Boeing is “honored to be given the opportunity to build the Air Force’s next tanker and provide a vital capability to the men and women of our armed forces,” said Jim McNerney, Boeing chairman, president, and CEO, in a release Thursday after the company triumphed in the Air Force’s KC-X tanker contest. He added, “Our team is ready now to apply our 60 years of tanker experience to develop and build an airplane that will serve the nation for decades to come.” Boeing said its winning 767-based NewGen Tanker design, now designated the KC-46A, features “the latest and most advanced technology” and is “capable of meeting or exceeding the Air Force’s needs for transport of fuel, cargo, passengers, and patients.” Manufacturing the tanker “will fuel the economy,” supporting approximately 50,000 total US jobs spread across more than 40 states, stated the company.
The use of a military counter-drone laser on the southwest border this week—which prompted the Federal Aviation Administration to abruptly close the airspace over El Paso, Texas—will be a “case study” on the complex web of authorities needed to employ such weapons near civilian areas and the consequences of agencies…
