Did the Air Force Buy the Pricier Tanker?

Did the Air Force Buy the Pricier Tanker?: The Air Force is being coy in responding to a flurry of news reports which claim that Boeing, Northrop Grumman, and the service all agree that the Northrop-EADS KC-30 tanker had the highest lifecycle cost of the two entries (the other being Boeing’s KC-767) in the KC-X tanker competition. Boeing protested the award, and the Government Accountability Office has been working for three months to determine whether the Air Force followed the rules. Reuters new service first reported that Boeing documents submitted to the GAO in April assert that USAF has conceded the cost issue and admitted errors in calculating costs. Working from a redacted version of the document it obtained, Reuters said the Air Force originally pegged the KC-30 life cycle cost at $108.1 billion, vs. $108.44 billion for the KC-767, but the service has since ceded a slightly better price for the Boeing airplane. Asked on Friday if the Air Force agrees with this assessment, a service spokeswoman told Daily Report that USAF is prevented by law from commenting directly about either company's bids. However, she said: “Any single document or set of documents, viewed by itself, without the broader context, could easily be misinterpreted. The Air Force stands by its process and its decision.” For its part, Northrop Grumman, in one of its daily e-mails broadcast to journalists about the tanker war, faulted Boeing’s backers for “trying to make a big deal about adjustments to the Air Force’s cost estimates,” and said that a “slight change” won’t alter the fact that the KC-30 “beat Boeing [in] four out of five” selection criteria. The GAO will make the call on June 19, but Air Force officials said privately they don’t think the GAO will overturn its choice.

—John A. Tirpak

6/16/2008

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Appreciative Host
"I know you're here during a difficult time. You're here through Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's. I promise you, we will find turkeys."
—Republic of Lithuania Chief of Defence Maj. Gen. Arvydas Pocius, expressing his thanks to airmen of the 493rd Fighter Squadron from RAF Lakenheath, Britain, who on Sept. 1, 2010, began a four-month stint with their F-15s in Lithuania to protect the airspace of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania under NATO's Baltic air policing mission.

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Family Momentum
"In many ways, this was what the Year of the Air Force Family was all about—connecting airmen and their families with the resources they need. I have confidence the Air Force will capitalize on this strong momentum in the years ahead by continuing to improve our family support programs and ensuring people know what resources are available."
—Suzie Schwartz, wife of USAF Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz, commenting on the accomplishments of the Year of the Air Force Family initiative that concluded in July, in a statement provided to the Daily Report, Aug. 22, 2010.