Tanker wars

While the big boys bicker over who should get the money (okay, 35 billion is worth arguing about), the Air Force is compelled to keep lashing together its fleet of KC135s, the only aerial refueling tanker it has, to enable it to do its job worldwide.
The Chicago Tribune has an on-line article about it: "The Air Force announced last month it had awarded a $35 billion contract to a partnership of Northrop Grumman and the corporate parent of the European-led planemaker Airbus to begin replacing the tanker fleet, whose aircraft now have an average age of 47. But the long-languishing plan to revamp the fleet will likely be further delayed as the competing bidder and manufacturer of the original fleet, Chicago-based Boeing, filed a complaint this month with the Government Accountability Office. Outraged lawmakers have threatened to undo the deal." "Hundreds of personnel toil every day to keep 39 of the Air Force's 530 Eisenhower-era tankers airborne, a feat of tenacity and ingenuity that baffles even the men and women who manage to keep the planes airworthy three decades after commercial airlines retired such planes."
"The Air Force announced last month it had awarded a $35 billion contract to a partnership of Northrop Grumman and the corporate parent of the European-led planemaker Airbus to begin replacing the tanker fleet, whose aircraft now have an average age of 47. But the long-languishing plan to revamp the fleet will likely be further delayed as the competing bidder and manufacturer of the original fleet, Chicago-based Boeing, filed a complaint this month with the Government Accountability Office. Defense analysts say Boeing's appeal could set back the manufacture of the new tankers by years. At the same time, members of Congress from Kansas and Washington state—where Boeing has manufacturing plants—are considering introducing legislation that would undo the deal. Commanders at McConnell declined to comment on the politicking, saying only that they hope to have new tankers at their disposal as soon as possible. Air Force officials say they are confident they can keep up the maintenance of the aircraft for many more years, yet there is a recognition among senior officials and squadron leaders that time is not on the side of the aging aircraft."
"A contract to lease new tankers was originally awarded to Boeing but was annulled in 2004 after an ethics scandal led to jail time for two Boeing officials. One of the jailed officials had worked as a procurement officer for the Air Force and was specifically involved with the annulled deal before joining Boeing. But since Boeing formally lost out on the re-bid process three weeks ago, numerous members of Congress have bemoaned the Air Force's decision to award one of the most lucrative military contracts ever to a partnership that includes a European company at a time when the U.S. economy seems headed toward a recession."
"By all accounts, the current tanker fleet, manufactured by Boeing, has been as reliable as any aircraft the Air Force has ever flown. Air Force officials note that only 12 to 18 of the new tankers, known as the KC-45, are expected to be manufactured each year as part of the contract that calls for 179 new tankers. So even in the best-case scenario, some of the KC-135 tankers would remain flying for 30 more years. Senior officers said the tankers have been trustworthy in large part because of an aggressive maintenance and inspection regime. For every hour a tanker is in the air, Air Force teams spend ten hours on maintenance."
"For the pilots, the tanker mission is one of the most satisfying jobs in the service, said 1st Lt. Nick Motlagh. The plane, which many airmen appreciatively refer to as the U.S. military's gas station in the sky, is in many ways a throwback that tests the air crews' piloting skills, and figuring out how to land and take off in an aircraft carrying 200,000 pounds of fuel can be a challenge on some of the military's shorter runways. The refueling mission is an essential one that has been critical to some of the highest-profile episodes of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Tankers from the 22nd Air Wing have supported missions that have led to more than 841 enemy fighters killed in action, have aided two hostage rescues and have assisted in evacuating dozens of wounded troops."

Rico says screw Airbus; give the contract to Boeing, where it belongs... (While Rico knows they're going to want to redesign the thing from the wheels up, surely they could come up with a slide-in package for a 747 that would work in the interim.)