DoD Cancels Refueling Competition, Tankergate Lives On

U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates put the kabosh on the Air Force's tanker replacement competition today marking yet another end to yet another chapter in what has got to be one of the biggest black eyes in military procurement history. The program termination is being based on the fact that the DoD won't be able to complete the competition process before the end of the current presidential administration. Now either Obama or McCain will have the pleasure of adopting the red-headed step child that is the KC-X tanker replacement program. Aimed at replacing the venerable KC-135 Stratotanker, the program has been an embarrassment for the current administration for all eight years in office and has even led to the sacking of a few high ranking Air Force officials.

Ironically, McCain is one of the responsible parties from the early days of Tankergate. Since then the Air Force had rehashed the bid process and stunned the nation by awarding a contract to Northrop Grumman/EADS for their KC-45A based on the Airbus A330 airframe back in February. Not going down without a nasty catfight, Boeing filed a formal protest with the GAO citing inconsistencies in the Air Force's decision to select the KC-45A. The GAO accepted the protest and helped push the stop button on the KC-45A program in June. The very next month, the Defense Department said to hell with the Air Force and reopened the competition all over again this time running it straight from that 5-sided building on the Potomac. Things got nastier with some other Air Force SNAFUs and people up high on the chain lost their jobs as a part of this mess. So now it is only appropriate in considering the entire nightmare that has been KC-X for the whole thing to be called off.

"Over the past seven years the process has become enormously complex and emotional - in no small part because of mistakes and missteps along the way by the Department of Defense," says Gates. "It is my judgment that in the time remaining to us, we can no longer complete a competition that would be viewed as fair and objective in this highly charged environment." Now we are forced to sit through a "cooling off" period before the next administration starts their own chapter in what was supposed to be an already late retirement for the KC-135. Anyone really surprised? And yes, I realize that is not the current SecDef. It just really captured the theme of this post.

[Flight Global]

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DoD reopens tanker contract bidding, bypasses Air Force

It shouldn't come as a big surprise to anyone that the bidding has reopened for the lucrative aerial tanker contract. Especially after the GAO sustained Boeing's bid protest last month regarding the award given to the team of Northrop Grumman and EADS. What is a bit of a shocker, is that the new competition for the replacement of the KC-135 will not be overseen by the Air Force, as it was before. This time the DoD will run the contest straight from the Pentagon due to an overwhelming lack of confidence in the Air Force to manage the contract. Congressman Norm Dicks (of WA, it should be noted) was quoted as saying "I think it's better. No one has any faith in the Air Force." The GAO report pointed out some "significant errors" made by the Air Force in the original contest and suggested that Boeing might have won the contract if not for these mistakes. Boeing was pitting, and will again, its 767-based refueler against Northrop Grumman's Airbus A330 based tanker. The $35 billion contract will now have a limited rebid by the Pentagon, who claims they will pick a new winner by the end of the year. Meanwhile, a ragged old KC-135 somewhere around the world is begging to be put out of its misery.


(via MSNBC)

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GAO tells Air Force, "not so fast" on new tanker

Of course we always knew it was never really over. In a big victory for Boeing today, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) sustained a bid protest by the Chicago-based aircraft manufacturer over the Pentagon's decision to select the Northrop Grumman/EADS proposal for the KC-X tanker replacement program. The GAO press release states "the Air Force had made a number of significant errors that could have affected the outcome of what was a close competition between Boeing and Northrop Grumman". As if this project has been drawn out enough, the GAO is now proposing the Air Force "reopen discussions with the offerors,obtain revised proposals, re-evaluate the revised proposals, and make a new source selection decision." So instead of preparing to receive their 179 Northrop Grumman KC-45A's to partially replace the fleet of venerable KC-135's, it looks like the Air Force may be back to the drawing board on this one. Of course this decision has thrilled Boeing, who still hopes to supply the Air Force with its 767 based aerial refueler. Northrop Grumman, on the other hand, is still confident they will be producing the Air Force's next tanker, even with the re-evaluation. Round and round we go! I hope those mechanics can keep the 135's together at least another year longer than they were expecting.

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GAO Throws Out Motions to Dismiss Boeing's Protest Claim

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has decided to review Boeing's protest against the well-known KC-X contract award, while all other parties involved KC-X program continue to bicker over the details of the US Air Force selection process.

One month after the USAF awarded the long term contract for the KC-X program to Northrop Grumman/EADS North America's KC-45A, the GAO rejected separate motions by the Air Force and NG/EADS to throw out Boeing's protest claim. The GAO has until mid-June to adjudge Boeing's case for overturning the contract award. Currently, the GAO is awaiting the USAF's response to Boeing's claims, due on April 16.

Meanwhile, Boeing and NG have teams of lawyers stationed at the GAO's offices reviewing thousands of pages of official USAF documents, seeking to dig up new details to support their respective cases.

Those discoveries have prompted Boeing to submit three updates to its original protest document, submitted in mid-March, which are naturally not being disclosed. Boeing's original protest focused on two points - that the USAF selection team "unfairly" rejected some of Boeing's cost estimates, and that "last-minute" changes to a software-based evaluation model biased the outcome of the competition in favor of NG/EADS offering.

Surely there is more to come in the following days, stay tuned to PointNiner.

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First KC-45 already set for mods?

Very sneaky Northrop Grumman, or should I say...Airbus! After being a bit coy about the current status of any A330 already being prepped for tanker conversion, the team has apparently let the cat out of the bag by indicating that ship D-1, the first KC-45, has already arrived at EADS' passenger-to-cargo conversion shop in Dresden Germany. It had mainly been kept under wraps until late last week due in part to the current protest over the tanker contract award by Boeing. Dresden is just the first stop for D-1. After there it will fly to CASA's Madrid shop for it's refueling systems, then on to Northrop Grumman's Melbourne, Florida facility for defensive systems. All these mods plus assembly should take place at the new Mobile plant when the program finally gets rolling. The KC-45 team is still speculating a 2010 first flight, protest pending. Would it really take that long? Check out the picture below...don't the flags have you fooled?



Photos: Northrop Grumman

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Some Reasoning Behind the KC-45A Decision

According to sources quoted in a Seattle newspaper, the Air Force says Northrop-Grumman's proposal for a new aerial refueling aircraft based on the A330 frame was simply better than Boeing's 767 plan. The Air Force will allegedly need 22 fewer Airbuses because the A330 is more efficient at refueling and has a faster turnaround time than the 767. Boeing did have strong points in communications, some aerial refueling capabilities and combat survivability.

Sounds like the 777 plan would have been the better platform for Boeing to base their bid off of, which I would think makes good sense as it is more comparable in size, if nothing else, to the A330. Maybe it was Boeing's last hope to keep the 767 on the production line for a while longer. Maybe we will never know...but Boeing's protest goes on.

In the end, the Air Force is no different than any airline, they apparently want efficiency and a fast turnaround. Who cares about communication, ability to refuel better (isn't that this aircraft's primary mission and purpose???), and combat survivability...makes complete no sense, doesn't it?

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Boeing starts a blog on "Tankergate"

No Tankergate is not a real term, not yet at least. But if it does become the tag of what is shaping up to be a nasty fight between the Air Force and Boeing regarding the aerial refueler purchase decision, then I'd like the credit for it. Otherwise, you'll now be able to read all about Boeing's protest on their newly created blog, Tanker Facts. In it, they tell you all about how the contest was rigged, how their aircraft is better, and that French women don't shave their armpits. I think I'll subscribe to this one.

Boeing files formal protest over tanker decision. World in shock...oh wait, no we're not.

Citing the USAF tanker contract decision as "seriously flawed", it should come as no surprise to anyone that yesterday Boeing filed a formal protest with the Government Accountability Office (GAO) regarding the outcome of the contest to build the Air Force's next generation aerial refueler. The team of Northrop Grumman and EADS received the winning bid to build the KC-45A as a replacement to the aging fleet of KC-135s. It is kind of ironic that Boeing is crying foul now that they allege the Air Force changed the requirements of the competition midstream to make things unfair for them and favor the A330 design. Especially since they were implicated with the Air Force back in 2002 for running a single-bid competition for this same contract. I guess you reap what you sow. I believe Boeing is planning on having Aaron represent them in the upcoming legal battles over this.

French Airbus workers unhappy with tanker contract; Make up your mind Frenchy!

Apparently not everyone in France is happy with the US Air Force contract win by Northrop Grumman and Airbus. The union that represents French EADS workers is claiming that the assembly of the KC-45A in Mobile, Alabama will take jobs away from them. First you want us to fly your goofy Europlane, then you're upset when we decide to do it! This is just one reason why many of us (Aaron) wanted to go American from the start. On the other hand, the United Kingdom couldn't be happier with the choice. Now you know why they are our ally.

Somehow I think we'll be posting a lot more on the KC-45 in the near future.

Northrop Grumman video outlines Bama KC-45 assembly

This video from the Northrop Grumman website sheds a little light on how Northrop Grumman and Airbus (shhhh) plan on building the Air Force's newest aerial refueler here in the good ole' US of A. For the sake of the multi-billion dollar contract and Aaron's sanity, we must stress this is a genuine American-made product. No proceeds of this contract containing US tax dollars will go to line the pockets of any socialistic European dignitaries bent on EU domination. I've read this is expected to bring $1 billion of economic activity to the Mobile, Alabama area. What I haven't heard is how much may actually float back across the pond. Video refers to aircraft as KC-30 as this video was produced prior to contract awarding and subsequent name change to KC-45.

Tanker comparison makes Airbus look huge next to predecessor

Here is a comparison of the new KC-45A (shown as KC-30) against the KC-767 and KC-135. I saw this at globalsecurity.org It goes along with what I said about the comparable capabilities between aircraft. Oh well, I'm sure the Air Force is smart enough to know what it is doing. After all, they are home to the "Everybody Dance Now" Cadet.

Air Force stuns Boeing by awarding tanker contract to Northrop Grumman (Airbus)

After a long, highly controversial, highly political selection process, the US Air Force has chosen the Northrop Grumman/Airbus proposal in the KC-X program for replacement of their aging fleet of KC-135s. The new KC-45A will be a highly modified Airbus A330 that is expected to be built on home turf in Mobile, Alabama. That's their way of making it a "US product". I don't know who they are trying to fool.

The $40 billion project comes as a shock to many as Boeing has been the prime supplier of tanker aircraft for the Air Force for over 50 years. The 179 KC-45A's N.G./Airbus are expected to manufacture will cover the first of three phases required to eventually replace the entire Air Force tanker fleet.

I'm a little shocked by this whole thing. Now I know the Air Force and Boeing were awfully shady the first go around with this, but I always pictured the 767 as a closer match to the 707 as far as capabilities go. The A330 is huge. I would hope the KC-Z program procures some smaller, tactical refuelers.