Fresh proposal to replace Stratotankers now likely
The groundwork has been laid for the US Air Force to scrap its troubled plan to lease and buy 100 Boeing KC-767 tankers and start on a fresh proposal for replacing its oldest Boeing KC-135E Stratotankers. Two events last week further signalled the demise of the air force's suspended lease/buy arrangement.
First, lawmakers were briefed on the results of a new Department of Defense study that calls the KC-135E corrosion problem "manageable", refuting a key justification for pursuing the air force's hasty and more expensive lease option.
In addition, the House Armed Services Committee (HASC) said that it favours introducing legislation that would allow the air force to enter a multi-year procurement deal for a replacement tanker fleet, essentially killing the existing lease/buy deal.
But the key tipping point in the 30-month-old debate may be the results of the Pentagon study, which was conducted by the Defense Science Board (DSB). As US Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld had said he would not do anything until he read the DSB report, "that puts a lot of weight behind the report", says Congressional Research Service defence analyst Christopher Bolkcom.
The air force had claimed the higher costs and safety risks of operating ageing KC-135s damaged by advanced metal corrosion compels the service to adopt the leasing strategy. But congressional sources say the DSB report concludes that no imminent corrosion crisis exists, and can at least be managed for several years before a replacement is required. The report also urges the air force to consider several interim replacement options in addition to buying KC-767s, such as re-engining the KC-135E fleet or modifying retired commercial McDonnell Douglas DC-10s. The service now operates 59 KC-10A tanker-transports.
The DSB members found no reason to recapitalise the KC-135 fleet before the air force can complete an analysis-of-alternatives study, which was launched by Rumsfeld's office four months ago and is expected to be complete in 2005.
The DSB study comes one month after the Pentagon's inspector general published a critical review of the KC-767 lease terms. In response, HASC members say the air force should begin negotiating a straight procurement after 1 June. The HASC proposal does not identify a preferred platform, but makes no call for a competitive phase preceding the contract negotiations.
STEPHEN TRIMBLE / WASHINGTON DC
Source: Flight International
