KC-X rivals square up for new RfP

Boeing has stated that developing its 777 aircraft into a tanker platform for the US Air Force's (USAF's) new KC-X tanker replacement programme will be a challenging prospect if delivery schedule is a key part of the new request for proposals (RfP).

The competing Northrop Grumman/EADS team, meanwhile, is hoping that language rewarding high fuel offload will be retained in the RfP.

Boeing confirmed that all variants of its civilian 767 and 777 airliners are currently being considered as a potential basis for its proposal for the KC-X contest.

However, speaking on 16 June at the Paris Air Show, Dave Bowman, vice president of tanker programmes for Boeing, conceded that "if they [the USAF] value schedule ... then clearly we have a challenge on our hands" if a 777-based proposal is submitted.

Under the original KC-X RfP, initial operational capability (IOC) for the chosen tanker was expected to be achieved 48 months after contract award.

Bowman confirmed that the company will decide which aircraft to bid for the contest once they have reviewed the requirements contained within the new RfP, a draft of which industry officials expect to be issued in late August. At present, Boeing's platform for the contest is designated with the notional title of 'KC-7A7'.