Home of the KC-45 Air Force tanker?
Published 5:00 pm Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Defense Secretary Robert Gates said earlier today that he’s ready to go forward with the aerial refueling tanker competition as soon as Congress confirms a new deputy defense secretary and chief arms buyer.
“It seems to me that the key is a competitive bid, meeting technical requirements, and the best deal for the taxpayer,” Gates said, according to this Reuters story.
Gates added, “I certainly intend to proceed with a competitive process.”
Tell that to the folks in Mobile, Ala., where Northrop Grumman and EADS would build their KC-30 tanker.
During last week’s Senior Bowl, held in Mobile, commercials hailed Mobile as the “future home of the KC-45.”
I didn’t get to see the commercials, nor can I find copies, but I’d love to hear from anyone who did.
Northrop continues to call its A330-based tanker the KC-45 (the Air Force’s designation for the new tanker) on its tanker Web site.
For its part, Boeing is calling 2009 not the Year of the Ox, but the Year of the Boeing Tanker, reports analyst Scott Hamilton.
I just got back from Las Vegas. If there had been a way to bet on it, I’d put money that we’ll still be talking about the Air Force tanker contest next January. But that’s a pretty safe bet.
