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.

One of my dad's friends was in the Navy and I was raised up to think that: "If it doesn't have a tailhook, it's not a real airplane." Although, I didn't end up choosing that path (and I abandoned that philosophy,) I have a great deal of respect for Naval aviators. They definitely do some tough flying and have a lot of fun at it.

For better or for worse, it appears that we may all be losing the opportunity to land fast jets on floating postage stamps sooner than we thought. A recent article at Navy.mil notes that the USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) will be the carrier used to test a new Naval combat aircraft. For the first time in history, this aircraft will be a full-size combat jet...without a pilot. Specifically, it looks like Grumman's X-47B will be the first UCAV tested on an aircraft carrier.

This catapult launched UAV is being developed by the folks at Northrop Grumman and is an addition to their BAT series of UAV's. Now, how I could load the trusty 172 on there? If it happened to succeed I think I could talk the wife into putting one in the back yard!

Russia unveiled its newest fighter, and their first 5th Generation fighter, the Sukhoi T-50. The T-50 marks a new page for Russia in aircraft development sporting both stealth and touted super cruise capability.

Russia is developing the aircraft not only for internal bolstering of their air force but as a potential export. India has expressed interest in the new fighter as it is the only 5th Generation fighter aircraft available on the market today. The US's F-22 Rapter is a 5th Generation fighter, but it is not currently offered for export and the EU's Eurofighter Typhoon is considered a 4.5 Generation fighter with similar, not all the capabilities, to be classified as a true 5th Generation aircraft.