KC-X specs should be released in September

"Details of what the Air Force wants from its next-generation aerial refueling tanker, the KC-X, should be released in September, Air Force Secretary Michael Donley told hundreds of airmen here for Air Mobility Command’s Rodeo competition.

If that date holds, the KC-X tanker could be chosen by mid-2010.

“We think we can make a source selection in the May/June time frame,” Donley said Wednesday.

Last year, the Pentagon awarded a $40 billion contract for 179 tankers to Northrop Grumman Corp. and then canceled the deal after competitor Boeing Co. protested. The Government Accountability Office concluded the Air Force had unfairly penalized Boeing’s smaller plane.

The day before Donley spoke, the head of Air Mobility Command was clear about his disappointment with the tanker program.

“I would be lying if I said I wasn’t frustrated,” Gen. Arthur Lichte told reporters at Rodeo. “I’d love to be able to say by the next mobility Rodeo [in 2011], we’ll have a new tanker. But, realistically that’s not going to happen.”

A new tanker at the 2013 Rodeo is possible, Lichte added.

The new tanker offer needs to pass several mileposts before the request for proposals is issued. Right now, the proposal package is being reviewed for potential problems, Donley said." Air force Times