USAF KC-46A Tanker Update

SquAdmin · Post by **SquAdmin** » 26 Mar 2008, 23:29

Don't forget about the new army transport: C-27 (G.222).

I agree with Erwin about the protests. They're just a lot of noise from politicians to please the public but it will be very difficult to reverse this decision. Don't forget that the A330 was chosen by USAF specialists as the best aircraft on all points. So, there's some turmoil right now and when the public loses interest it will just slowly die away. Boeing has lots of other big defense projects and something called 'Dreamliner' so it won't be out of work for quite some time.

ehusmann · Post by **ehusmann** » 27 Mar 2008, 17:22

SquAdmin wrote:Tomorrow the British MoD is likely to sign a contract for the lease of 14 A330 tankers. Good news for EADS, bad news for VC-10 lovers...

And the answer is YES! The MoD has also decided for the A330 tankers. Info can be found here.
Seems like the B767 tankers only need to be burried now.....

Erwin

Hawk · Post by **Hawk** » 27 Mar 2008, 18:35

Not only goodbye to the VC10 but also the Tristars. http://www.mod.uk/defenceinternet/home" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

tva2 · Post by **tva2** » 19 Jun 2008, 20:14

UPDATE: 18june2008

US Tanker bid has been re-opened as the US Government Accountability Office sustains Boeing bid protest.

http://www.gao.gov/press/press-boeing2008jun18_3.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Richard from Rotterdam · Post by **Richard from Rotterdam** » 20 Jun 2008, 12:27

see topic: http://www.scramble.nl/forum/viewtopic.php?t=42478" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

the competition has not been reopened.

The GAO is recommending the Air Force to reopen the competition, but that is up to the Air Force.

pjotrtje · Post by **pjotrtje** » 20 Jun 2008, 13:46

Richard from Rotterdam wrote:The GAO is recommending the Air Force to reopen the competition, but that is up to the Air Force.

As true as this may be, the U.S. Air Force is (as seen by influential congressmen) currently not up to deciding anything without having the process reviewed. As such, the organization - again, as said by politicians - may need scrutinization in order to get it back on track.
Don't forget, if the GAO says the Air Force has made serious errors in the process Boeing may have found the ammo it needs to take legal action, possibly resulting in serious amounts of $$$. Main error: asking for a medium sized tanker but choosing a larger sized aircraft, together with the erroneously calculated operating cost of the EADS/Northrop bid.

Een echte spotter · Post by **Een echte spotter** » 20 Jun 2008, 14:48

According to an article in dutch newspaper De Telegraaf, the conditions in the contract were amended in favour of the EADS/Northrop bid during the selection process. That's the ammo Boeing is using to contest the decision. If this is found to be true, the selection of the A330 may be cancelled and the selection starts over again....

ehusmann · Post by **ehusmann** » 20 Jun 2008, 14:58

Een echte spotter wrote:If this is found to be true, the selection of the A330 may be cancelled and the selection starts over again....

In which case, it will be interesting to see which criteria will be used. The ones favouring Boeing, or the ones favouring Airbus.....

Erwin

Richard from Rotterdam · Post by **Richard from Rotterdam** » 20 Jun 2008, 15:36

As far as I can remember from earlier reports into the competition, several amendments were made in the requirements that benefited Boeing, as Boeing was losing out already on several points.

Ghanz · Post by **Ghanz** » 09 Jul 2008, 21:03

Found this news on MSN after logging out of my hotmail:

U.S. reopening $35 billion aerial tanker bidding

Secretary of Defense's office will directly oversee process, not Air Force

WASHINGTON - Boeing Co. and Northrop Grumman Corp. will submit new offers for a disputed $35 billion Air Force tanker contract, and the Pentagon will pick a winner by the end of the year.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Wednesday that his office — not the Air Force — will oversee the competition between Boeing and the team of Northrop and Airbus parent European Aeronautic Defence and Space Co.

The plan, which hands control to the Pentagon acquisition chief John Young and sets up a dedicated source-selection committee, shows that senior civilians at the Defense Department have lost confidence in the Air Force's ability to manage the contract.

"I think it's better," said Rep. Norm Dicks, D-Wash. "No one has any faith in the Air Force."

The Government Accountability Office last month detailed "significant errors" the Air Force made in the original award to the Northrop team. The GAO said Chicago-based Boeing might have won the contract had the service not made mistakes in evaluating the bids.

The Pentagon will conduct a limited rebid that looks only at eight issues where government auditors found problems in the initial process, Gates said.

Sen. Richard Shelby, a Republican from Alabama, where the Northrop Grumman team would assemble its plane, called it "the best of all options" that would address the "minor procedural flaws" the GAO cited.

Lawmakers from Washington state and Kansas, where Boeing employs thousands of workers, have put considerable pressure on the Air Force to reopen the bidding process and cancel the contract with the Northrop team.

The deal has emerged as the latest black eye for the service, which is trying to rebuild a tattered reputation after a procurement scandal in 2003 sent a top Air Force acquisition official to prison for conflict of interest and led to the collapse of an earlier tanker contract with Boeing.

The Air Force in February selected the Northrop team to replace 179 Eisenhower-era aerial refueling planes. Boeing filed its protest in March.

The deal — one of the largest in Pentagon history — is the first of three contracts worth up to $100 billion to replace nearly 600 refueling tankers over the next 30 years.

Shares of Boeing added 61 cents to $66.53 in afternoon trading, while Los Angeles-based Northrop Grumman fell 10 cents to $66.07.

Link to item.

Greetz,

Hans

ehusmann · Post by **ehusmann** » 07 Aug 2008, 09:20

ehusmann wrote:
Een echte spotter wrote:If this is found to be true, the selection of the A330 may be cancelled and the selection starts over again....
In which case, it will be interesting to see which criteria will be used. The ones favouring Boeing, or the ones favouring Airbus.....

And it seems Airbus / Northrop is still favoured by the Air Force decision makers. The new proposals need to be on the table by December 2008, with a decision taken Jan 1, 2009. And the Air Force is calling for a larger tanker. That gives the B767 less chances and it makes it pretty impossible for Boeing to pitch the B777. Just a few more months..... (again)

Article from BusinessWeek

Erwin

SquAdmin · Post by **SquAdmin** » 07 Aug 2008, 09:57

True, but there will be a new president in charge then. McCain is being accused of favoring the Northrop/EADS camp, while Obama openly supports Boeing. Time will tell...

tva2 · Post by **tva2** » 07 Aug 2008, 10:26

"DOD re-opens tanker competition, makes 3 major changes "

Info Credit & Copyright (c) 2008 flightglobal.com

http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/20 ... anges.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

..."The US Department of Defense today re-opened the tanker competition by issuing a draft request for proposals to the two bidders and setting a goal for contract award by Christmas Eve.

Rivals Northrop Grumman and Boeing will face three major changes in the new solicitation from the terms used by the US Air Force to select Northrop’s KC-30B aircraft. That decision was overturned on 19 June by the US Government Accountability Office (GAO), citing “significiant” errors in the USAF evaluation."..

Info Credit & Copyright (c) 2008 U.S Dept. of Defense

http://www.defenselink.mil/news/newsart ... x?id=50721" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

.." – The Defense Department has issued a draft request for proposals to the competitors in the Air Force’s $35 billion program to acquire new aerial refueling tanker aircraft.

The request went to Northrop-Grumman and Boeing, and addresses concerns the Government Accountability Office raised about the original award of the contract in February, said Shay Assad, the Defense Department’s director of procurement and acquisitions policy. Assad spoke during a Pentagon news conference today.

The GAO, the investigative arm of Congress, recommended that the Air Force re-bid the contract – originally won by a Northrop-Grumman/EADS/Airbus consortium in February. Boeing protested the decision, and in June the GAO agreed that there were irregularities in the contracting process. Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said DoD would address each of the GAO's findings "..

aviodromefriend · Post by **aviodromefriend** » 07 Aug 2008, 11:27

SquAdmin wrote:True, but there will be a new president in charge then. McCain is being accused of favoring the Northrop/EADS camp, while Obama openly supports Boeing. Time will tell...

No, at both the dates given here, (Christmas Eve and Jan,1) Bush is still in charge. At that time the winner of the elections (whoever it may be) has not been inaugurated already.

SquAdmin · Post by **SquAdmin** » 07 Aug 2008, 11:37

aviodromefriend wrote:No, at both the dates given here, (Christmas Eve and Jan,1) Bush is still in charge. At that time the winner of the elections (whoever it may be) has not been inaugurated already.

Ok, that might save the winner's ass...