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Boeing has withdrawn from the midair tanker tender floated by the Indian Air Force (IAF) in September 2010. That leaves only the European Airbus A330 MRTT and the Russian IL 78 in the fray for supplying six midair refuelers to the IAF, which may actually buy a few more aircraft on follow-on orders later. At present, IAF flies six IL 78 tankers, which are doing well but are of old technology and IAF is looking for newer, better options. In fact, the Airbus 330 MRTT (Multi Role Tanker Transport) had won the competition earlier but as it was regarded as...

The U.S. Air Force recently had to cancel ones of its Red Flag training exercises because there were not enough tankers available. The air force holds 4-5 of these exercises a year, to maintain fighter pilot skills, and sometimes to complete the training of pilots before they go overseas. The training includes aerial refueling. The problem here is that the air force fleet of KC-135 tankers are very old. An unpredictable, and growing, number of them are unavailable because of maintenance problems. Earlier this year, the air force disclosed that, on average, 20 percent of its 415 aging KC-135 tankers...

The Air Force’s latest mobility study found the United States could not muster enough tankers to execute two of three likely scenarios, senior service officials told the House Armed Services air and land forces subcommittee today. One of the principal reasons for that is that the aging tanker fleet needs so much patchwork and loving care that almost 20 percent of the fleet is in a depot at any one time, Brig. Gen. Michelle Johnson testified. “In two of three scenarios we did not have sufficient tankers,” she said. For the big one, two nearly simultaneous large land campaigns, with...

EADS North America will pursue the tanker bid on its own, acting as prime and bringing in some 200 suppliers when it bids on the tanker. Board Chairman Ralph Crosby made it official at the National Press Club, saying the tone of debate about the program needed to calm down, but also taking a combative tone, saying: “It’s unambiguous we have the better tanker.” And Crosby reiterated the familiar war cry that only EADS has a working flying tanker ready to sell.. Then CEO Sean O’Keefe introduced representatives of the major partners in the program: GE; Eaton Aerospace; GKN; Westland...

American warplanes are being equipped with electronic tags, so that aerial tankers can automatically note who got what when they are refueled in flight. These records used to be updated manually, which led to errors, and a distraction for the boom operator who was handling the refueling operation. The electronic tag is called RFID (radio-frequency identification), and it's been in development for years, to replace bar codes (which was the previous revolution in keeping track of stuff). RFID uses small labels containing a cheap (less than a buck now, headed towards pennies each) electronic device that contains information about what...

Europe's EADS would likely choose L-3 Communications Holdings Inc as a key supplier, should it decide to challenge Boeing Co for a U.S. aerial refueling contract worth up to $50 billion, according to analysts and sources following the matter. "Based on what we know today -- and things can change -- it appears that L-3 seems to be the likely subcontractor," Scott Hamilton of Leeham Co said, noting that there is a large faction within EADS that wants to move ahead with a bid. Analysts say a strong agreement could help EADS in what is seen as an uphill battle...

man who walked on wings. Two daredevil pilots. A five-gallon can of fuel. Aerial refueling began as a stunt, rather than a key defense capability that today keeps America's military going. A maneuver that then probably earned the participants a few bucks has transformed into a multibillion-dollar industry with thousands of workers. From a man leaping from one aircraft to another, to what amounts to a fireman's hose connecting two planes, to today's high-tech boom system, aerial refueling has evolved dramatically over the last 89 years. Here's a look at Boeing's role. Early efforts The first refueling in the air...

Russia’s United Aircraft Corp. isn’t planning to bid for the Pentagon’s $35 billion Air Force aerial-refueling tanker program, Chief Executive Officer Alexei Fyodorov said, contradicting U.S. media reports. The Wall Street Journal reported March 19 that United Aircraft, the maker of Ilyushin transport planes, was preparing a bid to be announced as early as today. The Washington Post also wrote about the plan on March 20. Both media reports cited John Kirkland, an attorney at Luce Forward in Los Angeles who said a venture would be announced between United Aircraft and a small, unidentified U.S. defense contractor on March 22...

Europe's EADS has told the Pentagon of its possible interest in continuing to vie for a multibillion-dollar contract for a new U.S. aerial refueling fleet despite the end of a trans-Atlantic partnership formed to bid, the Pentagon said on Thursday.The Defense Department would welcome an EADS bid and would consider a "reasonable extension" to the May deadline for bids if necessary, said Geoff Morrell, the Pentagon press secretary, in an emailed statement. Absent a bid involving Airbus parent EADS , rival Boeing Co is poised to win a sole-source contract to build up to 179 refueling planes and compete for...

Northrop Grumman, in partnership with EADS, will not offer a bid for the $35 billion KC-X tanker contract, citing a US Air Force request for proposal (RFP) it believes is weighted in favour of its competitor. "We reached this conclusion based on the structure of the source selection methodology defined in the RFP, which clearly favours Boeing's smaller refuelling tanker and does not provide adequate value recognition of the added capability of a larger tanker, precluding us from any competitive opportunity," says Wes Bush, CEO of Northrop Grumman. Additionally, Bush says that Northrop has decided not to protest the selection...

Boeing unveiled the plane it will offer for the KC-X competition today, including a little movie and a press release. There was no mention of a 777 tanker, just the long-xpected 767. One of the more intriguing adds to the new bid was the news that the new tanker will boast “a digital flight deck featuring electronic displays” taken from the 787, Boeing’s most advanced civilian plane. It will “show all flight attitude, navigation, engine indication and crew-alerting information on screens 75 percent larger than on a commercial Airbus A330.” One can almost hear the Boeing folks crying: Take that...

As part of efforts to enhance their military-to-military cooperation, Pakistani and US air force personnel participated in a joint aerial refueling information exchange programme at a Pakistani airbase. US Air Force pilots and aircrew from the 22nd Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron, currently deployed in Kyrgyzstan, arrived at the Chaklala airbase on Wednesday to conduct the information exchange with the Pakistan Air Force. The US invited Pakistani pilots and aircrew aboard their KC-135 Stratotanker aircraft to familiarise them with air refuelling equipment and procedures. Vice Admiral Michael LeFever, senior US Defence Representative to Pakistan, hosted Air Commodore Tahir Ranjha, PAF's Air...

The US Air Force will release on Wednesday the final terms for a 35-billion-dollar competition to replace the country's aging fleet of aerial refueling tankers, a US defense official said. The move marks the latest attempt by the Pentagon to build new tanker aircraft in a project marred by controversy and scandal dating back to 2001. The final request for proposal was expected to be issued on Wednesday after the close of US markets, the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told AFP on Tuesday. The lucrative competition pits Airbus parent EADS and its partner Northrop Grumman against arch-rival...

Israel has put an eighth KC-707 aerial refueling aircraft into service. It cost $23 million to convert a Boeing 707 transport into a tanker. Israel introduced the first of these aircraft in 1983, and is in the process of refurbishing the older ones. With these tankers, Israeli F-15s and F-16s can stay in the air longer, and make strikes on distant targets, like Iran. Israel first used the KC-707 to attack Palestinian terrorists, 2,000 kilometers away, in Tunis, Tunisia, in 1985. The U.S. Air Force introduced a similar aircraft, the KC-135, over fifty years ago. All 732 KC-135s were built...

IAI and Gulfstream study tanker version of G550 By Arie Egozi Israel Aircraft Industries (IAI) and Gulfstream are developing an air-to-air refuelling concept based on the G550 business jet. The idea is to offer a small, agile tanker that would improve the flexibility of aerial refuelling operations. According to IAI, the G550 would be able to carry 25,000kg (55,000lb) of fuel. If needed, full-size tankers would be able to refuel a G550 tanker to extend its mission. IAI says it is studying the concept in response to requests from potential customers. The company is expanding its tanker business and is...

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