KC-X.....Soon to be announced by the DOD..
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TAX PAYERS COMMENT:

"There is only One Company During the 75 years, the most experienced for the Sky Fuel Tankers in the sky and the Airport both, It is The Boeing company. The Boeing Tankers have the experiences, designed, built, tested, feed the fuels technically right angle in the sky even during the days and night in the dark and have been flying anywhere anyplace when they need any circumstances...... that is the Boeing KC-X Tankers coming soon...... KC-767/777.....

WE THE TAX PAYERS UNITED AND STAND TOGETHER"

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By the USFA article :
KC-X RFP: Key Developments

USAF articles take pains to emphasize that ”...the department has gone through a rigorous review process for KC-X and has validated that the RFP accurately reflects the requirements as laid out by the warfighter… The RFP includes specific factors for assessing the capability contribution of each offeror” along a set of 9 weighted performance


Eventually the KC-135s will retire along the way by 3 stages
Replacing the entire tanker fleet over 40 years

The Air Force plan to replace its elderly KC-135 tanker fleet comprises three increments: KC-X, followed by Y and Z, with each representing about one-third of the overall buy of some 479 aircraft. The service expects to make a contract award announcement for the KC-X portion, giving the total contract for 179 tankers to either Boeing or the Northrop Grumman-EADS team. The entire replacement program would extend to 2051 at the expected rate of purchase of only up to 18 aircraft per year.

John A. Tirpak described that the ABCs of Tanker XYZs: The Air Force does plan to buy replacement tankers in three increments which will be the KC-X contract award. This will cover the first increment of 179 tankers, replacing the very oldest KC-135s in the fleet. Lt. Gen. Donald Hoffman, USAF's military acquisition deputy, explained the three-stage approach in a closed door briefing before the House Armed Services AirLand Subcommittee last week. About 2023, the Air Force plans to contract for a second batch of tankers, dubbed KC-Y, and in 2033, it goes for the third or KC-Z batch, ultimately retiring all KC-135s along the way. At no time are tanker purchases expected to exceed $3 billion a year in current dollars; that’s all the Air Force expects to be able to spend (see above). For that money, the service expects to be able to buy between 12 and 18 per year, replacing the entire tanker fleet over 40 years.

Countdown

According to Michael Sirak, a senior Air Force official told lawmakers yesterday that the announcement of the winner in the multi-billion-dollar KC-X tanker recapitalization contest might indeed come in February which is today "The last day of February."

The Tax payers, the global partners and suppliers include travelers are waiting to be announced ASAP......for KC-X which waited too long......

References: http://www.afa.org/

http://catch4all.com/positive/

Reported by Catch4all.com, Sandra Englund, February 29, 2008

On the existing commercial line where 1,000 highly reliable and maintainable 767s have been built. Installation of military refueling systems and flight test activities will take place at the company's finishing center in Wichita, Kan. (1)(2)

Nationwide, 44,000 Americans and 300 suppliers will design, build and support the Boeing KC-767 Advanced Tanker include: Smiths Aerospace, Rockwell Collins, Vought Aircraft Industries, Pratt & Whitney, Smiths Aerospace, Honeywell, Spirit AeroSystems, Delta TechOps, and the newest member -- Spirit AeroSystems. The team has proven expertise in aerial refueling systems, network centric operations, integrated avionics solutions and lean manufacturing concepts. (1) (2)

They are the partners and suppliers that they have proven expertise in aerial refueling systems, network centric operations, integrated avionics solutions and lean manufacturing concepts, which will offer the Air Force high levels of reliability and unique technical advancements.

Boeing has produced nearly 2,000 tankers in its history and currently is building four KC-767 tankers each for Italy and Japan.

Boeing has logged nearly 1,000 hours on the KC-767 Tanker for Italy and Japan. Since the beginning of 2007, the company has demonstrated its advanced refueling systems by transferring fuel through its fifth-generation boom to multiple receiver aircraft, and extending and retracting refueling hoses from the wing aerial refueling pods and centerline Hose Drum Unit.

"Now that we transferred fuel through our fifth-generation boom, extended and retracted our Hose Drum Unit and demonstrated our WARP capability, it's quite clear that we can deliver a proven, lowest-risk solution for the U.S. Air Force's next-generation tanker," said Ron Marcotte, vice president and general manager of Boeing Global Mobility Systems in April 19, 2007 during the Boeing KC-767 Tanker Extends Wing Refueling Hoses for First Time. "These highly advanced refueling systems, created by Smiths Aerospace, are flying today and will be key components on the KC-767 Advanced Tanker."

Italy selected the KC-767 and signed a contract in 2002 becoming the launch customer.

In 2001, Japan selected the KC-767 over a tanker version of the Airbus A310 and signed a contract in 2003. This version is named the KC-767 Tanker Transport and is based on the 767-200ER. The Italian Air Force and the Japan Self-Defense Forces (which designated the aircraft KC-767J) have ordered four aircraft each.

Australia selected the A330 in April 2004 after competition with the KC-767.

The A330 MRTT is larger and significantly more expensive than the KC-767, offering roughly twenty percent more fuel capacity but much greater cargo capacity.

Varied needs drive nations to select a particular tanker aircraft. Japan, for instance already operated the E-767 AWACS with an established maintenance infrastructure. The United States military already has significant airlift capability and already under-utilizes the significant cargo capacity of the KC-10.

Boeing KC-767 Tanker Win Would Benefit in globally.

Hot Links:

The World Choice Fuel Tanker in the Sky

Presentations:

KC-767 Advanced Tanker Presentation (PDF) Skilled U.S. Workers Building

America's Premier Tanker (PDF) Wing Aerial Refueling POD Hoses Successfully Extended (PDF)

Italy KC-767 Completes First In-Flight Fuel Transfers (PDF) Japan KC-767 Deploys Boom for First

Time (PDF) KC-767 Tanker Extends Hose for First Time (PDF) Japan #1 Joins Italy #1 in Flight Test (PDF)

DH-4B : June 27, 1929, First Refueling: The Army Air Service conducted its first successful air refueling. Lieutenants Lowell Smith and John Richter flew the receiver DH-48 over San Diego, California, on a flight lasting 6 hours and 38 minutes. Their aircraft received two hose refuelings from another de Havilland DH-4B flown by Lieutenants Virgil Hine and Frank Seifert.

KB29 : June 1948, Enters Service Number and Type Made: 92KB-29M (Hose refueler), 116KB-29P (boom refueler) Daete Retired: Phased out with the development of the KC-97 Significant Fact: Boeing developed and installed the "flying boom" on the KB-29P:. It proved to be the most reliable refueling method and had the highest fuel-transfer rate. The flying boom was later accepted throughout the U.S. air Force as the preferred method of aerial refueling.

KB97 : 1950-KC-97 Tanker Introduced First Flight: Nov. 9, 1944 (as the C-97 Stratofreighter). Number and Type Made: 811 total (219 KC-97E and F, 592 KC-97G) Date Retired: 1973 Significant Fact: To refuel faster jet aircraft, the KC-97 performed a maneuver called "tobogganing." The refueling connection would be made at high altitude and then the tanker and jet flew "downhill" together enabling the tanker to pick up more speed.

KC-135 : Aug. 31, 1956 -KC-135 First Flight Number Made: 732, last one delivered in 1965 Date Retired: Still in service Significant fact: The KC-135 averaged 240 tanker missions a day during the Gulf War and flew more than 33,000 sorties, completing more than 78,000 refuelings and transferring 1 billion pounds of fuel.

KC-747 : 1974 KC-747 first flight Number made: 3 Date Retired: Still in service Significant Fact: Outfitted with a KC-135 boom, the first 747 ever made was modified as a test bed for proximity tests and aerial refueling equipment integration. The Imperial Iranian AF bought 12 used 747s to be modified for military applications, three of which were configured as tankers.

KC-10 : July 12, 1980 - KC-10 First Flight Number Made: 60 Date retired: Still in service Significant Fact: The KC-10 can transport up to 75 people and nearly 170,000 pounds of cargo a distance of about 4,400 miles or can carry more than 356,000 pounds of fuel -almost twice as much as the KC-135 Stratotanker. All KC-10's, apart from a signle aircraft that was destroyed in a fire on the ground in Spetember 1987, are still in service.

KC -767 : Spring 2005 - KC-767 First Flight Significant Fact: The KC-767 utilizes a remote vision system consisting of an enhanced stereoscopic image processor (cameras and head-mounted display unit) for refueling. The boom is fly-by-wire with automatic load alleviation and independent disconnect to reduce boom damage. The wing pods and centerline hose drum unit are improved to increase reliability and prevent damage to probe receivers. Main deck cargo carriage allows for 19 cargo pallets (all cargo), 200 passengers (all pax), or 10 pallets and 100 passengers (combi).

References:

1) Military Global Security website

2) Boeing News

3) Wikipedia

4) The Unique Features (Hints)

5) Boeing Tanker Heritage

Reported by: October 20th, 2007, Sandra Englund, Rev. October 28th, 2007