The Air Force on Wednesday issued the request for proposals for 179 KC-X aerial refueling aircraft to replace its oldest KC-135 tankers. Prospective bidders Boeing and Northrop Grumman now have 75 days to turn in their proposals, followed by 120 days of evaluation, leading to the planned announcement of a winner around mid-September, Deputy Defense Secretary Bill Lynn told reporters during a Pentagon briefing. Lynn said the solicitation, in its final form, is fair, clearly articulated, and lays out a transparent process. The Air Force dropped one requirement for a microwave landing system and, overall, the final version of the solicitation has some 230 slight changes, based on more than 350 comments from Congress and industry. But otherwise, the RFP does not deviate at all from its focus on meeting the needs of Air Mobility Command, while getting the best deal for the taxpayer, said Lynn. (KC-X RFP) (Briefing transcript; briefing slides; slides, expanded version)

Audio of this article is brought to you by the Air & Space Forces Association, honoring and supporting our Airmen, Guardians, and their families. Find out more at afa.orgNorthrop Grumman on Wednesday acknowledged receipt of the Air Force’s KC-X tanker...

Audio of this article is brought to you by the Air & Space Forces Association, honoring and supporting our Airmen, Guardians, and their families. Find out more at afa.org: With the changes that the Air Force has instituted in the...

Audio of this article is brought to you by the Air & Space Forces Association, honoring and supporting our Airmen, Guardians, and their families. Find out more at afa.orgThe Air Force has approved the plan to give incentive pay to...

Audio of this article is brought to you by the Air & Space Forces Association, honoring and supporting our Airmen, Guardians, and their families. Find out more at afa.orgThat’s how Lt. Gen. Mark Shackelford, USAF’s top uniformed acquisition official, describes...

Audio of this article is brought to you by the Air & Space Forces Association, honoring and supporting our Airmen, Guardians, and their families. Find out more at afa.orgMaj. Gen. Ellen Pawlikowski on Feb. 12 became the new commander of...

Audio of this article is brought to you by the Air & Space Forces Association, honoring and supporting our Airmen, Guardians, and their families. Find out more at afa.orgDefense Secretary Robert Gates has appointed Letitia Long to serve as the...

Air Force and industry engineers are testing an enhanced version of the Rolls Royce AE3007 turbofan engine that powers RQ-4 Global Hawk unmanned aerial vehicles at the Arnold Engineering Development Center on the grounds of Arnold AFB, Tenn. These activities are taking place in the center's T-4 test cell. Gary Meuer, the contractor managing the testing, said this is the first altitude test of this engine variant, which features upgraded turbine hardware and an improved combustor. "They [the customer and sponsor] are after fuel economy, not more performance, but more efficiency and endurance,” said Meuer. Andrew Jackson, the lead contractor engineer for the testing, said T-4 simulates the altitude and Mach number of the Global Hawk in flight. RQ-4s have an operational ceiling around 65,000 ft. (AEDC release)

Audio of this article is brought to you by the Air & Space Forces Association, honoring and supporting our Airmen, Guardians, and their families. Find out more at afa.orgThe U-2 force at Beale AFB, Calif., gave former World War II...

Audio of this article is brought to you by the Air & Space Forces Association, honoring and supporting our Airmen, Guardians, and their families. Find out more at afa.orgAir Sorties in Southwest Asia, Feb. 20, 2010 Sortie Type OIF OEF...