Pentagon cancels tanker competition

Pentagon cancels tanker competition
Posted September 10, 2008 10:05 AM
The Swamp

By Aamer Madhani


The Pentagon announced today that it has canceled the controversial competition to replace the Air Force's Eisenhower-era fleet of aerial refueling tankers after defense officials concluded they can't pick a winner before the conclusion of the Bush administration.

Both of the competitors for the $35 billion contract, Chicago-based Boeing Co. and Nothrop-Grumman, have been notified and Defense Secretary Robert Gates told Congress of the decision during his testimony before the House Armed Services Committee this morning.

The decision comes in the shadow of top Boeing officials demanding more time to draw up a new bid. Boeing officials said that they might not bid on the contract if they weren't given six additional months to submit a proposal based on a larger airframe.

"Over the past seven years the process has become enormously complex and emotional - in no small part because of mistakes and missteps along the way by the Department of Defense," Gates said. "It is my judgment 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. 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."

The decision to cancel the competition also comes less than a week after a top U.S. Air Force general warned that a further delay in overhauling the tanker fleet could leave the service flying some of its aircraft for decades longer.

"It's unconscionable that we're asking people to fly in combat in 50-year-old airframes," Gen. Arthur Lichte, the commander of the Air Mobility Command, said of the tankers that are on average 47 years-old.

The Pentagon said in a statement this morning that the department leadership concluded that the current fleet "can be maintained to satisfy Air Force missions for the near future."

http://www.swamppolitics.com/news/politics/blog/2008/09/tanker_boeing_pentagon.html

Hit the nail while the issue is still hot.

I wish someone would point this out.

Every single component on those planes have been replaced, several times over. They could continue doing that, of course.

DOD might want to reconsider that option.

The Pentagon said in a statement this morning that the department leadership concluded that the current fleet "can be maintained to satisfy Air Force missions for the near future."