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.
By Michael MarrowHow to ensure readiness of next-generation defense technology: Solving the issue of massive heat.
High-performance systems generate tremendous amounts of heat that can compromise missions and make high-tech systems less effective in tactical environments. But there is a solution to this modern-age challenge.
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.
By Michael Marrow
“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.
By Theresa Hitchens
“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.
By Valerie Insinna
“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.
By Aaron Mehta
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.
By Valerie Insinna
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.
By Valerie Insinna
Gray Eagle is the low-cost, low-risk answer to Army modernization
Gray Eagle STOL and Gray Eagle 25M are the best options for Army aviation as it assesses where to move from its current inflection point.
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.
By Justin Katz
