Boeing on Friday morning turned in its KC-X tanker proposal, formerly offering to build 179 of its 767-based NewGen Tankers to replace the Air Force’s oldest KC-135s, according to a company release. The Chicago-based company joins EADS North America in meeting Friday’s filing deadline of 2:00 p.m. East Coast time in order to have its proposal considered for the $35 billion tanker contract. EADS submitted its KC-45 tanker bid on Thursday (see First Out of the Gate below). Boeing officials said they hand-delivered their 8,000-page proposal to the KC-X program office at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio. Dennis Muilenburg, president and CEO of Boeing’s defense sector, said the company is “honored” to submit the proposal “to meet the critical mission needs of this nation.” We’re still waiting on word for whether the late-entry US Aerospace-Antonov team will submit a bid in time.
An F-16 Fighting Falcon assigned to the Texas Air National Guard’s 149th Fighter Wing crashed during a training mission in Michigan on Sept. 17. The fighter's sole pilot ejected and is in stable condition at a local hospital.
