Only 27 Commercial Jets Remain On Order

Should it win the $23.5 billion Air Force aerial tanker project to build as many as 179 aircraft, Boeing's 767 aircraft construction program would see new energy even as it nears the end of its commercial life, according to the Chicago Tribune.

The new aerial tankers would replace the 40-year-old KC-135s that refuel Air Force fighters, bombers, and transport planes in flight.

Press Secretary for US Representative Norm Dicks, George Behan said, "Norm believes the Boeing 767 will prove to be the right combination of a proven aircraft and the right capabilities to win the deal." Dicks holds a senior position on the House Defense Appropriations Subcommittee.

The 767 began service in 1982 and is due for replacement by Boeing's very efficient 787 Dreamliner in 2008.

It was back in 2003 that Congress approved the leasing contract for 100 Boeing 767 tankers, only to have the Department of Defense cancel it when Boeing admitted to doing favors for a top Pentagon procurement officer involved in the contract decision.

The Air Force put its tanker plans on hold while Congress and the Pentagon investigated. Four years later, and after much Boeing public contrition, Boeing is evidently a viable Pentagon partner.

Since 2003, however, Boeing has kept the 767 production line barely turning over; just 27 commercial 767s remain to be built, with Boeing producing about one aircraft a month on that line.

According to Pentagon sources, the Air Force's final tanker RFP (request for proposals) is expected soon. Defense analysts believe a Pentagon decision could be forthcoming by late summer.

Boeing's contract opposition, a consortium of companies led by Northrop Grumman, proposes modifying Airbus A330 commercial aircraft to fulfill the tanker role.

Although the 767 is a smaller, older-design aircraft than the A330, it is likely to be less expensive than the A330-derived tanker, meaning more tanker for the buck.

FMI: www.boeing.com, www.airbus.com, www.northropgrumman.com, www.pentagon.mil