Sue Payton, the Air Force’s acquisition chief, acknowledges the Air Force likely will not select a winning design for the next generation KC-X tanker until February. (It appears Senator Shelby’s office had the right skinny after all.) This is yet another extension in the oft-delayed process, but one that is necessary, Payton said Tuesday, to ensure the process is as thorough as necessary. “The most recent estimate was for a January decision, but “I think we are looking more at the February time frame,” to select between the competing Boeing and Northrop Grumman/EADS proposals, she told reporters at a Pentagon meeting. “There is a price to be paid for openness and transparency,” in the competition, she added. Time is the price.
The design of the launch facilities for the Air Force’s new Sentinel intercontinental ballistic missile are likely to undergo major revision, posing yet another challenge for the much-delayed and over-budget program to modernize the land-based component of America’s nuclear triad, officials said.