GioFX
29-02-2008, 23:56
Strano che nessuno l'abbia ancora postato, anche se è una notizia fresca. L'USAF ha annunciato ufficilamente la vittoria per la gara di assegnazione della sostituzione dei tanker KC-135 (179 velivoli più opzioni).
Un contratto da 30 a 40 mld di dollari per 15 anni.
Quindi viene di fatto interrotta l'era di dominio di Boeing nei contratti con l'USAF, la quale diventa incredibile ma vero il primo cliente di EADS/Airbus, sebbene in società paritaria con NG.
Northrop Grumann KC-30:
http://www.northropgrumman.com/kc30/
Northrop Grumann Press Release:
U.S. Air Force Selects Northrop Grumman to Provide the New KC-45A Aerial Refueling Tanker
LOS ANGELES, Feb. 29, 2008 -- Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) announced today that it has been selected by the U.S. Air Force to provide the KC-45A aerial refueling tanker for the KC-135 tanker replacement program. The Air Force's KC-45A is based on the highly-successful A330 commercial airframe, produced by EADS.
"We are excited to partner with the Air Force for their number one acquisition priority, the KC-45A Tanker," said Ronald D. Sugar, Northrop Grumman chairman and chief executive officer. "Northrop Grumman's vast expertise in aerospace design, development and systems integration will ensure our nation's warfighters receive the most capable and versatile tanker ever built. The Northrop Grumman KC-45A tanker will be a game changer."
The initial KC-45A contract provides four System Design and Development aircraft and is valued at $1.5 billion. The first KC-45A airframe completed its first flight on Sept. 25, 2007 and will now begin military conversion to the tanker configuration. The KC-45A's Aerial Refueling Boom System is currently in flight test and has successfully performed numerous in-flight contacts with receiver aircraft.
"Clearly the U.S. Air Force conducted a thorough and transparent competition in choosing their new tanker, which resulted in selection of the aircraft that best meets their current and future requirements," said Gary Ervin, corporate vice president and president of Northrop Grumman's Integrated Systems sector. "By selecting the most capable and modern aircraft, the Air Force has embraced a system that provides a best-value solution to our armed forces and our nation."
The KC-45A Tanker aircraft will be assembled at new, state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities in Mobile, Ala., and will employ 25,000 workers at 230 U.S. companies. The KC-45A's refueling systems will be built at new facilities in Bridgeport, W.Va., and delivered to the KC-45A Production Center for aircraft integration.
The KC-45A will be built by a world-class industrial team led by Northrop Grumman, and includes primary subcontractor EADS North America and General Electric Aviation, Sargent Fletcher, Honeywell, Parker, AAR Cargo Systems, Telephonics and Knight Aerospace.
Northrop Grumman Corporation is a $32 billion global defense and technology company whose 120,000 employees provide innovative systems, products, and solutions in information and services, electronics, aerospace and shipbuilding to government and commercial customers worldwide.
http://www.irconnect.com/noc/press/pages/news_releases.html?d=137410
http://www.air-attack.com/MIL/kc30/kc30_header.jpg
---
Da Flighglobal.com:
Airbus trumps Boeing as Northrop wins KC-X contract
By Stephen Trimble
Airbus today won a Northrop Grumman-backed bid to supply a new fleet of tankers to the US Air Force in a massive defeat for incumbent supplier Boeing.
The selection of the Northrop/EADS North America KC-30 -- to be renamed KC-45 -- for the potentially $40 billion deal is expected to draw heavy opposition from US lawmakers. The contract award a possible legal challenge from Boeing’s KC-767 team.
Northrop’s team, which includes engine supplier General Electric, has campaigned for the signature KC-X contract for three years, focusing on the strengths of the larger and newer Airbus A330-200 passenger aircraft modified for the tanker/airlift mission.
Airbus will build the A330-200 sections in Europe and ship the components to the US. A new factory in Mobile, Alabama will perform final assembly before moving to a nearby Northrop facility to install mission equipment.
EADS also plans to manufacture the CASA-designed refuelling boom for the KC-45 in Bridgeport, West Virginia.
EADS was hoping the KC-X contest would bring the European manufacturer a major programme win in the US defence market after its C-295 light transport lose to Alenia’s C-27J in the US Army/Air Force Joint Cargo Aircraft competition.
Boeing offered the USAF a tanker version of a new derivative called the 767-200 Long Range Freighter (LRF). The aircraft combined elements of four different 767 designs, using the -200 fuselage as the platform.
Boeing has a right to appeal the USAF decision. A protest can be filed with the US Government Accountability Office (GAO) within 10 days after the USAF debriefs the Boeing team about the reasons for its decision. GAO is committed to issuing a judgment on the protest within 100 days.
http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2008/02/29/221938/airbus-trumps-boeing-as-northrop-wins-kc-x-contract.html
---
Reurers:
Northrop-EADS beats Boeing to build U.S. tanker
By Jim Wolf
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Air Force said on Friday it had picked a transatlantic team led by Northrop Grumman, instead of Boeing, to start building a new aerial refueling fleet in a surprise choice worth about $35 billion.
Northrop Grumman Corp (NOC.N: Quote, Profile, Research) and its European partner, Airbus parent EADS (EAD.PA: Quote, Profile, Research), "clearly provided the best value to the government," Sue Payton, the Air Force's chief weapons buyer, told reporters at a briefing.
The contract is to supply up to 179 tanker aircraft in a deal valued at about $35 billion over the next 15 years, the Air Force said in a statement. The aircraft will replace Eisenhower-era KC-135 tankers built by Boeing Co (BA.N: Quote, Profile, Research).
Northrop shares rose as much as 6 percent in extended trading from their $78.61 close on the New York Stock Exchange, while Boeing slipped 3 percent to $80 per share.
The initial contract for the newly named KC-45 tanker is for four test aircraft for $1.5 billion.
The program marks the first stage of a multi-decade plan to replace more than 500 KC-135 tankers used to extend the range of fighter jets and other warplanes.
With follow-on orders and in-service maintenance, it could be the second costliest military purchase over decades, topped only by Lockheed Martin Corp's (LMT.N: Quote, Profile, Research) F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.
Future phases of the purchase could bring the cost of the entire fleet to more than $100 billion, although the winner of this competition is not assured of winning future ones, Air Force officials said.
Boeing's KC-767 had been widely predicted to win the initial contract, partly because it had a greater amount of U.S. domestic production compared with the Northrop-EADS aircraft, based on the Airbus A330 airliner.
"I am extremely surprised," said Loren Thompson of the Lexington Institute, a prominent defense analyst. "To get this outcome, Northrop Grumman had to convince the Air Force to consider the aerial refueling mission in a new way. Their analysis must have been compelling."
The U.S. Air Force calls the new tanker fleet its top acquisition priority.
In 2004, the U.S. Congress killed an earlier $23.5 billion Air Force plan to lease and then buy 100 modified Boeing 767 tankers amid a Pentagon procurement scandal brought to light chiefly by Sen. John McCain of Arizona, the all-but certain Republican nominee for U.S. president.
(Reporting by Jim Wolf, editing by Tim Dobbyn)
http://www.reuters.com/article/businessNews/idUSN2861183920080229
---
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zKIqsb4RDS4
Un contratto da 30 a 40 mld di dollari per 15 anni.
Quindi viene di fatto interrotta l'era di dominio di Boeing nei contratti con l'USAF, la quale diventa incredibile ma vero il primo cliente di EADS/Airbus, sebbene in società paritaria con NG.
Northrop Grumann KC-30:
http://www.northropgrumman.com/kc30/
Northrop Grumann Press Release:
U.S. Air Force Selects Northrop Grumman to Provide the New KC-45A Aerial Refueling Tanker
LOS ANGELES, Feb. 29, 2008 -- Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) announced today that it has been selected by the U.S. Air Force to provide the KC-45A aerial refueling tanker for the KC-135 tanker replacement program. The Air Force's KC-45A is based on the highly-successful A330 commercial airframe, produced by EADS.
"We are excited to partner with the Air Force for their number one acquisition priority, the KC-45A Tanker," said Ronald D. Sugar, Northrop Grumman chairman and chief executive officer. "Northrop Grumman's vast expertise in aerospace design, development and systems integration will ensure our nation's warfighters receive the most capable and versatile tanker ever built. The Northrop Grumman KC-45A tanker will be a game changer."
The initial KC-45A contract provides four System Design and Development aircraft and is valued at $1.5 billion. The first KC-45A airframe completed its first flight on Sept. 25, 2007 and will now begin military conversion to the tanker configuration. The KC-45A's Aerial Refueling Boom System is currently in flight test and has successfully performed numerous in-flight contacts with receiver aircraft.
"Clearly the U.S. Air Force conducted a thorough and transparent competition in choosing their new tanker, which resulted in selection of the aircraft that best meets their current and future requirements," said Gary Ervin, corporate vice president and president of Northrop Grumman's Integrated Systems sector. "By selecting the most capable and modern aircraft, the Air Force has embraced a system that provides a best-value solution to our armed forces and our nation."
The KC-45A Tanker aircraft will be assembled at new, state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities in Mobile, Ala., and will employ 25,000 workers at 230 U.S. companies. The KC-45A's refueling systems will be built at new facilities in Bridgeport, W.Va., and delivered to the KC-45A Production Center for aircraft integration.
The KC-45A will be built by a world-class industrial team led by Northrop Grumman, and includes primary subcontractor EADS North America and General Electric Aviation, Sargent Fletcher, Honeywell, Parker, AAR Cargo Systems, Telephonics and Knight Aerospace.
Northrop Grumman Corporation is a $32 billion global defense and technology company whose 120,000 employees provide innovative systems, products, and solutions in information and services, electronics, aerospace and shipbuilding to government and commercial customers worldwide.
http://www.irconnect.com/noc/press/pages/news_releases.html?d=137410
http://www.air-attack.com/MIL/kc30/kc30_header.jpg
---
Da Flighglobal.com:
Airbus trumps Boeing as Northrop wins KC-X contract
By Stephen Trimble
Airbus today won a Northrop Grumman-backed bid to supply a new fleet of tankers to the US Air Force in a massive defeat for incumbent supplier Boeing.
The selection of the Northrop/EADS North America KC-30 -- to be renamed KC-45 -- for the potentially $40 billion deal is expected to draw heavy opposition from US lawmakers. The contract award a possible legal challenge from Boeing’s KC-767 team.
Northrop’s team, which includes engine supplier General Electric, has campaigned for the signature KC-X contract for three years, focusing on the strengths of the larger and newer Airbus A330-200 passenger aircraft modified for the tanker/airlift mission.
Airbus will build the A330-200 sections in Europe and ship the components to the US. A new factory in Mobile, Alabama will perform final assembly before moving to a nearby Northrop facility to install mission equipment.
EADS also plans to manufacture the CASA-designed refuelling boom for the KC-45 in Bridgeport, West Virginia.
EADS was hoping the KC-X contest would bring the European manufacturer a major programme win in the US defence market after its C-295 light transport lose to Alenia’s C-27J in the US Army/Air Force Joint Cargo Aircraft competition.
Boeing offered the USAF a tanker version of a new derivative called the 767-200 Long Range Freighter (LRF). The aircraft combined elements of four different 767 designs, using the -200 fuselage as the platform.
Boeing has a right to appeal the USAF decision. A protest can be filed with the US Government Accountability Office (GAO) within 10 days after the USAF debriefs the Boeing team about the reasons for its decision. GAO is committed to issuing a judgment on the protest within 100 days.
http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2008/02/29/221938/airbus-trumps-boeing-as-northrop-wins-kc-x-contract.html
---
Reurers:
Northrop-EADS beats Boeing to build U.S. tanker
By Jim Wolf
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Air Force said on Friday it had picked a transatlantic team led by Northrop Grumman, instead of Boeing, to start building a new aerial refueling fleet in a surprise choice worth about $35 billion.
Northrop Grumman Corp (NOC.N: Quote, Profile, Research) and its European partner, Airbus parent EADS (EAD.PA: Quote, Profile, Research), "clearly provided the best value to the government," Sue Payton, the Air Force's chief weapons buyer, told reporters at a briefing.
The contract is to supply up to 179 tanker aircraft in a deal valued at about $35 billion over the next 15 years, the Air Force said in a statement. The aircraft will replace Eisenhower-era KC-135 tankers built by Boeing Co (BA.N: Quote, Profile, Research).
Northrop shares rose as much as 6 percent in extended trading from their $78.61 close on the New York Stock Exchange, while Boeing slipped 3 percent to $80 per share.
The initial contract for the newly named KC-45 tanker is for four test aircraft for $1.5 billion.
The program marks the first stage of a multi-decade plan to replace more than 500 KC-135 tankers used to extend the range of fighter jets and other warplanes.
With follow-on orders and in-service maintenance, it could be the second costliest military purchase over decades, topped only by Lockheed Martin Corp's (LMT.N: Quote, Profile, Research) F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.
Future phases of the purchase could bring the cost of the entire fleet to more than $100 billion, although the winner of this competition is not assured of winning future ones, Air Force officials said.
Boeing's KC-767 had been widely predicted to win the initial contract, partly because it had a greater amount of U.S. domestic production compared with the Northrop-EADS aircraft, based on the Airbus A330 airliner.
"I am extremely surprised," said Loren Thompson of the Lexington Institute, a prominent defense analyst. "To get this outcome, Northrop Grumman had to convince the Air Force to consider the aerial refueling mission in a new way. Their analysis must have been compelling."
The U.S. Air Force calls the new tanker fleet its top acquisition priority.
In 2004, the U.S. Congress killed an earlier $23.5 billion Air Force plan to lease and then buy 100 modified Boeing 767 tankers amid a Pentagon procurement scandal brought to light chiefly by Sen. John McCain of Arizona, the all-but certain Republican nominee for U.S. president.
(Reporting by Jim Wolf, editing by Tim Dobbyn)
http://www.reuters.com/article/businessNews/idUSN2861183920080229
---
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zKIqsb4RDS4