[ZOOKER]

Last I heard a military version of the 777 is out of the question. Boeing developed a new alloy for the 777 which it was trying to keep a trade secret. That's not allowed on aircraft sold to the US gov't, they want documentation on every nut and bolt.

There was also talk about shutting down the 767 line because of weak sales --- they were counting on the tanker contract to keep the line running.

Both of these rumors are several years old...

[Paleo Conservative]

Last I heard a military version of the 777 is out of the question. Boeing developed a new alloy for the 777 which it was trying to keep a trade secret. That's not allowed on aircraft sold to the US gov't, they want documentation on every nut and bolt.

The 777 is too big, and so is the A330. They take too much ramp space. The 767 has about the same wingspan as a 707-320 and just a little bit more than the KC-135, while the 787 has almost a 200 foot wing span. The 767 is a direct replacement for reengined KC-135R, but can carry about 10,000 more pounds of fuel and can can use the same hangers with a modification of the door height to allow the 767 tail to clear. The Using any other aircraft would require much higher costs to build new ground facilities.