Northrop drops out of tanker bid.

[specter177]

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/03 ... -contract/

[DaveSims]

Probably figured it wasn't worth the effort, it would never go to them anyway, Boeing would see to that.

[C]

Having won the competition with a more capable (and compared to the KC-767 offered*, more extant) airframe, one doesn't blame them considering the re-writing of the requirement to absolutely dismantle the advantages the larger tanker offered.

Sadly the only losers (other than the workers of Alabama) will be the USAF, who because certain parties were so against a foreign tanker from Boeing's main competitor, will now probably get the least Boeing can get away with to almost directly replace the KC-135. In doing so they've also shot themselves in the foot in possibly negating any need for the so called future "KC-Y" competition to replace the KC-10 (which could have been fulfilled by an extension of the KC-X order.


*the USAF would certainly not have wanted the KC-767 as supplied to the JASDF and the Italians.


Mind you, as I've said before, it's nice for the RAF for once to be able to say "I'm alright Jack!".

[ozzy72]

Another tragic case of "protectionism"

[Brett_Henderson]

The cost of no competition worries me.. but the initial cost is peanuts if we get Boeing-esque service life out of these air-frames. The KC-135 and B-52 have over a CENTURY of service between them.

[specter177]

Yea, the B-52 is scheduled to be in surface until 2050. The youngest was built in the mid 70's, so that would be like having a biplane in front-line service today.

[C]

The KC-135 and B-52 have over a CENTURY of service between them.

On the plus side, now Airbus/NG have pulled out, there's a chance of getting the near 50 year old -135 airframes out of service.

We parked next to a KC-135 at an event last year. We thought were were old in our 43 year old jet...

...until we spoke to the 135 crew who confirmed there's was a '61 vintage model!

[OVERLORD_CHRIS]

I'm still keeping up with this debacle of a tanker perches, just waiting on the "official" word that Boeing will get it by default.   

Funny thing is, after 8 years of trying to jam the nearly out of production 767 down the USAF's throat, not one time did they ever build a prototype for the USAF to back up all the stuff they were saying.

And now only when Congress passed a law making NG give up the data on the KC-30, did Boeing go back and remodified the 767 to have the flight deck of the 787 and fly by wire & remote fuel station like in the NG KC-30.