The US Air Force may delay its decision on the KC-X tanker contract until six months after the planned award date, possibly dragging the bidding process past the two-year mark. Although the service officially remains committed to a late February award, one of the two bidding teams believes it may come as late as April.
"It's hard to predict how long it's going to take to get through these final steps," says Mark McGraw, Boeing's vice-president of tanker programmes. "I hope it doesn't drag out too long."
Boeing is offering the KC-767 Advanced Tanker, a modified version of a new airframe called the 767-200 Long Range Freighter. Northrop Grumman and EADS North America are offering the KC-30 converted tanker/freighter based on the passenger Airbus A330-200.
The USAF issued its initial request for information for the KC-X project in April 2006 and expected to announce a contract in October 2007, but a lack of resources forced it to postpone the decision until next February.
The teams submitted their bids last April, followed by a lengthy question-and-answer phase until a final review was completed in late November. The USAF expects to release a final amended version of its request for proposals next month, says McGraw. "It's conceivable we're done by mid- to late January, but neither team knows how long it will take the air force to get their final evaluation and declare a winner."
McGraw says the risk of introducing Boeing's new tanker configuration - which draws on components from four commercial 767 models - is lessened by its long history of delivering minor derivatives.
However, McGraw says he is "confused" by the Northrop-led team's plans to assemble aircraft at at least three sites. Northrop's KC-30 production strategy is not fully clear, but the company has revealed plans to assemble its first three aircraft in Toulouse, France, and perform finishing work in Melbourne, Florida. A fourth will be finished in Mobile, Alabama, where assembly is to begin with the fifth or sixth aircraft.
Source: Flight International