Military of China, force comment.
Military of China, force comment.

Boeing the company’s new prototype tanker flight Up to now, Boeing has been the U.S. military the sole supplier of aerial tankers. The picture shows the layout of a four-engine KC-135 aerial refueling aircraft the United States.

February 25 People Power United States Air Force announced on the 24th, will be signed with Boeing amounted to a huge $ 35 billion contract. According to the contract, Boeing will design and produce a new generation of U.S. Air Force aerial refueling tanker. Boeing and European aerospace companies compete for the two giant U.S. Air Force tanker contract competition in the dust settles on this activity.

It is reported that the contract for the United States, Washington state and Kansas brought a lot of job opportunities. Generation tanker will be mainly in these two states within the Boeing Company subsidiary plant. People familiar with the Air Force for the selection of the next generation of aerial refueling aircraft manufacturers have taken nearly 10 years.

U.S. Air Force fleet of 179 KC-135 aerial refueling aircraft from Boeing’s production of the last century, has entered a “state of near retirement age.” Boeing’s tanker program to the new Boeing 767 aircraft as a blueprint, while the European aerospace company’s “mother ship” is a size larger Airbus A330 aircraft.

the ultimate owner of this contract is expected in the next few years taking the total to $ 100 billion U.S. aerial refueling tanker replacement task group. This is one of many members of Congress, “desperately” to lobby for the Boeing dispute the reasons. In addition, the U.S. congressmen said, can not be used by the U.S. Air Force tanker to the outside of the U.S. company.

information, Boeing launched the KC-767 Tanker and the European aerospace company out of the KC-X program compared to the required takeoff runway shorter, lower energy consumption. If the calculated service life of 40 years, KC-767 aircraft operating cost than the KC-30 required less on the $ 14 billion.

In fact, all fall into this tanker contract Boeing or European Aerospace, the aircraft must ultimately be in the United States to complete assembly. In other words, Europe has only provided a tanker for the U.S. military “body”, the internal details of the devices are in the United States “the last baked.” (H Yi Jun)