Despite a slew of news reports to the contrary over the weekend quoting a US lawyer ostensibly representing Russia’s United Aircraft Company and an unidentified US contractor, there will be no Russian entrant in USAF’s KC-X tanker replacement program. RIA Novosti news service reported Monday that UAC issued a statement, saying the claims are “false.” Further, Alexey Fedorov, UAC president, said in the statement, “The UAC does not plan either to take part in this tender or set up a joint venture.”
The U.S. military is sending more fighter jets to the Middle East to step up its war with Iran, adding to what is already the largest buildup of airpower in the region since the 2003 invasion of Iraq. For now, the operation shows little sign of coming to a quick…