Air Force Secretary Michael Donley said Monday major revisions are unlikely in the final version of the KC-X tanker solicitation despite Northrop Grumman’s threat to exit the contest since it contends that the current terms favor rival Boeing. “The requirements part of the [request for proposal] is very strong,” said Donley at a Reuters summit in Washington, D.C., the Mobile Press-Register reported Dec. 15. He added, “I wouldn’t anticipate major changes to the RFP in that area.” Northrop President Wes Bush informed the Pentagon acquisition leadership Dec. 1 that the company would not submit a tanker bid “absent a responsive set of changes” in the final RFP. But Donley said the Air Force is “very leery” of making changes that could be seen as benefiting one company, reported Reuters news wire service. The final version of the RFP is expected to hit the streets in mid-January.
Anduril and General Atomics will develop their Collaborative Combat Aircraft for the Air Force, beating out Boeing, Lockheed Martin, and Northrop Grumman, the service announced on April 24. But any of the non-selected companies can compete to actually manufacture the eventual design, the Air Force said.