Rep. Norm Dicks (D-Wash.), staunch Boeing proponent in the heated KC-X tanker debate on Capital Hill, says the Defense Department will “favor a larger sized aircraft” in the revised solicitation that DOD plans to issue later this month or in August. In a statement issued by his office on July 9, Dicks makes the claim that Pentagon acquisition czar John Young told him that the updated criteria will assign “additional credit to a bigger plane.” This would seemingly put Boeing at a disadvantage since its KC-767 is comparatively smaller than Northrop Grumman’s KC-30 that is based on the Airbus A330 airframe. The KC-30 was chosen in the original contest, which is now being redone due to Boeing’s successful legal protest. “I am concerned that the department is trying to find a new way to justify selecting the larger Airbus tanker again, even though there is no current operational requirement for a larger refueling tanker,” writes Dicks, noting that he will oppose this idea.
Details Murky as ARRW Falls Short in Second Test
March 24, 2023
The second all-up flight of the AGM-183A ARRW hypersonic missile apparently fell short of expectations, but the AIr Force isn't saying how, reporting only that the test met "several of the objectives" of the test. Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control recently said he company is "ready to go" to…