US Aerospace Inc. may have taken defense insiders by surprise on July 9 when it submitted a $30 billion bid for the Air Force’s KC-X tanker contract, but company officials say they are very much a real competitor. The company’s proposed AN-112-KC tanker, based on an airframe from Ukrainian state-owned aerospace giant Antonov, is specifically designed to meet KC-X requirements, Charles Arnold, senior advisor to US Aerospace’s board of directors, told the Daily Report in an interview Tuesday. Its wings stretch 166 feet and more closely resemble the slicked-back style of a bomber than a typical passenger carrier, he said. The unique design is intended to provide more stability to wing-mounted, hose-and-drogue refueling operations, he noted. The AN-112 would be capable of refueling the fastest US fighters as well as significantly slower helicopters, according to Arnold. Plus, it also can refuel two aircraft at once using its centerline boom and one of the wing-mounted, hose-and-drogue systems, he said. Continue
The six-week government shutdown did not affect the hours flown by Air Force pilots, a service spokesperson told Air & Space Forces Magazine—avoiding what could have been a major blow at a time when flying hours are already lower than they have been in decades.
