Boeing might still be waiting on the US General Accountability Office to rule on its appeal against the US Air Force's surprise KC-X tanker selection, but that hasn't stopped the service from calling a snap follow-on contest - this time to name the victorious Northrop Grumman/EADS North America KC-45A; based on the Airbus A330.
Suggestions need to be no more than two words - but bear in mind that the USAF's current refuellers are the 'Extender' and the 'Stratotanker'.
As the battle is only open to active air force, guard and reserve personnel, plus government civilians (details here, if that's you: http://www.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123098797) we can only have a bit of fun on AirSpace - so here are some possible candidates from me:
'Boeing KC-767A'
'Flirty Thirty'
'Mobile home' [...re the Alabama assembly line]
'Fortress Europe'
'Fruit of the boom'
'Just desserts'
Apologies for any attempt at 'humour'!
Moose
Green Frog ?
Expr"Esso" ?
My wings are like a shield of steel.
Hugo !
It says "Big" and " Foreign"
le camion-citerne II de strato
How about "La Vache qui Rire"? (the laughing Cow)
or just "La Vache!" which translates literally as "the cow" but in common use means (and I'm putting this politely as I can) "What a shock!", "Bloomin'Eck" or eqiv.
I'm a conscientious man... when I throw rocks at seabirds I leave no tern unstoned. (Ogden Nash) Et nom de dieu! C'est triste Orly la dimanche (Jacques Brel)
"FREEDOM Tankers"
If the American politicians can rename the French Fries to "Freedom Fries" which has nothing to do with the French so why not name these planes to "Freedom Tankers" which has a big French content, plus it was an American politician who cancelled the original 100 tankers Boeing deal...which led to the Airbus selection.
This comment generated some laughter and some people gave me the look when I mentioned this a while back.
Most of the names I came up with cannot be used in polite company. After all it is an a330, therefore a flying hunk of junk. I live in Wichita KS. McConnell AFB/22 ARW is one of the places the new tanker will be based. So no politics involved except the blue suit zoomies in my country's air force do have their collective heads up and locked.
The bleeping thing is a corrosion trap where 6061 and 7075 should be used. No clad aluminum is used in any airbus. Bad news in the long run. Corrosion control is a thing done on a daily basis. Trust me, 20 years in Naval Air Maintenance on the A-6, A-7 and T-2 does allow me to pass judgement. It is not entirely a composite airframe.
On top of that, the bleeping thing won't fit in the hangars! It's too big.
But if the air force is going to blow my tax dollars, then the most polite term I can come up with is Flying POS.
And jobs/politics aside, if they go through with it, then build it where there is a large population of aircraft workers. Mobile has mod facilities that aren't that good. I know a lot of aircraft gypsies that would rather be here in Kansas than in Mobile..
Bloatair (the A330's too big)
Vapoair (Boeing's development track record on the 787)
;-)