That Is, If Tanker Is Selected For Fleet Renewal Plan

They don't have the contract yet... but that doesn't mean EADS won't be ready if the US Air Force selects the KC-30 Tanker to replace its current fleet of KC-135s. The European aerospace consortium tells ANN the first KC-30 Tanker designated for the US Air Force's refueling fleet modernization has begun final aircraft platform assembly.

Drawing on suppliers in the United States and other allied nations, final assembly of the first KC-30 Tanker platform -- based on the Airbus A330-200 commercial airliner -- is being performed on the final assembly line in Toulouse, France. This initial development aircraft, designated D-1, will be ready for delivery to the military modification line in November -- one month after the projected contract award for the Air Force's KC-X program to recapitalize its aging aerial tanker fleet.

EADS states the KC-30 Tanker benefits from the A330's active production line and its fully operational industrial supply chain. To date, more than 1,110 A330/A340s have been sold, with 800-plus aircraft delivered to international operators and over 240 A330s in the current backlog.

A combined US and allied industrial team has also been assembled to produce and supply KC-30 Tankers for the US Air Force. The KC-30 is based on  the A330 Multi-role Tanker Transport (shown above), which won the last three tanker competitions to support the air forces of Australia, the United Kingdom and the United Arab Emirates.

The KC-30 Tanker carries 45,000 more pounds of fuel than a KC-135, or Boeing's 767-based tanker variant also competing for the USAF bid. The KC-30 is also designed to refuel Navy and coalition aircraft, and to serve as a multi-role transport aircraft to move passengers, cargo and medical evacuation patients.

If selected by the Air Force, the KC-30 will be assembled in Mobile, AL by a team led by Northrop Grumman, which also includes EADS, General Electric Aviation, Honeywell, and Sargent Fletcher. EADS says the work would create or support more than 25,000 US jobs.

FMI: www.eads.com, www.af.mil