC-X contest.
Labels: KC-X
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Monday, June 08, 2009
When 2 Is Cheaper Than 1
John Lehman, U.S. Navy secretary from 1981-1987, and a member of the 9/11 Commission argues that it is cheaper to split the USAF tanker contract between the two competitors.
Citing the Navy's experience in dual-sourcing its ships and missiles, Lehman said such a move showed that those programs are running under costs.
Labels: KC-X
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Saturday, June 06, 2009
Northrop Grumman study found tanker dual source saves money
Northrop Grumman said it had found that buying tankers from both companies at a rate of about 24 a year for $5 billion could pay off in the longer term.
The Northrop paper added that additional savings could come from retiring older tankers earlier.
Labels: KC-X
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Friday, May 22, 2009
USAF to take charge in new KC-X competition
Pentagon spokeswoman Cheryl Irwin on Thursday said the U.S. Air Force is expected to resume control over the KC-X program.
The Pentagon took control over the program last summer after protests by Boeing was successful.
Air Force Secretary Michael Donley told the Senate Armed Services Committee that current plans called for release of a draft request for proposals for 179 aerial refueling planes "within the next month or so," and awarding of a winner-take-all contract in the spring of 2010.
Labels: KC-X
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Thursday, May 14, 2009
Senators oppose KC-X dual buy
More U.S. senators have indicated that they opposed a plan to split the KC-X aerial tanker program between the two competitors.
Senators Carl Levin, Susan Collins, Ben Nelson, John McCain, James Inhofe and Sen. Patty Murray are all against the idea.
Labels: KC-X
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Wednesday, May 06, 2009
Obama may use veto on KC-X split
If there are any attempts to split the U.S. Air Force's aerial tanker contract between Boeing and Northrop Grumman/EADS by Congree, its likely to be vetoed by U.S. President Barack Obama.
Labels: KC-X
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Saturday, May 02, 2009
KC-X tanker split buy not in 2009 wartime supplemental spending bill
Wall Street Journal reports that the U.S. House Appropriations Defense Subcommittee chairman, John Murtha, won't be adding language to the fiscal 2009 wartime supplemental spending bill that would require the Air Force to split the KC-X tanker contract between the two competitors.
Sources say the White House asked House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, to persuade Mr. Murtha to back down.
Labels: KC-X
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Tuesday, April 28, 2009
John Young: Price competition of KC-X best for taxpayer
Outgoing Pentagon arms buyer John Young suggests that price might be the best factor in selecting the KC-X tanker as it could ultimately prove less controversial.
Labels: KC-X
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Thursday, April 23, 2009
Boeing agrees to KC-X split buy
Jim Albaugh, head of Boeing's Integrated Defense System, says his company will support splitting the KC-X tanker contract with Northrop Grumman/EADS.
"We are going to support whatever type of acquisition that our customer wants to put in place," Albaugh said in a phone interview.
Labels: KC-X
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Thursday, April 09, 2009
GE's CEO supports KC-X split buy
General Electric chairman and CEO Jeff Immelt on Tuesday become one of the first corporate leaders to back a recent proposal to split the KC-X contract.
John Murtha, chairman of the House defense appropriations subcommittee, recently proposed that Northrop Grumman/EADS and Boeing compete annually to supply tankers to the U.S. Air Force.
"I think Murtha has created a path to break the deadlock," the CEO said in an interview with the Enquirer.
Labels: KC-X
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Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Former USAF Secretary supports KC-X split buy
Former U.S. Air Force Secretary Michael Wynne told Reuters that he supports a proposal to split the KC-X contract between Boeing and EADS/Grumman.
"There's a lot of merit in the congressional argument to have two tankers," Wynne said.
Labels: KC-X
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Friday, March 20, 2009
Gates opposes KC-X split, denies 5-year pause
U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates on Wednesday reiterated his opposition to splitting the KC-X contract and denied reports that the White House had wanted to delay the program for five years.
"I think it's bad public policy and I think it's bad acquisition policy. It would require the Air Force to maintain two different logistics trains, two different kinds of training; everything would have to be duplicated in the support structure," Gates told reporters.
"And I just think it's a bad deal for taxpayers."
Labels: KC-X
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Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Northrop Grumman hints at split tanker buy
Executives at Northrop Grumman said the U.S. military could save $10.2 billion between 2012 and 2029 if it buys both the KC-30 and KC-767
The internal analysis by the company contrasts differently from one release by the Pentagon which said the split buy would lead to higher costs due to additional training and logistics requirements.
Labels: KC-X
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Saturday, March 14, 2009
Pentagon opposes KC-X split buy
Pentagon spokesman Geoff Morrell said it opposes a plan by Congressman Neil Abercrombie to split the KC-X.
Labels: KC-X
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Friday, March 13, 2009
Murtha to use war supplemental funds for tanker development
House of Representatives' Appropriations Defense subcommittee chairman John Murtha said he was considering putting a "couple billion dollars" in the second stage of a fiscal 2009 war supplemental bill to jump start the KC-X.
Labels: KC-X
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Thursday, March 12, 2009
Key lawmaker wants to split tanker contract
The U.S. House Armed Services Air and Land Forces Subcommittee Chairman Neil Abercrombie said yesterday that he would seek to split the KC-X contract evenly between Boeing and Northrop Grumman/EADS.
"I think we can come to a reasoned conclusion on getting both bids accepted," Abercrombie told reporters.
Labels: KC-X
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Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Obama may delay tanker and bomber program
B-52s and KC-135s will have to soldier much longer as Congressional Quarterly reported that the current administration may delay KC-X by five years and cancel the 2018 bomber.
According to CQ the final decision has not been made and the recommendations are part of negotiations between the Office of Management and Budget and the Pentagon.
Labels: KC-X
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Sunday, March 01, 2009
McCain against splitting KC-X
Sen. John McCain on Friday said he is against splitting the KC-X contract between Boeing and Northrup Grumman/EADS.
"Just because of politics, we shouldn't split" the contract between them, McCain said. "It would only be a political decision."
Labels: KC-X
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Saturday, February 28, 2009
Donley: KC-X expected to restart this Spring
Newly reappointed USAF Secretary, Michael Donley, said the Pentagon is likely to issue requests for new tankers in Spring and a decision could be made at the very end of the calendar year or early next year.
Labels: KC-X
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Thursday, February 26, 2009
KC-X top priority for U.S. Transportation Command
Gen. Duncan McNabb, commander of U.S. Transportation Command, told a joint hearing of the seapower and air and land forces subcommittees of the House Armed Services Committee that replacing the KC-135 is the top priority for him.
"My number one recapitalization priority is replacing the fleet of 415 Eisenhower-era KC-135s with a new platform to preserve a unique asymmetric advantage for our nation," McNabb said in written testimony prepared for the hearing.
Labels: KC-X
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Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Murtha favors tanker split
John Murtha, chairman of the U.S. House of Representatives Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, said Monday that he prefers to let Airbus and Boeing split the KC-X contract as this may be the only way to reach political settlement.
"I'm trying to figure out a way to convince the secretary of defense to at least look at two airplanes, or both of them," said Murtha said after touring Boeing's factory in Seattle.
Labels: KC-X
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Friday, February 06, 2009
Young: Split tanker buy is bad idea
John Young, undersecretary of defense for acquisition, told reporters that splitting the KC-X competition will wipe out the competitive aspect of the competition.
Labels: KC-X
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Friday, January 30, 2009
KC-Y to be brought forward
The U.S. Air Force had envisioned that after wrapping up the KC-X program with a winner, it will start a new round called KC-Y in the next decade. Its seems that some would like to bring the KC-Y forward.
The move will allow the USAF to split the tanker contract between Boeing and EADS/NGC.
Labels: KC-X
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Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Gates wants competitive U.S. aerial tanker bids
U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said he wants the new KC-X competition to be competitive.
"I am firmly committed to a competitive process," Gates told the Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday.
Labels: KC-X
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Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Northrop wants quick, best-value tanker
Northrop Grumman's CEO Ron Sugar urged the next U.S. administration to make a quick decision to revive the KC-X program and to base the decision on "best value" rather than lowest price.
"We would hope that we see a rapid restart of the program and ... that the competition will be conducted as a best value competition very much as the F-22 and the F-35 were conducted ... as opposed to just simply a low-ball bid," he said.
Labels: KC-X
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Thursday, December 11, 2008
KC-X two years away
John Murtha, chairman of the House Appropriations subcommittee on defense, said the Pentagon will need at least two years before it can start replacing the KC-135 with new tankers.
Labels: KC-X
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Airbus’s Boeing 787 dossier could have wider implications for both airframers
Airbus has obtained proprietary Boeing data on the 787 and wanted to use them to hurt sales of the airliner but the plan could backfire on its quest to sell tankers to the Pentagon.
Flight International says the move to publish the data by Airbus could be used as an excuse by Boeing supporters to label Airbus as untrustworthy and unethical.
Labels: KC-X
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Friday, November 21, 2008
Boeing to lay off workers at Wichita
Without work from its tanker program, Boeing has decided to laid off approximately 800 workers at its Wichita facility.
Labels: KC-X
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Sunday, November 02, 2008
New KC-X will have minimal requirements spell out
Teams competing for the next KC-X aerial tanker contract will know what are the minimum mandatory requirements before bidding.
Defense Undersecretary John Young added that price will be the deciding factor during the selection.
Labels: KC-X
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Thursday, October 09, 2008
Murtha : Only two U.S. Air Force production lines in future
John Murtha, chairman of the U.S. House Appropriations defense subcommittee, said the next administration can only keep two U.S. Air Force production lines open in future.
These are the F-35 and KC-X, the F-22 and the C-17 line is likely to be closed.
Labels: KC-X
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Thursday, October 02, 2008
Dual buy of KC-X being looked into
The U.S. House defense appropriations subcommittee chairman, John Murtha, said he is looking into the option of dual buy of new tankers for the U.S. Air Force.
A split buy and a dual buy are not exactly the same thing. A dual buy will see the Pentagon buying one aircraft a month from each company.
Labels: KC-X
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Thursday, September 25, 2008
Gates wanted to pick cheapest tanker
U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates told the Senate Armed Services Committee that he toyed with the idea of changing the competition in the final days and making a decision based on which one offered the best deal.
But he decided to cancel the competition because it became clear he couldn't get the job done until the last days of his tenure.
Labels: KC-X
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Saturday, September 20, 2008
NGC will get termination fee for KC-X
The Pentagon is negotiating with Northrop over a termination fee for the canceled KC-X contest.
"We haven't entered into discussions yet that would lead to an appropriate settlement," Northrop spokesman Randy Belote said. "We are waiting for instructions from the Air Force."
Labels: KC-X
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Thursday, September 18, 2008
Boeing learning from tanker "saga"
David Bowman, vice president of Boeing tanker programs, told Reuters in an interview at the annual Air Force Association meeting that they are reviewing "lessons learned" from the failed bid to supply tankers to the U.S. Air Force.
"The whole process needs to be looked at. I don't think anybody ... wants to go through this again," Bowman said.
Labels: KC-X
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Young says Boeing tanker was $3billion more expensive
John Young, the Pentagon's undersecretary for acquisition, technology and logistics, said developing the first 68 tankers based on the KC-330 will be $3billion cheaper than Boeing's design.
Young said that Northrop promised earlier delivery and that its aircraft "provided more tanker capability and offload rate and was substantially cheaper to develop."
Labels: KC-X
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U.S. Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz
U.S. Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz blamed retired generals for the current air tanker fiasco.
"My personal view is that military professionals including those who have retired from active service have an obligation to refrain from taking sides in public debates on key acquisition programs," Schwartz said at the Air Force Association's annual conference.
Labels: KC-X
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Tuesday, September 16, 2008
New Air Force tanker up to four years away
U.S. Air Force Chief of Staff Norton Schwartz said a new KC-X contract could up to 36 to 48 months to proceed depending on the new administration.
Schwartz told reporters at the annual Air Force Association meeting on Monday that Air Force officials were preparing a wide range of options for the next administration.
Labels: KC-X
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Sunday, September 14, 2008
EADS denies pulling out of KC-X
EADS denied on Saturday over reports that it has threatened to pull out of the contest to supply aerial refueling tankers to the U.S. Air Force.
Der Spiegel reported that EADS was frustrated by the Pentagon's decision to delay the contest until the next U.S. President is elected.
Labels: KC-X
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