Reuters reports that the US Air Force “said on Wednesday it is surveying the aircraft industry to learn if another manufacturer has the capacity or interest to make the next tranche of midair refueling tankers similar to the recently purchased KC-46.” The sources sought document “is the first step in the process of buying the next batch of refueling tankers.” The Air Force “said the tranche of 140 to 160 jets would follow The Boeing Company’s current contract to produce 179 KC-46’s as the Pentagon replaces hundreds of Eisenhower-era KC-135’s still in service.” The KC-46 has “been plagued by performance challenges including defects with an on-board video system and the boom that connects the tanker to aircraft seeking refueling.” Despite those challenges, acting Secretary of the Air Force John Roth said Wednesday, “At this point we don’t see the economic or business sense of recompeting the contract.”
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Tag: US Air Force
Boeing to Provide Up to 144 F-15EX Jets to Support Air Force’s F-15 Fleet
ExecutiveGov reports that The Boeing Company “will provide a maximum of 144 F-15EX Eagle II jets to support the Air Force’s efforts to increase the F-15 fleet’s readiness capacity and replace the F-15C/D variants, the service said Wednesday.” The jet was unveiled Wednesday by Lt. Gen. Duke Richardson, military deputy for the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics. The “first formal training unit for F-15EX will operate under the 173rd Fighter Wing at the Kingsley Field Air National Guard Base in Oregon by 2024.”
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US Air Force Officially Accepts First Boeing F-15EX
FlightGlobal reports that on Wednesday, the US Air Force officially accepted the first F-15EX fighter at The Boeing Company’s St. Louis production facility. The Air Force’s “choice to acquire the F-15EX is controversial as the fourth-generation fighter lacks the low radar cross-section of the service’s former favourite jet, the Lockheed Martin F-35 stealth fighter.” The Air Force “justified its decision by pointing to the F-15EX’s lower operating costs and the ease with which units flying the F-15C/D can transition into the upgraded variant.” The service “also says it intends to field large, long-range hypersonic missiles on the jet.” The service “plans to acquire 144 examples of the combat aircraft to replace its aging fleet of McDonnell Douglas F-15C/D models, which it says on average are 37 years old and reaching the end of useful life.”
Full Story (FlightGlobal)