EADS/Northrop Grumman KC-45
- United States United States
- European union European Union
- Northrop Grumman
- EADS North America
The Northrop Grumman KC -45 was an unrealized concept for a tanker, which based on the Airbus A330-200 for " U.S. Aerial Refueling Tanker Air Force was designed Program ". In February 2008, the KC -45, first won the tender for a new tanker aircraft and sat down with it against the Boeing KC -767 by. In the summer of 2008, the order was stopped due to procedural errors and re-tendered. In March 2010, Northrop Grumman withdrew from the new method, because you looked at a disadvantage compared to rival Boeing. EADS tried then alone the U.S. Air Force to offer the KC -45, but was defeated in February 2011, the Boeing KC- 46th
History
The specially tailored to the U.S. market A330-200 variant was first, as in Australia, under the designation KC- 30th With the U.S. group Northrop Grumman as a project partner, EADS applied with the KC -30 is a major order from the United States Air Force first 179 tanker aircraft, which will replace the aging Boeing KC -135 fleet (KC - X and KC -45A program). The tank configuration consists of the boom system on the rear fuselage and the probe - drogue system under the wings. Thus, the U.S. Air Force their own aircraft with the boom system and the aircraft of the Navy, the Marine Corps and its partners refuel with the probe - drogue system. The price for a first shipment of 68 tanker aircraft should be at 184 million U.S. dollars per aircraft.
Boeing kicked it with the model KC -767. After a selection process lasting over several years, the U.S. Air Force announced on 29 February 2008, to have the KC- 30 is selected, which from then on was known as the KC -45A in the Air Force. First The first contract included four test aircraft, which should fly in 2010. Deliveries of production aircraft was provided from 2013. Direct contractor of the U.S. Air Force was Northrop Grumman, which should be A330 -200 structural parts of EADS, which should be assembled in the USA and provided with the necessary tanker equipment. To this end, Northrop Grumman wanted to build a new plant, which should be used for the final assembly of civilian A330 Freighters together with EADS North America at Mobile Downtown Airport in Mobile ( Alabama). So the plan was to take advantage of the synergies of joint production facility in Mobile, as the U.S. Air Force also want to take a large cargo door and a range of roll system as it brings the A330F, for their version of the A330, multipurpose tanker.
Boeing appealed the Vergabeentscheiduung on 11 March 2008 the U.S. Court Government Accountability Office (GAO ) a protest, which the latter upheld on June 18 due to allocation errors. The GAO therefore recommended to restart the bidding process with the two previous bidders. The order was then exposed to and adopted a new tender with changing requirements. EADS and Northrop Grumman criticized this decision as a protectionist measure, claiming that it will only inferior Boeing group should be again given the opportunity to keep this multi-billion dollar contract exclusively in the U.S. domestic market.
Early December 2009, announced the president of Northrop Grumman that the consortium of his company and EADS would get off with unchanged requirements in the tender from the bidding process. On 8 March 2010 stated Northrop Grumman, that no new offer for the " U.S. Would submit Aerial Refueling Tanker Program Air Force "because the methodology of the new tender procedure prefer the offer of rival Boeing. EADS decided that initially, also not to participate in the selection process. On 20 April 2010 but was then announced by EADS that they would participate in a possible, granted by the Pentagon, Extension of time, even without the previous consortium partner Northrop Grumman in the tender.
On 24 February 2011 the U.S. Defense Department announced that Boeing emerged as the winner in the re- tender. The reason given was to the U.S. Air Force, the KC -46, Boeing would have (originally referred to as the KC -767 Next Gen Tanker ) lower acquisition costs compared to the KC -45.