No decision has been made about whether to extend the May 10 deadline for industry to turn in proposals to win the Air Force’s KC-X tanker contract, Gen. Norton Schwartz, Chief of Staff, said Tuesday during an Air Force Association-sponsored Air Force Breakfast Series presentation in Arlington, Va. However, Schwartz voiced his concurrence with Pentagon spokesmen who’ve said that competition for the KC-X contract is desirable and an extension might be worthwhile. “A modest extension would serve that purpose,” he asserted. Boeing definitely intends to bid. EADS, parent of European aircraft maker Airbus, is mulling whether to submit a proposal in the wake of the pullout in early March of its planned KC-X partner, Northrop Grumman. Reuters wire service reported Tuesday that EADS will decide within the next several weeks. Schwartz said if EADS is “serious” about bidding, the Defense Department would “carefully” consider an extension.
The Space Force relies entirely on data—but it lacks the systems and tools to analyze and share that data properly even within the service, let alone with international partners, officials said May 1.