Boeing 767s will help NW economy, military
Published 9:00 pm Wednesday, December 19, 2001
Boeing and the Northwest received some much-needed good news Tuesday when plans to convert 767s for military tanker use received approval from a key congressional group. More importantly, the decision makes sense for the nation.
Members of a Senate-House committee have agreed on a $20 billion plan to lease 100 Boeing 767s for use as aerial tankers.
The Senate and House of Representatives should approve the proposal in separate votes today. If that happens, President Bush should listen to the bipartisan supporters of tanker modernization and sign the bill.
Replacement of the nation’s aging fleet of KC-135 tankers is overdue. In recent years, the Air Force has said it had plans to replace the 40-year-old planes but the idea kept being pushed back.
That’s reportedly been because the Air Force preferred to update fighter jets but, as Sen. Maria Cantwell points out, budget politics had squeezed the Pentagon. Forty-year-old planes can be made to fly, of course. It’s one thing to have aging B-52s in the air — and frequently under repair —when they are just part of a wider mix of bombers. But the ancient KC-135, Cantwell notes, is the only tanker in the Air Force fleet.
So it doesn’t take an advanced degree in rocket science — or military science — to figure out that the Boeing 767 offers an outstanding opportunity for the Air Force to move forward. This summer, Italy chose the Boeing 767 over two Airbus models for new military tankers and Japan has just chosen the Boeing model for an upcoming order.
The Air Force’s tanker modernization will have important effects for Washington state at a crucial time. It will bring jobs for Everett workers, as well as elsewhere in the country, and better planes for the tanker fleet, which is partially based at Spokane’s Fairchild Air Force Base. As Rep. Rick Larsen noted, the state’s congressional delegation, led by Sen. Patty Murray and Rep. Norm Dicks, united behind the plan. Rep. George Nethercutt, R-Spokane, served on the Senate-House conference committee that finalized the deal.
The tanker project won’t erase the economic harm created by terrorism and a recession. But the leasing plan will help both Washington and the nation. Tanker modernization deserves what the House and Senate committee members envision: final support from Congress and the president.
