Air Force Tanker Competition Begins Anew

It appears that public pressure — including eight BMW posts — did some good as the U.S. Defense Department has decided to reopen the KC-X aerial refueling tanker competition.

The decision comes four months after the Pentagon’s original awarding of a $35 billion contract award to Northrop Grumman and the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company to supply the Air Force with its next-generation aerial refueling aircraft that will replace the current fleet of KC-135 tankers.

Boeing appears excited about today’s DoD decision.

“We welcome the decision by Defense Secretary Robert Gates not to proceed with the contract award to Northrop Grumman/EADS and to reopen the KC-X tanker competition. However, we remain concerned that a renewed Request for Proposals (RFP) may include changes that significantly alter the selection criteria as set forth in the original solicitation. As the Government Accountability Office reported in upholding our protest, we submitted the only proposal that fully met the mandatory criteria of the original RFP.

“We look forward to working with the new acquisition team as it reopens the competition, but we will also take time to understand the updated solicitation to determine the right path forward for the company.

“It’s encouraging that the Defense Department intends to take steps to ensure a fair and open competition that, among other things, fully accounts for life-cycle costs, such as fuel, to provide the most capable tanker at the best value for the American taxpayer.”

Hats off to all who helped bring about this change at the Pentagon. Keep up the good fight!

-- Bob McCarty Writes