I've been following the competition for the new USAF tanker for quite a while. I was excited when the Northrop/EADS A330 won. A friend of mine who has multiple combat tours in the KC-135 and got to provide input to the tanker decision said the A330 is a superior aircraft. I live right down the road from Mobile, AL, where residents were ecstatic about a new airplane factory and thousands of associated (American) jobs coming to town. I was quite pleased that the Air Force made an effort to be fair and open with the competition following a shady tanker lease deal that got some people in trouble in 2004.

Then, after the A330 was officially named the winner and ground was already broken on the new factory in Mobile, Boeing complained and got the decision overturned and the competition reopened. I was very disappointed. Reopening the competition guaranteed several more years of waiting for a new tanker while the ancient KC-135s continued to serve past their lifetime. It also showed severe prejudice against a foreign product, even if it meant a superior to our warfighters.

The Pentagon released their new request for proposals recently. Sadly, the new specifications so obviously favor Boeing's 767 that Northrop and EADS have decided not to even enter the competition.

Every pilot ends up dreaming about flying faster, more capable aircraft. For the last half-century or so this dreaming almost invariably led pilots to warbirds, ex-military aircraft put into private service. Right now WWII era planes like the P-51 Mustang are all the rage; however, jet aircraft are becoming increasingly available. Though few of us will ever be able to afford our own jet, it's fun to dream about. The EAA's Warbirds division just published an article about the ultimate warbird offering, exclusively from warbird supplier Pride Aircraft. Their product? A pair of SU-27 Flankers!

EADS North America recently announced delivery of the first of five H-72A helicopters to the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School. They'll be used for test pilot training by the Navy. Normally, I wouldn't bat an eyelash at news of a new aircraft delivery other than to say I'm glad the military is working to keep it's fleet up to date. However, the H-72A is a commercial off the shelf ("COTS") military program based on the Eurocopter EC-145...a subsidiary of EADS.

In case you haven't heard, the USAF is currently delaying the replacement of the ancient KC-135 tanker because the new contract was awarded to EADS and people all over the US threw a fit about a foreign aircraft getting a US military contract. People complained so much that even though the EADS Airbus 330 won the competition, the contract has been revoked and the process is being started all over again.

So, on one hand EADS is an evil empire unfit for producing a US military aircraft (the tanker,) but on the other they are the quality supplier of a US military aircraft (the helicopter) to an elite US Navy flying unit. Confused? Me too. Don't worry it gets better.

Earlier this month I asked if we think the government should continue to fund the General Electric F136 as an alternative engine for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. Our response was mixed, and it appears that the same goes for the government. As reported by the The Washington Post, President Obama has officially approved a defense authorization bill that includes $560 Million in funding for the F136 program.

I recently wrote about Hawker Beechcraft's success with the T-6. I figured that'd be the extent of the T-6 news for a while, but I was wrong. A recent HBC Press Release mentions that yet another customer will be taking delivery of T-6's.

The F-22 Rapter program was cut in the Fiscal Year 2010 budget in order to prevent spending 1.75 Billion dollars according to internet sources. The fight continues between those that want to continue producing the advanced F-22 and the those that are in favor producing the new single engine F-35 instead.

The fight isn't just about which aircraft is best suited to be the next fighter for the United States. The fight has deep political roots based on the states in which the fighters are produced.

What do our readers think is more important, military strategy or the impact on the industry from producing the aircraft?

The 302nd Airlift Wing of the USAF Reserve is set to open Monday's Airventure show with quite a splash!! That's right, a live 3,000 gallon water drop right at show center. The specially equipped C-130 will remain at the show through the 29th, so make sure you stop by and say Hi to the crew.

A lot of people buy the Beech King Air because it's a great balance of performance, efficiency and cost. The USAF recently realized that and decided to purchase several to use for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions. However, the Air Force's idea of "cheap" may not exactly be like ours. According to the USA Today, it turns out they will be paying $21 million each for most of these aircraft.