A bipartisan group of five Senators on Wednesday sent a letter to Defense Secretary Robert Gates, urging him not to extend the deadline for KC-X tanker bids by 60 days in order to allow EADS, parent of European aircraft maker Airbus, additional time to prepare a proposal and challenge Boeing for the tanker contract. “Our warfighters deserve new tankers delivered as expeditiously as possible, and we see no valid reason to postpone the tanker acquisition process any longer,” wrote Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Sen. Kit Bond (R-Mo.), Sen. Sam Brownback (R-Kan.), Sen. Pat Roberts (R-Kan.), and Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.). They are upset that Airbus has received “illegal” subsidies for years based on the World Trade Organization’s March 24 ruling, including for the A330, the aircraft upon which EADS would base its tanker offering. EADS is still mulling whether to bid. (Senators’ letter)
The Space Force's first planned satellite launch to begin a new missile warning constellation in medium-Earth orbit has slipped from late 2026 to spring 2027 as a key component remains unproven. But the service is making progress and moving forward with plans for new batches of satellites, the Guardian in charge…
