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| KC-767 Tanker Transport |
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Italian Air Force Boeing KC-767
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| Role | Air-to-air Refueling |
| Crew | 2 pilots & AAR operator |
| Unit cost | Undisclosed |
| Primary contractor | Boeing Integrated Defense Systems |
| Date Deployed | 2004 |
| Inventory | |
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| Length | 159 ft 2 in | 48.5 m |
| Wingspan (to winglet tips) | 156 ft 1 in | 47.6 m |
| Height | 52 ft | 15.8 m |
| Cargo | 2,875 ft³ | 81.4 m³ |
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| Dry | 188,705 lb | 85,595 kg |
| Loaded | 284,110 lb | 128,870 kg |
| Max. peace-time take-off weight | 412,000 lb | 186,880 kg |
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| Engines | Two GE CF6-80C2 Turbofan engines |
| Thrust | 63,500 lbf each | 282 kN each |
| Engines | Two P&W PW4000 Turbofan engines |
| Thrust | 62,000 lbf each | 275 kN each |
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| Maximum speed | kt | Mach 0.86 |
| Ferry range | 9,250 km / Global, with In-flight Refueling |
| Service ceiling | 40,100 ft | 12,200 m |
The Global Tanker Transport Aircraft (GTTA) is a next generation military
Aerial Refueling and strategic transport aircraft developed primarily for the
U.S. Air Force from the
Boeing 767-200 .
Boeing received the first order for the 767 Tanker Transport from
Italy in
2001 for four aircraft called KC-767A. The company had further success when the
Japan Air Self-Defense Force selected the KC-767 called KC-767J, again for four aircraft and to be fitted an advanced air-refueling boom.
There is wide agreement in U.S. defense circles about the need to replace the aging
KC-135 Stratotanker fleet. However, a lease arrangement, whereby Boeing would lease around 100 KC-767 aircraft to the USAF, has become mired in political controversy. U.S. Sen.
John McCain , among others, has questioned whether it is really cost-effective for the Air Force to ''lease'' aircraft at all, particularly as the aircraft would probably not have many, if any, civilian buyers when their military service was concluded. The
United States Department Of Justice is now investigating allegations that Boeing finance officer Mike Sears negotiated the recruitment of
Darleen Druyun , an Air Force procurement official, while she was still working at the
Pentagon , and thereby reached some kind of ''
Quid Pro Quo '' for a multibillion dollar leasing agreement. The
Congressional Budget Office has also criticized the draft leasing agreement as fiscally irresponsible. In
December 2003 , Boeing CEO
Phil Condit resigned in an attempt to bring an end to the "distractions and controversies of the past year."
Boeing, teamed with
BAE Systems and
British Airways , has also offered the KC-767 to the UK's
RAF for its
Future Strategic Tanker Aircraft . The
Ministry Of Defence announced in January 2004 that it had selected the
Airbus A330 MRTT to fulfil this requirement.
Australia selected the A330, again in competition with the KC-767 in April 2004. While the Airbus does have an overall higher specification than the 767 it seems likely that complications over the USAF deal have dissuaded potential customers who would have liked to purchase the KC-767. It is reported that the
RAAF was concerned about the possibility of funding full development that would otherwise be shared with the USAF.
The KC-767 nomenclature is entirely non-standard to usual U.S. military designation sequences. Logically, it could be the KC-44, as C-43 is the highest numerical currently assigned to a U.S. military transport under the Tri-Services system instituted in 1962 at the behest of Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara. There have been two recent significant deviations from the usual protocol that may have set a precedent for the out-of-sequence appellation, however. For security reasons, the Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk was given an out-of-sequence designation in the discontinued "Century Series" of fighters, when, in fact, it is a tactical bomber. Further, the in-sequence X-35 Joint Strike Fighter designation, applying only to the proof-of-concept testbeds, was flipped to the out-of-sequence F-35 when Lockheed was declared the winner of the fly-off. By rights, the X-35 should be designated the F-24, following Northrop's unsuccessful YF-23. The congruent numbering of the McDonnell-Douglas KC-10 for the DC-10 commercial model upon which it was based was a happy coincidence that conformed to existing DOD aircraft numbering practice.
In January, 2006 Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld announced the cancellation of the KC-767 program. This is designed as a cost cutting measure and as part of a larger reorganization and redefinition of the Air Force's mission that includes the retirement of the E-4B fleet, the cancellation of the Boeing 767 based E-10 program, as well as the elimination of all but 58 B-52's. Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld states that this move will in no way impair the Air Force's ability to deliver the mission of the KC-767 which will be accomplished by continuing upgrades to the KC-135 and KC-10 fleets.
