Boeing set to supply tanker aircraft to US Air Force

Under the contract, Boeing will design, develop, manufacture and deliver 18 initial combat-ready KC-46A tankers by 2017.

Based on the Boeing 767 commercial aircraft, the KC-46A tanker is a wide-body, multi-mission aircraft said to be capable of meeting requirements for the transport of fuel, cargo, passengers and patients.

Boeing’s design was selected in preference to EADS’ KC-45 refuelling tanker.

In a statement, EADS North America said the US Air Force had selected a high-risk, concept aircraft over the KC-45.

‘This is certainly a disappointing turn of events and we look forward to discussing with the air force how it arrived at this conclusion,’ said EADS North America chairman Ralph D Crosby Jr.

If selected, EADS North America had committed to build the KC-45 at a new production facility in Mobile, Alabama, with a US supplier base of nearly 1,000 companies.

‘With a programme of such complexity, our review of today’s decision will take some time,’ said Crosby. ‘There are more than 48,000 Americans who are eager to build the KC-45 here in the US, and we owe it to them to conduct a thorough analysis.’