HeraldNet: Air Force tankers/dinosaurs need replacing now, senator says



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Aerospace Blog

July 2, 2008

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Air Force tankers/dinosaurs need replacing now, senator says

Posted at 11:14 am by Michelle Dunlop

Alabama Sen. Richard Shelby urged Defense Secretary Robert Gates to expedite the Air Force’s KC-X aerial refueling tanker replacement in a letter sent today.

The Republican senator said that while government auditors may have found flaws in the Air Force’s competition, they did not “contradict the Air Force’s conclusion that the Northrop Grumman/EADS KC-45 was the winner,” Shelby wrote.

Northrop/EADS would build their tanker in Mobile, Ala. Last week, supporters of the Boeing Co.’s KC-767 introduced legislation instructing the Air Force either to re-bid the $35 billion deal or to give it to Boeing unless the agency wanted its funding held up by Congress.

While the Air Force sorts out its next move, its fleet of KC-135 Stratotankers continues to age.

“The average age of our current tanker is now older than the average age of the pilot who flies it,” wrote Alabama’s Shelby. “Not only do we need to quickly deliver new tankers to our airmen, we need to ensure that the replacement aircraft is the best available option for both the warfighter and the taxpayer.”

Just last week, Rep. Jo Bonner, R-Ala., called Boeing’s KC-767 a “dinosaur” compared to the Northrop and EADS KC-30.

Speaking of dinosaurs … the Press-Register in Mobile came out with this editorial cartoon to illustrate the age of the Air Force’s existing tanker fleet.

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