Launches Services Highest Priority Acquisition Program

The Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition announced Tuesday the service has posted the KC-X aerial refueling aircraft Request for Proposal (RFP) to the Federal Business Opportunities website. This signals the official launch of the Air Force's number one priority acquisition program.

As ANN reported, a Northrop Grumman consortium putting forward Airbus' KC-30, an offering based on the European manufacturer's A330 platform, has warned it might not submit a proposal if the USAF RFP didn't reflect requirements accounting for the KC-30's greater cargo and fuel carrying capability.

Northrop Grumman has yet to publicly comment on the RFP, or whether it will follow thru on its threat to bow out of the competition.

The only other major competitor in the competition is Boeing, which has indicated it will submit proposals based on either its 767 or 777 platforms, depending on which best meets the USAF's needs as outlined in the RFP.

The KC-X program is the first of three acquisition programs the USAF will need to replace its entire fleet of aging KC-135 Stratotankers, which have been in service for more than 50 years. This phase of the program is potentially valued at $40 billion, with all three contracts estimated to be worth more than $100 billion.

The USAF says it has engaged in "extensive and transparent dialogue" between it and officials from the Office of the Secretary of Defense, Air Mobility Command, industry and members of Congress. Additionally, the service claims it has made every attempt to minimize development risks among differing aircraft manufacturers and types.

"The Air Force aerial tanker is essential to all Air Force and Joint global operations," said Lieutenant General Donald Hoffman, the military deputy for acquisition. "It allows the Joint Force to project mobility, strike and surveillance forces anywhere and anytime without relying on intermediate bases for refueling. Tankers put the 'Global' in Global Power."

In its request, the air service outlines mission, performance, survivability and environmental requirements for the KC-X. The USAF says the jet's primary mission will be to provide aerial refueling to US military and coalition aircraft while taking full advantage of the other capabilities inherent in the platform to make it an integral part of the Defense Transportation System.

The RFP stipulates nine primary key performance parameters the Air Force says accurately reflect the requirements laid out by warfighters:

1. Air refueling capability
2. Fuel offload and range at least as great as the KC-135
3. Compliant communication, navigation, surveillance/air traffic management equipment
4. Airlift capability
5. Ability to take on fuel while airborne
6. Sufficient force protection measures
7. Ability to network into the information available in the battle space
8. Survivability measures (defensive systems, electro-magnetic pulse hardening, chemical/biological protection, etc)
9. Provisioning for a multi-point refueling system to support Navy and Allied aircraft

Sue C. Payton, the Air Force's senior acquisition executive said, "The Air Force remains committed to a full and open competition. The KC-X is the Air Force's #1 acquisition priority and its acquisition will continue to be conducted in a transparent and deliberate manner."

FMI: www.af.mil, www.boeing.com, www.northropgrumman.com