The KC-X tanker replacement program is the Air Force’s number one acquisition priority. The service has released the final request for proposals (RFP), competitors have submitted their proposals, and the winning team will be selected later in the year. The contract calls for building approximately 179 new tankers, which represents about one-third of the new aerial refueling fleet that the Air Force envisions. Delivery of the first new tanker is expected to occur about 36 months after the contract award.
"It will be the most comprehensive program in a half century," Northrop Grumman president and chief operating officer Wes Bush told reporters at a March 28 press briefing in Washington, D.C. "It is pretty clear the investment required to recapitalize the tanker fleet will itself ensure that it will be many decades before the next such recapitalization occurs," he added.
Mission Requirements
The U.S. Air Force operates the largest tanker fleet in the world. This fleet, which supports all the nation’s military services and the integrated Joint Force, is critical for enabling the United States to quickly project power against threats anywhere on earth.
"Can anyone guarantee what the threats will look like fifty years from now...can we even guarantee what they will look like ten years from now?" Bush said. "The only thing that is guaranteed is uncertainty in regards to potential threats...that is why it is so important that we get this acquisition right."
In the roughly 45 years tankers have been operating, reliance on their services has steadily increased – and in recent conflicts, the percentage of tanker sorties relative to all combat sorties flown has grown dramatically.The upward trend in tanker sorties stems from tankers taking on a larger range of missions, encountering more strenuous operating requirements, and supporting increasingly modern fighters that use more fuel because they are more capable than older versions. Factors that have caused the mission share of tankers to increase are:
The reduction of overseas bases by two-thirds after the Cold War has resulted in strike aircraft having to fly farther and rely more heavily on tanker support in carrying out their missions.
The introduction of improved sensors and GPS has enabled strike aircraft, supported by tankers, to operate 24/7 in all weather conditions.
A new emphasis on persistent surveillance and pop-up targets has lengthened strike sorties and thus increased refueling needs.
Today’s more agile Army is relying more heavily on firepower of aircraft that, in turn, rely on refueling tankers.
There has been a growth in the practice of providing refueling support for the airlifters that respond to natural disasters with delivery of supplies and rescue of evacuees.
As the need for tanker services grows, however, the tanker fleet is aging. The planes comprising the bulk of this fleet, the KC-135s, are now roughly 45 years of age. They require increasingly costly maintenance to keep them flying. Overall, there is an estimated 19 percent deficiency in air refueling capability, and this gap will increase as KC-135Es are forced into retirement.
Consequently, U.S. defense planners agree that the need for a new tanker is critical. As the Defense Science Board put it, “Key to global responsiveness and reach are the air refueling capabilities of the U.S. Air Force — the need to begin recapitalizing that tanker fleet —is paramount.”
The military’s ideas about what missions the new tanker is expected to carry out have been shaped by a historical experience with this aircraft that has seen some big changes.
The new KC-X tanker is expected to be employed for such operations as global attack, air-bridge, deployment and homeland defense; and to provide theater support to joint and allied air and maritime forces. The tanker will also carry out specialized national defense operations, aero-medical evacuation and command and control augmentation.
Capabilities Needed
Capabilities sought in the new acquisition reflect military “lessons learned” over the years about the importance of being able to rapidly refuel a wide range of aircraft types: the new tanker must be equipped with both the boom system and the probe and drogue assembly so that it can refuel platforms from all the services, plus those of allies. In addition, the tanker must have the operational flexibility of being able to refuel two aircraft simultaneously using the under wing refueling pods.
Experience with the use of tankers for airlifting has also had a big impact on Air Force requirements for the new tanker acquisition. This is because the demand for airlifting capability is itself growing rapidly, even as the legacy transport fleet is aging and in need of recapitalization. Because present and likely future budget limitations militate against a total replacement both of refueling and airlift assets, the Air Force concludes that the new tanker it procures must meet a considerable portion of the airlifting requirement as well.
The RFP for the new aircraft calls for a platform with significant cargo capacity and adaptability. At a minimum, it must be able to carry six full-sized 463 pallets on the main deck, some oversize cargo and 50 passengers — and it must also be quickly configurable for medical evacuation.
Finally, there are some capabilities judged indispensable regardless of the mission. The tanker must be fuel efficient so that as much of the aircraft’s carrying capacity as possible can be devoted to refueling loads and cargo rather than its own power requirements. It must be able to conduct refueling operations day or night, in bad weather — and must be compliant with world-wide communications, navigation, surveillance and air traffic management. In addition, the new tanker must have a defensive system to ward off attacks by portable surface-to-air missiles, an increasingly pervasive threat.
Because this new aircraft will see service anywhere on the globe, including austere, expeditionary airfields, it must stress ease of maintenance and ready access to the logistic systems for spare parts. In addition, the new platform must be developed with the understanding that it will undergo many changes in function and structure over the course of its 50-year life — it must be built so that it can accommodate these modifications.
Northrop Grumman Solution: the KC-30 Tanker
Northrop Grumman is leading a world-class industry team to deliver a total air mobility solution for the U.S. Air Force’s next-generation tanker requirement. KC-30 Tanker team partner companies include EADS (European Aeronautics Space and Defence), General Electric, Honeywell, Smiths, Sargent Fletcher, AAR Cargo Systems, Parker Aerospace and Telephonics Corporation.
“We’re extremely pleased with the team of world-class partners we’ve assembled to build and integrate this highly capable and versatile weapon system for the Air Force,” said Paul Meyer, Northrop Grumman’s vice president of Air Mobility Systems and general manager of the KC-30 Tanker program. “In addition to being the most modern, capable tanker available, the KC-30 provides the Air Force with flexibility to meet current and future challenges.”
The KC-30 Tanker aircraft is a derivative of the A330-based multi-role tanker that has already been selected for service in the air forces of Australia, the United Kingdom and the United Arab Emirates. In addition to being an exceptional aerial refueling platform, the KC-30 offers full operational flexibility for cargo, passengers and aeromedical evacuation — providing a cost-effective product for the U.S. Department of Defense and American taxpayers.
“The KC-30 offers our military much more than a 50-year old capability, replicated at a new aircraft price," Bush pointed out.
Equipped with a centerline flying boom, two under wing hose and drogue pods, plus a fuselage hose and drogue refueling unit – the KC-30 can refuel multiple aircraft simultaneously, and is interoperable with U.S. Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps and allied aircraft on the same mission without downtime for ground reconfiguration.
The KC-30 is derived from the modern, highly-reliable A330 wide body twin-engine passenger jet, which has earned its reputation as the commercial airliner of choice for leading carriers worldwide.
Characteristics that make the A330 platform a bestseller in its category also provide exceptional operational capabilities and superior performance for the KC-30 as a next-generation military tanker. These include:
large existing fuel capacity in the wings – carrying 25 percent more fuel than the KC-135R
an advanced digital cockpit with fly-by-wire controls for excellent handling qualities and low crew workload
a fuselage cross-section maximized for both passenger and cargo payloads and under floor holds that are sized to accommodate NATO standard 463L pallets, bulk cargo and side-by-side LD-3 containers.
As a derivative of a modern commercial jetliner early in its operational prime, the KC-30's advantages also include low life cycle costs, continued manufacturer upgrades and improvements, and a guaranteed, global supply of spare parts for decades to come.
The KC-30 industrial team is committed to delivering an American military aircraft program, with KC-30 Tanker assembly and production taking in place in Mobile, Alabama and creating over 1,000 highly-paid, highly skilled jobs. Hundreds of American partners and suppliers will provide more than 50 percent of the aircraft’s subsystems and support, in-sourcing approximately 25,000 U.S. aerospace jobs. Additionally, the new KC-30 assembly and modification center will expand the Gulf Coast’s aerospace corridor east to Mobile, while creating much-needed economic recovery in the region.
If selected by the U.S. Air Force as the provider of choice for the KC-X tanker replacement program, the Northrop Grumman KC-30 Tanker team will provide the most advanced, most capable tanker ever built — offering the U.S. Air Force a total air mobility solution.
"Can anyone guarantee what the threats will look like fifty years from now...can we even guarantee what they will look like ten years from now?" Bush said. "The only thing that is guaranteed is uncertainty in regards to potential threats...that is why it is so important that we get this acquisition right." 
The RFP for the new aircraft calls for a platform with significant cargo capacity and adaptability. At a minimum, it must be able to carry six full-sized 463 pallets on the main deck, some oversize cargo and 50 passengers — and it must also be quickly configurable for medical evacuation.
“We’re extremely pleased with the team of world-class partners we’ve assembled to build and integrate this highly capable and versatile weapon system for the Air Force,” said Paul Meyer, Northrop Grumman’s vice president of Air Mobility Systems and general manager of the KC-30 Tanker program. “In addition to being the most modern, capable tanker available, the KC-30 provides the Air Force with flexibility to meet current and future challenges.”