HeraldNet: Tanker talk: What's in a name? To Northrop, perhaps a lot



RECENT POSTS:
• From the Boeing Machinists’ picket line … UPDATED September 4 • What will 48 hours bring for Boeing, Machinists? September 4 • Boeing Machinists’ strike deferred September 4 • Boeing Machinists await contract vote results September 3 • Boeing Machinists will strike, readers say September 2

Archives:



LINKS:
Airbus • Airbus • EADS • Orders and Deliveries Analysts • Richard Aboulafia • Scott Hamilton Blogroll • FleetBuzz • IAG Blog • Randy Tinseth's blog Flight museum • Future of Flight • Museum of Flight Labor Group • International Association of Machinists • Local 751 Machinists • SPEEA Tanker competition • Air Force • Boeing's KC-767 tanker • Boeing's tanker blog • Government Accountability Office • Northrop's America's New Tanker • Northrop-EADS' KC-30 The Boeing Co. • Boeing Commercial Airplanes • Employment • New Airplane • Orders and Deliveries

RELATED ARTICLES:
• Machinists itching to strike September 5 • County a bright spot, Gregoire reports September 5 • Business briefly: Bothell firm gets grant for flu study September 5 • Everett extends talks for new hotel September 5 • New problems on Qantas' Boeing airliners cause delays September 4 • After UK crash, new rules for Boeing 777s September 4 • Boeing Machinists vote to strike; union leaders say wait September 4 • Air Force official wants tanker deal now September 4 • Paine Field flight supporters diversify September 4 • Machinists begin voting on Boeing's contract offer September 3


Interactive
Putting together the 787


Special report



ADVERTISEMENT <script language=JavaScript src="http://ads.heraldnet.com/servlet/ajrotator/169233/0/vj?z=heraldnet&ct=122081&dim=169231&abr=$scriptiniframe"></script><noscript><a href="http://ads.heraldnet.com/servlet/ajrotator/169233/0/cc?z=heraldnet"><img src="http://ads.heraldnet.com/servlet/ajrotator/169233/0/vc?z=heraldnet&ct=122081&dim=169231&abr=$imginiframe" width="160" height="600" border="0"></a></noscript>

Aerospace Blog

July 17, 2008

Tanker talk: What's in a name? To Northrop, perhaps a lot

Posted at 2:21 pm by Michelle Dunlop

The Air Force plans to tell Northrop Grumman and EADS to stop referring to their KC-30 tanker as the KC-45, Air Force Magazine reports. But Northrop isn’t budging.

The Air Force refers to the fleet of new aerial refueling tankers that it sought during the KC-X contest as KC-45 tankers. When Northrop and EADS won the competition in February, the duo launched advertisements and a Web site using the KC-45 designation for their KC-30, which is based off an Airbus A330 commercial jet.

The Air Force has reopened its KC-X competition between the Boeing Co. and Northrop-EADS after government investigators said the agency conducted a flawed competition. The Defense Department will oversee the renewed competition.

According to the magazine, Randy Belote, Northrop’s VP for communications, said he was not aware of any directive from the Air Force to stop using the KC-45 designation. He said Northrop remains “under contract with the Air Force on the KC-45 program,” albeit under the stop-work order that was imposed after Boeing’s legal protest in March. “As winner of the KC-X program and while under contract for the KC-45, we have no plans to change the name or nomenclature of our tanker,” he said.

Air Force Magazine additionally noted that a "Name that Tanker" competition the Air Force held after awarding the initial contract to Northrop also is on hold.

Here are a few other tanker-related stories to check out:

Boeing replaces its tanker leader, reports Bloomberg

Former Air Force Secretary Wynne complains about Boeing in this Defense News article

Boeing still likely to pitch KC-767, reports Reuters

Return to Aerospace Blog

TODAY'S TOP JOBS

View All Top Jobs

>> view all top homes

>> view all homes

<script language=JavaScript src="http://ads.heraldnet.com/servlet/ajrotator/105699/0/vj?z=heraldnet&dim=100749&abr=$scriptiniframe"></script><noscript><a href="http://ads.heraldnet.com/servlet/ajrotator/105699/0/cc?z=heraldnet"><img src="http://ads.heraldnet.com/servlet/ajrotator/105699/0/vc?z=heraldnet&dim=100749&abr=$imginiframe" width="728" height="90" border="0"></a></noscript>
\|Contact Us \|Advertiser Services \|Home Delivery \|Newsstand Locations \|Classifieds \|Feedback \|About the Company \|Work@the Herald \|Site Map	© 2008 The Daily Herald Co., Everett, WA.