By Marina Malenic
An Australian KC-30A Multi-Role Tanker Transport (MRTT) aircraft training accident resulted in the detachment and partial loss of the refueling boom from the MRTT, Australia’s defense ministry said yesterday.
The tanker was attempting to refuel a Portuguese Air Force F-16 aircraft and was being operated by personnel from prime contractor Airbus. Both aircraft suffered some damage but landed safely, according to the ministry.
Australia is purchasing five MRTTs for its military fleet. The KC-30A is based on the same airframe as the tanker that Airbus parent company European Aeronautic Defence and Space (EADS) has pitched to the U.S. Air Force in the KC-X contest.
EADS North America spokesman Guy Hicks said via e-mail yesterday that “it would be premature at this point to speculate on any actions that may have resulted in this incident.”
The KC-X contract award is expected in the coming weeks. Air Force Secretary Michael Donley said last week that a hearing planned by the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) would not change the timeline for an award to either Boeing [BA] or EADS (Defense Daily, Jan. 10).
The Air Force last month sought to “level the playing field” after inadvertently providing the companies data about each other’s bids by later intentionally releasing the information to the firms (Defense Daily, Dec. 2). Lawmakers have said they will hold hearings on the matter next week.
Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), a strong Boeing supporter, said yesterday that she had sent a letter to SASC Chairman Carl Levin (D-Mich.) outlining several questions she hopes will be answered at the hearing.
“Even if this release was inadvertent, it can have far reaching consequences if not addressed properly, if it ends up violating laws and fair-competition regulations, or if it directly impacts a bidder’s strategy for establishing its final price in a competition,” Cantwell wrote in the letter.
Neither Boeing nor EADS officials have ruled out legally protesting the release of the information (Defense Daily, Nov. 23). The highly politicized contest is the Air Force’s second attempt to replace its Eisenhower-era tankers. Boeing successfully protested a previous win by EADS and then-partner Northrop Grumman [NOC].