NewGen Tanker still under wraps | Aviation International News

NewGen Tanker still under wraps

In the U.S.

By Chris Pocock • Defense Correspondent

July 20, 2010

In the U.S. Air Force KC-X competition size matters, but not much else, according to a Boeing briefing here. The company refused to discuss how its NewGen Tanker could be “combat ready” when substantial development work must be done. Citing competitive reasons, Boeing gave no technical details on the new cockpit, the new refueling boom, or even which version of the 767 it was based on.

“How big is big enough?” asked Chuck Johnson, vice president mobility for Boeing’s government operations team, referring to the much larger A330MRTT that EADS North America has proposed to meet the KC-X requirement. “You can always want more, but it’s going to cost you in weight, fuel burn, ramp space and so on. Has everyone understood the physics?” he added. Boeing contends that the 767 tanker is the right-size widebody replacement for the narrowbody KC-135, just as the C-17 airlifter was the obvious replacement for the C-141.

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