LMXT exit: Lockheed to skip KC-135 recap race, focus on next gen tanker

LMXT exit: Lockheed to skip KC-135 recap race, focus on next gen tanker
LMXT exit: Lockheed to skip KC-135 recap race, focus on next gen tanker

The surprise withdrawal of the aerospace giant could give Boeing a leg up as the Air Force moves toward a contract award for a new fleet of refuelers, analysts told Breaking Defense.

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Air Force leans towards buying 75 more KC-46As instead of competing KC-Y

Air Force leans towards buying 75 more KC-46As instead of competing KC-Y
Air Force leans towards buying 75 more KC-46As instead of competing KC-Y

Air Force acquisition chief Andrew Hunter indicated he was leaning toward buying 75 more KC-46A tankers as a bridge to an accelerated next-gen program.

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Air Force wants its next-gen tanker flying by 2040

Air Force wants its next-gen tanker flying by 2040
Air Force wants its next-gen tanker flying by 2040

“I was surprised the anticipated initial operational capability for NGAS is 2040. It is likely that this RFI and the subsequent Analysis of Alternatives will find that there are viable options for the Air Force to accelerate the fielding of KC-Z,” the Hudson Institute’s Tim Walton said in an email to Breaking Defense.

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If Air Force skips KC-Y tanker race, Lockheed says LMXT could compete for KC-Z

If Air Force skips KC-Y tanker race, Lockheed says LMXT could compete for KC-Z
If Air Force skips KC-Y tanker race, Lockheed says LMXT could compete for KC-Z

“If the [KC-Y] competition doesn’t go forward, I’m not convinced the next competition would be for a [clean-sheet KC-Z],” said Larry Gallogly, Lockheed’s LMXT campaign director.

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‘Tactical tanker’: Why L3Harris, Embraer think KC-390 offering can dodge new tanker wars

‘Tactical tanker’: Why L3Harris, Embraer think KC-390 offering can dodge new tanker wars
‘Tactical tanker’: Why L3Harris, Embraer think KC-390 offering can dodge new tanker wars

“This will easily be Buy American Act [compliant]. It’s not even going to be close,” L3Harris CEO Chris Kubasik said of the effort with Brazil’s Embraer.

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L3Harris teams with Brazil’s Embraer to bring KC-390 tanker to US market

L3Harris teams with Brazil’s Embraer to bring KC-390 tanker to US market
L3Harris teams with Brazil’s Embraer to bring KC-390 tanker to US market

L3Harris believes that the KC-390 could be a key piece of the Air Force’s next-generation KC-Z family of tankers due to its smaller size and ability to operate in austere environments.

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With KC-Y tanker competition in doubt, next-gen KC-Z study to start ahead of schedule in 2024

With KC-Y tanker competition in doubt, next-gen KC-Z study to start ahead of schedule in 2024
With KC-Y tanker competition in doubt, next-gen KC-Z study to start ahead of schedule in 2024

Currently, the Air Force envisions its next-generation KC-Z tanker as a family of systems, which could include a tanker aircraft as well as “other technologies, whether it’s survivability, or connectivity, or maybe efficiencies that we want to pull into that,” said program officer Paul Waugh.

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Invest billions in aerial refueling or lose the China fight: Hudson report

Invest billions in aerial refueling or lose the China fight: Hudson report
Invest billions in aerial refueling or lose the China fight: Hudson report

A new report by the Hudson Institute projects the Pentagon is liable to be outdone by China if it fails to more heavily invested in the Air Force’s aerial refueling capabilities.

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