About the tankers...
09-10-2008, 10:00 PM
#1
Libertarian Resistance
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Joined APC: Feb 2007
Position: 757 FO
Posts: 1,057
About the tankers...
Not good news. Saw this just now:
Pentagon cancels tanker competition: Gates
The Pentagon has cancelled a 35 billion dollar competition for a new air refueling tanker, leaving the politically charged decision to a new administration, US Defense Secretary Robert Gates announced Wednesday.
"It is my judgement 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," Gates said in a statement.
"The resulting 'cooling off' period will allow the next administration to review objectively the military requirements and craft a new acquisition strategy for the KC-X," he said.
The decision was a blow to Northrop Grumman and its European partner EADS, which won a Pentagon contract to build a new air refueling tanker only to have it successfully challenged by rival Boeing.
Boeing had insisted that it needed at least six more months to respond to a revised request for proposal.
Gates said the seven year process to find a replacement for its ageing fleet of KC-135 tankers had become "enormously complex and emotional - in no small part because of mistakes and missteps along the way by the Department of Defense."
The Pentagon said Gates made the decision to terminate the competition in consultation with the air force, and said the current KC-135 fleet can be adequately maintained to satisfy air force missions in the near future.
"Rather than hand the next administration an incomplete and possibly contested process, Secretary Gates decided that the best course of action is to provide the next administration with full flexibility regarding the requirements, evaluation criteria and the appropriate allocation of defense budget to this mission," the statement said.
Pentagon cancels tanker competition: Gates
The Pentagon has cancelled a 35 billion dollar competition for a new air refueling tanker, leaving the politically charged decision to a new administration, US Defense Secretary Robert Gates announced Wednesday.
"It is my judgement 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," Gates said in a statement.
"The resulting 'cooling off' period will allow the next administration to review objectively the military requirements and craft a new acquisition strategy for the KC-X," he said.
The decision was a blow to Northrop Grumman and its European partner EADS, which won a Pentagon contract to build a new air refueling tanker only to have it successfully challenged by rival Boeing.
Boeing had insisted that it needed at least six more months to respond to a revised request for proposal.
Gates said the seven year process to find a replacement for its ageing fleet of KC-135 tankers had become "enormously complex and emotional - in no small part because of mistakes and missteps along the way by the Department of Defense."
The Pentagon said Gates made the decision to terminate the competition in consultation with the air force, and said the current KC-135 fleet can be adequately maintained to satisfy air force missions in the near future.
"Rather than hand the next administration an incomplete and possibly contested process, Secretary Gates decided that the best course of action is to provide the next administration with full flexibility regarding the requirements, evaluation criteria and the appropriate allocation of defense budget to this mission," the statement said.
09-10-2008, 10:40 PM
#2
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Dec 2007
Posts: 141
Not good news for whom? Boeing, Northrop, the Air Force? This thing has been going on for years and has more missteps than the F-22 and JSF programs combined. This is probably the one honest to goodness decision int this tanker fiasco that is in the best interest of the country.
09-11-2008, 08:24 AM
#6
Libertarian Resistance
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Originally Posted by Cooperd0g
Not good news for whom? Boeing, Northrop, the Air Force? This thing has been going on for years and has more missteps than the F-22 and JSF programs combined. This is probably the one honest to goodness decision int this tanker fiasco that is in the best interest of the country.
WW
09-11-2008, 09:56 AM
#7
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Joined APC: Apr 2006
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Posts: 506
Originally Posted by Cooperd0g
Not good news for whom? Boeing, Northrop, the Air Force? This thing has been going on for years and has more missteps than the F-22 and JSF programs combined. This is probably the one honest to goodness decision int this tanker fiasco that is in the best interest of the country.
09-11-2008, 10:04 AM
#8
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Dec 2007
Posts: 829
What????
Originally Posted by Flyboydan
Don't see why the USAF just doesn't make both sides happy and order equal amounts of each the A330 and B767. That is probably the most civil and nonpolitical way of doing things.
If the future of the USAF dictated we would be best served by 2 models of tankers (there are benefits to a small and large tanker system - similar to the -135 and -10 setup) than so be it. But to do it because you are incapable of running a legal acquisition process and that is what makes everyone happy is BS.
11-19-2010, 05:21 PM
#10
Working Class Dog
Joined APC: Jan 2007
Position: Spares Pusher
Posts: 1,668
Rather than start a new thread, I dug up one of the older ones with the fewest posts.
Air Force sends wrong tanker bid info to Boeing, EADS | Seattle News, Weather, Sports, Breaking News | KOMO News | Local & Regional
The Air Force accidentally sent Boeing and EADS North America information about each other's aerial refueling tanker bids earlier this month, the service disclosed Friday.
"Earlier this month there was a clerical error and a limited amount of identical source selection information was sent to both competitors about the other competitor's offer," Col. Les Kodlick, director of public affairs for the Air Force, said Friday.
"Earlier this month there was a clerical error and a limited amount of identical source selection information was sent to both competitors about the other competitor's offer," Col. Les Kodlick, director of public affairs for the Air Force, said Friday.
