Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) told the Mobile (Ala.) Press-Register Monday that he can’t tell Northrop Grumman-EADS what to do regarding the Air Force’s tanker competition, but “I will do everything in my power to make sure it is an open and fair competition.” (The Northrop-EADS team plans to assemble their KC-X entrant in Alabama if it wins.) Air Force officials apparently are just as eager to ensure there is a competition—this time to avoid Congressional censure—given the service’s dire need to replace its 45-year-old KC-135s. McCain maintains that lawmakers “have not tried to favor Northrop or Boeing” and, thankfully, acknowledges, “The Air Force needs tankers,” but intimated that new Congressional hearings would take place should the competition evaporate.
Celebrating 100 Years of Liquid-Fueled Rockets
March 11, 2026
March 16, 2026, marks 100 years since Dr. Robert H. Goddard launched the world’s first liquid-fueled rocket. Over the past century, new and ever more capable liquid-fueled rockets have literally propelled humanity into space. Why liquid-fueled rockets?