Northrop Grumman attempted to silence the rumblings over its announcement that it would team with EADS to proffer the KC-30—an aircraft based on the EADS Airbus A330—as a KC-135 replacement by pointing out a simple fact: If there is to be a competition, it must include an aircraft with components produced in Europe. Of course, as Northrop officials pointed out to reporters at the AFA conference Monday, Congress could say: No competition. That would not sit well with at least one lawmaker—Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.)—who has been dogged in his pursuit of the Air Force and Boeing over their tanker lease deal. (Read “The Tanker Blame Game” here.)
Former AFCENT Commander Reflects on Lessons of Epic Fury
Sept. 13, 2026
Operation Epic Fury marked the U.S. military's largest air campaign in a generation, with strikes on 13,000 targets in Iran before the first in a series of shaky ceasefires began in April. Now, even as hostilities continue to flare up, Lt. Gen. Derek C. France sees several clear lessons that…
