(Breaking) UPDATED – Full Transcript Here .
Tanker Contract Award Announcement
Secretary of the Air Force Michael W. Wynne and Vice Chief of Staff of the Air Force Gen. Duncan J. McNabb will announce the KC-X contract award winner at 5 p.m. EST, Feb. 29, in the DoD Briefing Studio, Pentagon 2E579.Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition Sue C. Payton and Gen. Arthur J. Lichte, commander of Air Mobility Command, will answer questions following the announcement.
So,
Boeing’s KC-767 NOPE
or
X Northrop Grumman’s KC-30? It’s the KC-45A
Thirsty fighters await the decision…
Stumble It!
Stumble it!
Airbus=flying corrosion trap. No clad aluminum is used. there will be problems with the airframe in the future. So it will cost large amounts just to maintain. Also, airbuses do not have the service life a Boeing 767 or 777 has. Maybe a 777-200ER tanker would fit the blue suit zoomies?
Basically, an airbus A-whatever is a piece of junk. Thanks a**t. Secretary Payton.
$10 says Boeing’s protest is on Sec. Wynne’s desk 0800 Monday morning.
Oh, and I’m pretty sure the designation is now KC-45A.
It is totally wrong that no clad aluminum is used on the a330. Most of the aluminum used on the A330 is, by the way, from US-aluminum giant ALCOA (Aluminum Corporation od America). So your so called “corrosion trap” is made of american aluminum. the A330 has a service life of guaranteed more than 30000 flight cycles and is tested for 60000 flight cycles. This number will only be reached during domestic airline operation where the planes are in the air most of ther life. This is not the fact for military operations. Far less flight cycles are generated. Your argumentation is pointless and strongly biased from hearsay. Boeing had to do a lot of homework for the competition and they decided to s**** up. Several years delay for the KC-767 for Italy and Japan is embara**ing. They tried to deliver a piece of junk to Japan and had even problems to get FAA approval for their plane.
The KC-45A will be made of mostly american components. Even the rivets and aluminum are american made. All the avionics, engines, most of the systems, tires, auxiliary power unit, self defense equipment, cargo loading system are american made. I tell you now, what is done in europe. The Wings are built in England, the bare fuselage barrels are built in germany and france, the empennage is built in germany and spain. This is less than 40% of the complete work. Keep in mind, that event this work is made with american made rivets and aluminum, imported to europe beforehand.
The whole airframe consist of no realy new technology, unlike the CFRP B787, so no loss of know-how must be feared in the us. Keep in mind that the (very old) B767 airframe would also be built partly in Italy and Japan (it is even worse for 787).
The A330 swept the 767 from the civilian airliner marked and it was designed to do so. It is a state of the art aircraft. You are only soo biased, that you cannot accept this.
My two cents