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Boeing leaves open tanker price tweak
(Reuters) - Boeing Co (BA.N) left open the possibility of trimming its current bid to build 179 new U.S. refueling aircraft in its continuing drive to deny the deal to Airbus parent EADS (EAD.PA), its European rival.
Maybe worthwhile to point out this is about something a lot earlier in this proces, not about the actual state of the awarding of the contract, probably only brought to mind of the american people given the upcoming elections for Congress.tva2 wrote:...."Murray takes credit for stopping overseas tanker contract"....
Info credit & copyright © 2010 The Seattle Times Company
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/l ... eedle.html
And some more text....DATE:29/09/10
SOURCE:Flight International
Boeing source reveals specifications for KC-767 NewGen Tanker
By Brendan Sobie
Boeing's proposed KC-767 NewGen Tanker for the US Air Force incorporates the wing and fuselage from the 767-200, the cargo door and floor from the 767-300F and the cockpit from the 767-400ER.
The offering, which is currently being evaluated by the USAF along with the EADS North America KC-45 for an initial 179-aircraft requirement, will also feature a new boom.
NewGen Tanker programme manager Jean Chamberlin says the new boom will have "a wider envelope than the KC-10 and is fully digitalised".
She declines to provide more details for proprietary reasons but says it will "absolutely" be developed in time for first delivery in 2017.
The new boom is the biggest difference between the NewGen Tanker and the four delayed KC-767 tankers that Boeing is now preparing to deliver to Italy.
"Boeing and the Italian air force will seek to deliver the first two KC-767s by the end of this year," the company says.
Chamberlin, speaking to Flightglobal after addressing employees at a 27 September rally in Everett to promote the NewGen Tanker programme,
also confirms that the tanker's cockpit will feature four large Rockwell Collins displays similar to those on the 787 and also now installed on the 777 and 767-400ER.
The latest technologies will also be incorporated at the operator station, where Chamberlin says there will be a "three-dimensional view". She says the NewGen Tanker will also feature a "computer-aided boom that allows you to ensure alignment". It will be able to "refuel any aircraft in the inventory of the US government and many of our foreign allies".
Chamberlin declines to discuss fuselage and wing specifications. But another Boeing source says the NewGen Tanker will have a 159ft (48.5m) wingspan and 156ft fuselage length, matching the footprint of the 767-200. The aircraft will borrow the cargo door and floor rollers from the 767-300F.
The source says Boeing decided against incorporating the fuselage and wing from the larger 767-300 to give the USAF more flexibility in operating into smaller airfields. The company believes the 767-200 is ideal for meeting the service's requirement for "best performance and smallest footprint".
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