Posted on 04/03/2008 3:51:37 PM PDT by e_castillo
In the midst of the firestorm that is the contested U.S. Air Force KC-45 refueling tanker program, the first of the new aircraft has been sent to Germany for its cargo conversion.
Northrop Grumman/EADS North America officials have been coy about how much work they are doing with the $60 million provided by the Air Force before Boeing protested the team's win. The company has not discussed much about its work since Boeing's March 11 protest of the award.
But, now Northrop Grumman has acknowledged that D-1, the first developmental KC-45, was sent to Dresden March 4. Work was scheduled to begin on the aircraft March 12, though the company hasn't confirmed it is under way.
If Northrop Grumman/EADS keeps the contract, the aircraft will head to CASA's facility in Madrid for its refueling mission system. Final military modifications will be added at Northrop Grumman's Melbourne, Fla., facility. The first flight test was scheduled for February 2010 prior to the protest.
Here are some pictures of D-1, the first A330 for the U.S. Air Force's KC-45 development program, arriving in Dresden for the conversion.
There's gotta be a joke in there somewhere.
Where is Boeing’s tanker?
Parked somewhere I would imagine. Why would they want to fly?
Until the protest is decided the money’s frozen except for the amount NG took off the table before hand. Looks like they are spending it wisely, in Europe of course.
Is this the first time a USAF aircraft has landed there?
Grounded....heehee.
>>>Where is Boeing’s tanker?
No. Thats the title the Author gave the article.
But I see where you’re going :) Maybe I should have added “Barf Alert”.
Thanks for the pics... Size does matter doesn’t it!
Air Force refueling tankers?
I thought, from reading a few years back, that the Air Force of the future would be unmanned fighters and bombers and ultralight remote controlled vehicles?
So, that being the case, why is the U.S. spending so much on tankers which are designed for refueling manned aircraft? Wont that be hundreds of billions spent and wasted on tankers whose missions will be obsolete in a few years?
Unmanned aircraft need fuel too.
“I thought, from reading a few years back, that the Air Force of the future would be unmanned fighters and bombers and ultralight remote controlled vehicles?”
You forgot to mention Cubicles. Lots and lots of Cubicles...
I really don’t think any major unmanned effort would be in a few years. I don’t see why the drones won’t be able to refuel on their own.
Presumably drones will need to be refuelled, too.
Ohhhh, why do we need THAT many tankers? Same reason WIC advertises, if you don’t use the money, you lose it. Doling out contracts is POWER baby.
I think one of the great benefits of drones is that they can hang around or loiter and thus would need fuel. The more the merrier... Just wake the guy in the Cube next to yours and let him fly for a while :)
Well ...yes and no. Combat requires an awful lot of fuel. And yes, unmanned combat aircraft are envisioned to be capable of inflight refueling - not that much of a stretch in capability especially with the USAF boom.
“Why would they want to fly?”
Because they’re contracted to be delivering tankers right now to - where - Japan?
The future is a long ways away and you apparently have no idea how many manned aircraft are in service and coming on line in the next decade. We’re at least a generation away from commencing the transition to a largely unmanned fleet.
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