A key part of building a good proposal and running a smart acquisition campaign is to always remember the customer. That's not very tough on KC-X. We see the U.S. Air Force working very hard to fly and maintain their current fleet of KC-135 air refueling tankers each day and realize they must have a new tanker as soon as possible.
I just read a posting in Air Force Magazine's Daily Report eNewsletter ("Afghan Surge Prompts Mobility Records") describing the service's record breaking efforts in Afghanistan that tells it all. According to the story, USAF mobility forces have set records for cargo airdropped (4.1 million pounds in September). On the tanker side, approximately 80 million pounds of fuel was offloaded last month compared to 60 million pounds way back in February.
For those of you who have served in the Air Mobility Command, this type of surge is not new but still very impressive. Whether it's the planners at the Tanker Airlift Control Center managing the global movement of aircraft or the aircrews and maintainers keeping it all on schedule despite some difficult challenges, it is very clear how important the U.S. Air Force is to keeping America safe and projecting our nation's reach.
Speaking of the customer...
Any time we can interact with the great mobility warriors mentioned above is a special opportunity. In about a week, industry will be participating in the 41st annual Airlift/Tanker Association convention and symposium in Nashville, Tenn. This is one of the best shows because it has a great mix of officer and enlisted people from active duty, guard and reserve units. We're also looking forward to talking to one of the most important groups out there...those Air Force retirees who selflessly served in the past and who support mobility today and in the future.
Finally, I'd invite our readers to send your stories to our "Share Your Tanker Story" section of UnitedStatesTanker.com. Whether you've worked on or flown tankers, or been refueled by tankers, everyone has a great story to tell and we'd like to capture and share it.
Comments
Boeing should take one of the KC-767 Tankers and coordinate with the US Air Force to throw it in the mix, supporting operations in Afghanistan. If all are busy in test operations, modify those test plans to be accomplished ‘in theater’ while supporting combat operations. Perhaps a brief FOT&E would be in order. There is precedence. How better to demonstrate the absolute rock solid capability of the airframe and system than to use it in the intended environment. There is risk, but the payoff (more favorable light on capability demonstrated in the field) is worth it. Congress and the public will look at this as proof positive that the Boeing Tanker Platform is the best one for the job.
Curt Conway