Leadership is key, ‘greenfield’ location and plant can help including a more motivated workforce. fighters, adversaries may seek to target ponderous, airliner-sized tankers in future conflicts-without which the accompanying fighters may not even be able to return to base!”Īnd Japanese auto and electronics makers achieve better quality than their plants in Japan. “Rather than targeting stealthy and elusive U.S. Interesting in that regard is the following passage: Incidentally, it would appear that the term “bridge tanker” is intended to refer to the fact that this tanker is a “bridge solution” between replacing the current fleet of ancient KC-135s and KC-10s and developing a new stealth tanker in the future. LM is throwing salt on this wound by referring in its PR to the mature and reliable boom performance on the A330 MRRT. Therefore, until the boom accuracy problem can be fully addressed, the air force may be reluctant to use its brand new refueling tanker with its growing fleet of stealth aircraft.” Even a small dent or scratch can significantly increase a stealth plane’s RCS and thus require expensive repair. This is particularly bad for stealth planes, which are coated with expensive radar-absorbent materials and engineered with extreme precision to minimize their radar-cross section. “Furthermore, the automated system is reportedly “jerking” violently at the end of fuel delivery, damaging the receiving aircraft. Serious deficiencies didn’t stop the Air Force from accepting them into service.” “The Air Force Is Ignoring the Pegasus Tanker’s Problems: On the subject of the LMXT, here’s an article (from Sunday) on the continuing shortcomings in the KC-46. Read about the KC-X competition in Scott Hamilton’s new book, Air Wars, The Global Combat Between Airbus and Boeing, available here. We can definitively say the engine will be produced in the US,” she told LNA. Air Force, we continue to explore and discuss about the final choice for the LMXT’s engine. “Due to the ongoing assessments and the evolving requirements of the KC-Y tanker per the U.S. The current A330 MRTT uses either engine. The KC-X offered first by Northrop Grumman/EADS (Airbus) and later, Airbus alone, would use the GE powerplant. The web page’s illustrations show the LMXT with GE and Rolls-Royce engines. Spokesperson Stephanie Stinn tells LNA the final assembly site location hasn’t been selected. LMT’s web page touts the LMXT as “Built in America by Americans.” Although LMT doesn’t have the contract, and the phrase is in the present tense, it’s clear what the intent is. Boeing has 179 orders for the 767-200ER-based KC-46. It will be a follow-on to the original KC-X program, which was won by Boeing after three tries. KC-Y is now recast as a replacement for 140-160 Boeing KC-135s. KC-Z was to follow, an entirely new concept in aerial refueling tankers. LMT and Airbus partnered in 2018 in anticipation of the KC-Y program, originally intended to replace the aging Boeing (nee McDonnell Douglas) KC-10. The LMXT uses the Airbus A330 MRTT as the platform for the US Air Force’s KC-Y competition for which initial information requests have been issued. 21, 2021, © Leeham News: Lockheed Martin (LMT) last week revealed its dedicated product launch web site page of the LMXT aerial refuel tanker.