Northrop will not bid for US Air Force tanker contract
On 09/03/2010, in The aircraft we fly, by steve
It has just been announced that Northrop/Airbus will not bid for the multi-million dollar Air Force new tanker contract quoting the USAF’s latest selection criteria which clearly favours Boeing’s smaller offering.
Originally, Northrop/Airbus were offering a tanker based on the Airbus 330 and Boeing on the 767. The new tanker is to replace the current crop of tankers based on the Boeing 707.
The A330-based Airbus offering
The first competition was won by Northrop but Boeing successfully appealed the decision, triggering a second round of bidding. Airbus had grand plans of penetrating the US defense market on the back of an eventual tanker contract. The folks in Mobile, Alabama stand to lose also as the $600 million plant that was to be built there to assemble the tanker will now not materialize.
Boeing has reason to celebrate. It has a lock on one of the biggest defense deals in US history and the precedent they have created will no doubt influence the outcome of future procurements also. They may or may not go to Boeing of course but a more pronounced preference for US sourcing of strategic war materiel cannot be excluded.
The Boeing KC-767...the winner in a race of one
Boeing 787 Dreamliner takes to the air
On 16/12/2009, in The aircraft we fly, by steve
Late by 28 months but finally in the air! 15 December 2009 will no doubt be a memorable day for Boeing and the whole industry for that matter: the 787 has finally taken to the air, its maiden flight hopefully bringing an end to the series of problems the program had to contend with over the past two and half years.
Of course when you set out to follow a revolutionary path, problems are expected. The point is: how far are you able to foresee the problems and how quickly you can react to them, foreseen or not.
The 787 is nothing if not revolutionary and in more ways than one too. Its composite structures built as complete fuselage barrels (as opposed to the more traditional approach of the Airbus A350XWB which uses ribs and composite panels) is a huge challenge, something that has never been tried on this scale. Then the degree of outsourcing Boeing has elected to use is also unique (and asking for trouble if you listen to union leaders in Seattle).
