Air Transportation: The Curse Of the KC-767

Archives

May 30, 2009: Recently, Japan placed three of its four new KC-767 aerial tankers on active duty. The fourth tanker will arrive by the end of the year. While this is a bit of good news for the KC-767, this aircraft design is getting hammered by the competing design from Airbus. Last year, the U.S. Air Force selected the Airbus aircraft, called the KC-30 (based on the Airbus 330-300, which normally sells for $160 million each), over the KC-767. The KC-30 carries 20 percent more fuel than the KC-767, plus more cargo pallets (26 versus 19) and passengers. These were apparently decisive factors in the final decision. Legal action overturned the air force decision, and the selection of a new U.S. tanker is still up for grabs. But the KC-30"MRTT (Multi-Role Tanker Transport) is getting more orders worldwide, and may still win the USAF contract to replace the biggest tanker fleet on the planet.

The KC-767 is based on the Boeing 767-200 airliner, which sells for about $120 million. The 767 has been in service since 1982, and over 800 have been manufactured so far. Boeing developed the KC-767, at a cost of nearly a billion dollars, on its own. Boeing also developed the original KC-135 tanker in the 1950s, and has since built over 2,000 of these. But the KC-767 sales effort was marred by the earlier use of bribes and other misbehavior. 

The two engine KC-30 was to be officially be known as the KC-45A, and would have replaced the four engine KC-135. The older aircraft carries 90 tons of fuel and can transfer up to 68 tons. Typically, aerial tankers have to service B-52s, which carry over 140 tons of jet fuel, and fighters like the F-15 (over five tons). The KC-135 has long made itself useful carrying cargo and passengers, as well as fuel, and both the KC-767 and KC-30 have more capacity for this, with the KC-30 having a decisive edge.

The KC-767 was developed partly because it is about the same size as the KC-135 (wingspan is 156 feet, ten more than the KC-135). Thus the 767 could use the same basing and repair facilities as the 135. That was not a critical factor. Moreover, Airbus has been developing the KC-30 for several years, and the first entered service with Australia last year.

The contract to build 179 KC-45As is worth about $35 billion (about $196 million per aircraft). Airbus offered to do nearly half the work in the United States The first KC-45s were enter service by 2012, rolling out of an assembly plant in the United States. But now it may be several years more before the half century old KC-135s replaced.

 

 

X

ad

Help Keep Us From Drying Up

We need your help! Our subscription base has slowly been dwindling.

Each month we count on your contributions. You can support us in the following ways:

  1. Make sure you spread the word about us. Two ways to do that are to like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.
  2. Subscribe to our daily newsletter. We’ll send the news to your email box, and you don’t have to come to the site unless you want to read columns or see photos.
  3. You can contribute to the health of StrategyPage.
Subscribe   Contribute   Close