As yet one more salvo in the war of words in the Air Force’s KC-X tanker contest, Boeing said yesterday its 767 commercial airliner is “substantially more fuel efficient” than the larger Airbus A330 and issued a company-funded, yet “independent” study by Conklin & de Decker Aviation Information to prove its point. Using published data to calculate fuel consumption, Boeing said a fleet of 179 767s, the design upon which Boeing’s KC-767 Advanced Tanker is based, would burn “24 percent less fuel” than a fleet of Airbus A330-200 airplanes, the model from which the Northrop Grumman-EADS KC-30 derives, over a 40-year service life. This “would save approximately $14.6 billion in fuel costs,” Boeing said.
Air Force depots are not typically meant for quick repair jobs, but during Operation Epic Fury, the service moved some of its stateside heavy maintenance capability forward to fix battle-damaged aircraft closer to the fight.
