Sun, May 18, 2003
To quickly begin the recapitalization of its tanker fleet, the
Air Force is pursuing a deal to lease 100 Boeing 767s converted
into tankers. The proposal awaiting Department of Defense approval
is vital to sustaining the Air Force’s tanker fleet, said Dr.
Marvin R. Sambur, assistant secretary of the Air Force for
acquisition at the Pentagon.
Sambur and other senior Air Force leaders have concerns about
the ability of the existing tanker fleet to continue supporting
operations in the future because of its age and growing corrosion
problems. Many of the Air Force’s KC-135E Stratotankers
entered service in the late 1950s during the Eisenhower
administration. Today, the average age of a KC-135E is 43
years.
“Before we will be able to recapitalize the entire fleet,
some of these planes will be 80 to 90 years old,” Sambur
said. “This is uncharted territory for us.” The Air
Force is worried it cannot wait that many years before it replaces
these aircraft, he said. Over the past decade, these tankers also
have been adding many more flying hours to already old airframes to
support operations.
“With our lease proposal, we can get 68
tankers into service by fiscal 2009,” Sambur said. “If
we tried to procure them through traditional means, we would only
have one or two new tankers in service in the same amount of
time.”
The Air Force’s lease proposal is also more cost
effective, he said, pointing to data compiled by the Defense
Acquisition University that shows this super multiyear lease deal
providing a 7 percent price advantage over a conventional
purchase.
The Air Force will not have to spend a nickel until Boeing
delivers the tankers, Sambur explained. In a normal procurement,
the Air Force must start giving the contractor advance payments for
aircraft development as soon as the contract is awarded. If
approved, the proposal will be sent to the Office of Management and
Budget, and then to Congress for final approval. [ANN Thanks Staff
Sgt. A.J. Bosker, AFPN)
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