Wed, Sep 16, 2009
Company Is Locked In Competition With Airbus To Replace
KC-135
Boeing unveiled additional details
of the company's potential offering in the U.S. Air Force KC-X
tanker competition on Tuesday, saying the KC-7A7 will offer maximum
capability at the lowest cost.
In a briefing at the Air Force Association's 2009 Air &
Space Conference and Technology Exposition outside Washington, Rick
Lemaster, Boeing KC-X director and program manager, said Boeing has
"been listening to our U.S. Air Force customer, and we appreciate
their efforts in preparing for the next competition."
"We are prepared to offer the best solution through the KC-7A7,"
Lemaster continued. "Whether it's the agile 767-based tanker or the
larger 777-based tanker, Boeing is ready to deliver maximum
capability at the lowest cost."
Lemaster highlighted the merits of the KC-7A7 -- a range of
tanker options the company first introduced in June at the Paris
Air Show -- by highlighting the full complement of capabilities of
both aircraft.
"If the Air Force wants a flexible wide-body tanker that is well
suited to operate in an austere, expeditionary environment, the
Boeing 767-based tanker is a powerful and demonstrated solution,"
said Lemaster. "And if the Air Force values more fuel, cargo and
passengers, the Boeing 777-based tanker offers superior
capability."
Boeing 767, 777 Tankers
Boeing says based on mission scenarios, the B767-based tanker
can offload 20 percent more fuel, carry three times the cargo and
transport five times the number of passengers compared with the Air
Force's current KC-135, within a comparable narrow-body footprint.
They further say the B777-based tanker is comparable in size to the
Airbus A330, but delivers 23 percent more fuel and carries 44
percent more cargo and 42 percent more passengers than the A330 in
a more reliable and technologically advanced airframe.
Boeing also announced the launch of a new Web site dedicated to
KC-7A7: UnitedStatesTanker.com.
More News
Airbus Racer Demonstrator Makes Inaugural Flight Airbus Helicopters' ambitious Racer demonstrator has achieved its inaugural flight as part of the Clean Sky 2 initiative, a corners>[...]
A little Bit Quieter, Said Testers, But in the End it's Still a DA40 Diamond Aircraft recently completed a little pilot project with Lufthansa Aviation Training, putting a pair of >[...]
Line Up And Wait (LUAW) Used by ATC to inform a pilot to taxi onto the departure runway to line up and wait. It is not authorization for takeoff. It is used when takeoff clearance >[...]
Contributing To The Accident Was The Pilot’s Use Of Methamphetamine... Analysis: The pilot departed on a local flight to perform low-altitude maneuvers in a nearby desert val>[...]
From 2015 (YouTube Version): Overcoming Obstacles To Achieve Their Dreams… At EAA AirVenture 2015, FedEx arrived with one of their Airbus freight-hauling aircraft and placed>[...]
Airbus Racer Helicopter Demonstrator First Flight Part of Clean Sky 2 Initiative
See All