Tue, Jan 15, 2008
American Planemaker Says USAF Would Benefit From Savings
While perhaps not as headline-grabbing as the news EADS plans to
build the upcoming Airbus A330 Freighter in Alabama -- but only if
its KC-30 tanker wins a US Air Force competition -- Boeing also had
some news to share Monday regarding its entrant in the KC-X bid.
The American planemaker publicized the results of a Conklin &
de Decker study, showing Boeing's commercial 767 is far more fuel
efficient than its nearest Airbus competitor.
In the study -- which was funded by Boeing -- Conklin
& de Decker used published data to calculate the fuel
consumption of flying a fleet of 179 767-200ER and Airbus 330-200
airplanes over a 40-year service life. Boeing says the purpose of
the analysis was to provide a comparison between the KC-767
Advanced Tanker, based on the 767, and its major competitor in the
US Air Force's KC-135 Tanker Replacement Program... the KC-30.
The winner of the KC-X competition will supply 179 new aircraft
to begin replacement of the service's aging refueling
inventory.
Boeing reports the study showed the 767 fleet burned 24 percent
less fuel than the A330s, and would save approximately $14.6
billion in fuel costs. That number is significant since the Air
Force spent approximately $6.6 billion on aviation fuel costs in
2006.
"Senior Air Force leaders have said that when a barrel of oil
increases by $10, it costs them about $600 million a year," said
Mark McGraw, vice president, Boeing Tanker Programs. "So it is
critical, especially with rising fuel prices, that the Air Force's
next refueling tanker meet or exceed their requirements and be as
efficient as possible."
It's impossible to draw a direct comparison between the
767-200ER and the A330-200, as the Airbus plane -- and, thus, its
tanker variant -- is notably larger. Airbus is leveraging this
difference by noting the KC-30 could fulfill a variety of roles in
addition to the primary use as a tanker.
Conversely, Boeing says the KC-767 is "right-sized," and
fulfills all the Air Force's requirements... without lugging added
space and weight around.
More News
Aero Linx: International Flying Farmers IFF is a not-for-profit organization started in 1944 by farmers who were also private pilots. We have members all across the United States a>[...]
From 2017 (YouTube Version): Remembrances Of An Israeli Air Force Test Pilot Early in 2016, ANN contributor Maxine Scheer traveled to Israel, where she had the opportunity to sit d>[...]
"We renegotiated what our debt restructuring is on a lot of our debts, mostly with the family. Those debts are going to be converted into equity..." Source: Excerpts from a short v>[...]
Also: B-29 Superfortress Reunion, FAA Wants Controllers, Spirit Airlines Pulls Back, Gogo Galileo Van's Aircraft posted a short video recapping the goings-on around their reorganiz>[...]
Chart Supplement US A flight information publication designed for use with appropriate IFR or VFR charts which contains data on all airports, seaplane bases, and heliports open to >[...]
ANN's Daily Aero-Linx (04.15.24)
See All