Tanker contract decision announced

[unhappycamper]

Tanker contract decision announced
By Kent Miller, Gayle S. Putrich and Pierre Tran - Staff writers
Posted : Friday Feb 29, 2008 19:35:31 EST

After months of deliberations — and more than one delay — the Air Force has finally decided who will build the service’s new refueling tankers.

Northrop Grumman and European partner EADS beat out presumptive favorite Boeing for the Air Force’s $35-40 billion, 179-plane tanker deal, Air Force officials said. The bigger size of the plane was the crucial factor, they said. It represents the first of three deals that could eventually be worth as much as $100 billion over 30 years to replace almost 600 tankers.

The modified Airbus A330 aerial refueling tanker “gives us more,” said Air Force Secretary Michael W. Wynne. “More fuel to offload, more cargo, more passengers, more availability, more flexibility, more dependability and more ability to move patients.”

The aircraft, which the Air Force has designated the KC-45A, will provide much greater refueling capabilities than the 50- to 60-year-old KC-135s it will replace. For example, it will be able to refuel two aircraft at the same time, including Air Force and Navy planes, which have different systems for receiving the fuel. Currently, KC-135s must be set up to service one or the other before each flight.

Also important, Air Force officials said, are the plane’s defensive systems, which will allow it to get closer to the fight and offload as much fuel as possible.


Rest of article at: http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/02/airforce_tanker_contract_022908w/



uhc comment: If they build 179 of these, they only cost $195,530,726 a pop --> http://frontierindia.net/us-airforce-selects-kc-45a-tankers

[Eagle_Eye]

1. This is actually BAD news for EADS / Airbus

Airbus has been heavily subsidized by the European governments, notably France and Great Britain, to the tune of billions of Euros. Now they are going to be subsidizing aircraft for the United States military, subsidizing the manufacture of cargo aircraft in Mississippi, and will be topped off by unfavorable exchange rates between the dollar and the Euro.

So along Airbus, it has been nice knowing you.

[Doug.Goodall]

2. What is really bad news is Mobile is in ALABAMA - not Mississippi

People like you who post without knowledge of the topic give all of us progressives a black eye. The republicans sit around reading DU waiting for some one like you to post something stupid.

Lucky for us, Senator Patty Murray and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi see through Bush's give away and are going to set things right.

[Eagle_Eye]

3. It looks like Republicans are not the only ones reading DU to find a mistake

I made a little mistake in geography. That does not change the subsidizes that the European Union have given to Airbus over the last 40 years.

If our professional politicians want to second guess our professional military leaders, then they are welcomed to do that. I have not seen any evidence that little gorge bush had any influence on the KC-X decision.