Boeing 
said Monday that it would offer its new KC-767 to compete against the Northrop Grumman-EADS KC-30 for the Air Force’s KC-X tanker replacement program. (Northrop threw its hat in the ring late last week.) The 767, which is similar in size to USAF’s current KC-135 refueler, “is made for this mission,” says Ron Marcotte, head of Boeing’s Global Mobility Systems, considering its energy efficiency, agility, and “exceptional takeoff performance.” (Read more on this decision in “Why the 767”) Boeing already has produced some 950 commercial 767s and currently is developing 767 tankers for Japan and Italy. The company just completed a refueling hose test using the Hose Drum Unit favored by the Italian Air Force, US Navy, and most NATO countries. USAF decided that its next tanker would offer both its preferred boom system and an HDU.
Unit commanders are being told to separate service members who can’t shave their cheeks and chin for medical reasons for more than a year, according to new guidance from Secretary of War Pete Hegseth.
