For more than 60 years, air refueling tankers have served as the unheralded heroes of the American Air Force fleet. Carrying up to 83,000 pounds of cargo and refueling mid-air, Boeing’s KC-135 Stratotankers allowed the U.S. military to exert force anywhere at just about any time.
In June, the U.S. Air Force released a Sources Sought announcement for the Bridger Tanker Program, an initiative to replace aging KC-135s with an intermediary model. Similar to a prenuptial “save the date,” the U.S Air Force is basically saying, ‘By the end of 2022, you’ll be invited to bid on a contract for 140 to 160 aerial refueling tankers.’ With French aerospace giant Airbus set to compete, Chicago-based Boeing will once again fight to preserve an American company’s foothold in an American market.
Ten years ago, Boeing fought a similar battle and won, but politicians in Alabama where Airbus currently produces commercial jets and receives millions in taxpayer subsidies are favoring Airbus for the new contract. Military analyst Loren Thompson says fleet diversity would drive up costs for all taxpayers, “…adding another aircraft type to the fleet means new training programs for pilots and maintainers, unique stores of spare parts, construction of hangers that can house bigger aircraft, and other costs.” Still, pressure from certain members of the Alabama delegation could motivate Congress to favor the European-manufactured aircraft.
The pressure from members of the Alabama delegation is a result of Airbus promising to hire Alabama labor to modify the French tankers for service in the U.S. air force. Congressman Jerry Karl of Mobile told NBC 15 News military leaders were being put in the hot seat, “We are badgering them to death. We've had every ranking military person there… Trust me…I'm on record. We're gonna get it.” Karl received a three-thousand dollar donation from the French company’ PAC this cycle.
Critics of the potential Airbus contract say the French will have to build a new plant in Alabama just to make some manufacturing tweaks for the sole purpose of making it look like the French-made tankers are “Made in America.” This seems like an added cost to manufacturing for the sole purpose of pleasing Alabama politicians.
Meanwhile, Boeing’s answer to the aging KC-135, the KC-46 Pegasus, is flight-tested and already in production. Since the 1990’s, Boeing and Airbus have competed in the jetliner market, and in 2007, when the U.S. Air Force first set out to replace the then-50-year-old KC-135s, Airbus initially won the contract. But Boeing rebid and prevailed. The Airforce moved forward with the KC-46, an upgrade to the KC-135 with better refueling, cargo, and evacuation capabilities.
Problems with the KC-46 stalled production. But according to Thompson, those issues have been resolved. He wrote, “The Air Force has spent $1.6 billion flight-testing Pegasus, and it is now certified to refuel the vast majority of combat aircraft in the joint fleet.” It seems like an easy choice to go with an American-made refueling tanker over one that is more costly.
Why would the Airforce start over with a brand-new plane when it has already spent $1.6 billion on one that has proven itself? The only possible answer is politics and pressure from Alabama federal politicians who are desperate to help their economy. Nobody can blame them for trying but the rest of us should not be on the hook for a stimulus project in Mobile, Alabama.
The Pentagon’s final decision on a long-term contract for refueling tankers should be based on merits and not subject to political influence from one state’s delegation. Taxpayers and the Air Force deserve cost and quality as primary factors in the decision-making process when it comes to America’s national defense infrastructure. That French Airbus is trying to game the federal contracting process by using promised jobs for Alabamans to influence Congress at large is a slap in the face for American taxpayers.
