Boeing KC-767

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Boeing KC-767 Tanker Transport

Italian Air Force Boeing KC-767
Type	Air-to-air tanker
Manufacturer	Boeing Integrated Defense Systems
Maiden flight	May 21, 2005
Primary user	Italian Air Force Japan Air Self-Defense Force
Produced	2003-date
Number built	8 planned
Unit cost	~130-150 million USD

The Boeing KC-767 Global Tanker Transport Aircraft (GTTA) is an early 21st century military aerial refueling and strategic transport aircraft developed from the Boeing 767-200. It is currently used by the Italian and Japanese air forces. Although its future lies primarily for the U.S. Air Force, it was developed privately by Boeing at over 1 Billion USD.

Boeing received the first order for the 767 Tanker Transport from Italy in 2001 for four aircraft called B-767. The company had further success when the Japan Air Self-Defense Force selected the KC-767 called KC-767J, again for four aircraft and to be fitted an advanced air-refueling boom.

1 USAF and the KC-767
2 Losses to A330 MRTT: UK and Australia
3 U.S. DoD Non-systematic nomenclature
4 Specifications
5 External links

[edit] USAF and the KC-767

There is wide agreement in U.S. defense circles about the need to replace the aging KC-135 Stratotanker fleet (two other newer types of much fewer number are also used). Replacing the several hundred tankers is to be one of the largest defense contracts of the 21st century. The KC-767 procurment is overshadowed by the tension between Boeing and Airbus, and their conflict in the WTO.

To supplement the fleet, the USAF planned on a lease arrangement, whereby Boeing would lease around 100 KC-767 aircraft to the USAF, but it became mired in political controversy and eventually a scandal ('tankergate').

Despite many other Nations engaging in leased aircraft, there was some criticism. U.S. Sen. John McCain questioned whether it is really cost-effective for the Air Force to lease aircraft at all, particularly as the aircraft would probably not have many, if any, buyers when their military service was concluded. This was derided as an uninformed criticism as, there were many U.S. allies in need of tanker aircraft. The Japanese for instance, ended up having to buy all-new KC-767 aircraft.

The United States Department of Justice is investigating allegations that Boeing finance officer Mike Sears negotiated the recruitment of Darleen Druyun, an Air Force procurement official, while she was still working at the Pentagon, and thereby reached some kind of quid pro quo for a multibillion dollar leasing agreement. The Congressional Budget Office has also criticized the draft leasing agreement as fiscally irresponsible. In December 2003, Boeing CEO Phil Condit resigned in an attempt to bring an end to the "distractions and controversies of the past year." Darleen Druyun was convicted and ended up serving prison time.

In January, 2006 Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld announced the cancellation of the KC-767 program. This is designed as a cost cutting measure and as part of a larger reorganization and redefinition of the Air Force's mission that includes the retirement of the E-4B fleet, the cancellation of the Boeing 767 based E-10 program, as well as the elimination of all but 58 B-52s. Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld states that this move will in no way impair the Air Force's ability to deliver the mission of the KC-767 which will be accomplished by continuing upgrades to the KC-135 and KC-10 fleets.

In 2006 the USAF announced released a request for proposal (RFP) for a new tanker, to be selected by 2007. Boeing had also annouced it may enter a even higher capability tanker based on the Boeing 777. Airbus has partnered with Northrop Grumman to offer the 'KC-30', the tanker version of the A330.

[edit] Losses to A330 MRTT: UK and Australia

Boeing, teamed with BAE Systems and British Airways, has also offered the KC-767 to the UK's RAF for its Future Strategic Tanker Aircraft. The Ministry of Defence announced in January 2004 that it had selected the Airbus A330 MRTT to fulfil this requirement. Australia selected the A330, again in competition with the KC-767 in April 2004.

While the Airbus does have a number of higher specification than the KC-767 (it is a physically larger aircraft), whether it is actually a better choice depends on the Air Force. Japan for instance already operated other 767 types, so it was much more efficient from a maintenance standpoint to use more 767.

There is a great deal of tension that surrounds the procurements, in part because the aircraft's complications over the USAF deal have tapped into a larger issue of an ongoing Boeing Airbus WTO dispute.

[edit] U.S. DoD Non-systematic nomenclature

The KC-767 nomenclature is non-systematic to usual U.S. military designation sequences (see 1962 United States Tri-Service aircraft designation system), in that it skips the normal number series. Logically, it could be the KC-42, as C-41 is the highest numerical currently assigned to a U.S. military transport under the Tri-Services system instituted in 1962 at the behest of Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara. However, recently the previous Cargo series was added to with the Bombardier C-143, so KC-144 is also a possibility.

There have always been deviations from the usual protocol, even since the systems inception. Some examples include the Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk, which was given an out-of-sequence designation in the discontinued "Century Series" of fighters. The in-sequence X-35 Joint Strike Fighter designation, applying only to experimental aircraft, was flipped to the out-of-sequence F-35 when Lockheed was declared the winner of the fly-off. If the normal fighter sequence was used the X-35 should be designated the F-24, following Northrop's unsuccessful YF-23. The congruent numbering of the McDonnell-Douglas KC-10 for the DC-10 commercial model upon which it was based was a happy coincidence that conformed to existing DOD aircraft numbering practice.