Thursday, March 11, 2010

Spirit AeroSystems Holdings, Inc. has been named to the Boeing NewGen Tanker Supplier Team. Boeing, Spirit’s largest customer, is bidding on the KC-X program, U.S. Air Force’s next line of tanker aircraft.

Upon a contract award from the United States government to Boeing, Spirit will build the Boeing tanker’s forward fuselage section in Wichita, Kan. After completion, Spirit will ship the hardware to Boeing’s Everett, Wash., facility for final assembly.

“We’re honored to continue to build quality airplane assemblies for Boeing, and ultimately, for the United States Air Force,” said Richard “Buck” Buchanan, Spirit senior vice president and chief operations officer. “Spirit is proud to be part of the integrated Tanker Team, and is poised and ready to deliver world-class components to our customer.”

Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kan., said, “I am pleased that the men and women of Spirit AeroSystems will play such a significant role on the NewGen Tanker. The Boeing/Spirit Team has a strong track record of delivering superior value to their customers and I know they will continue this success in building the world’s finest tanker for the United State Air Force.”

U.S. Congressman Todd Tiahrt, R-Goddard., said, “The highly-skilled workers and engineers at Spirit AeroSystems are among the best in the world and will play an integral role in building the next generation of tankers. We are moving toward a tanker contract that will stimulate the aviation industry in Kansas and lead to even more high-quality, high-paying jobs. Spirit workers will provide nothing but the best components for the KC-767, and that is important for our military men and women to successfully carry out their missions.”

On March 4, Boeing announced it would offer the Boeing NewGen Tanker, an airplane based off of the 767 platform, in the competition to supply the U.S. Air Force with a multi-mission aerial refueling aircraft that will meet all the warfighter’s mission requirements for the next several decades.
Boeing will respond to the Air Force’s KC-X Request for Proposal by May 10, and the Air Force is expected to announce its decision later this year.

The contract will be for 179 new KC-X aerial refueling tankers.