The Air Force late Friday issued a statement noting the service had released an updated request for proposals for the tanker replacement program, called KC-X. Air Force acquisition chief Sue Payton confirmed that USAF has delayed release of the final RFP until January, but she said the goal is still to complete source selection by Sept. 30, 2007. The release also reaffirmed that the KC-X is now the service’s top procurement priority.
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.