The Boeing KC-X Finishing Center will be located in Wichita if the company wins the tanker replacement program competition, according to Republicans Rep. Todd Tiahrt and Sen. Pat Roberts. In a joint statement, the two Kansas lawmakers noted that the finishing center would employ approximately 300 to 500 people, adding to a total of around 1,000 direct Boeing and supplier jobs in Kansas that would work on the new tanker.
The KC-Z4, a blended wing body tanker concept being developed by startup JetZero, could fuel larger groups of aircraft at longer range to hold more targets at risk, company officials say.