thats a big surprise :o

the KC-767 is already being delivered to Japan.....that KC-30 has yet to be built

http://cdn-www.airliners.net/photo/A...RTT/1327857/L/

http://cdn-www.airliners.net/photo/A...RTT/1327857/L/

While not exactly a KC-30 in itself the picture in the above link is more or less the same thing and obviously more than just a design study.

http://cdn-www.airliners.net/photo/A...RTT/1327857/L/

After reading the article on BBC News, I've come to a very simple conclusion. That is, that the Americans are the biggest nationalists ever. OK, one of the bigger ones. The point is, you wanted this kind of system, you made it work and now that someone better has come along and it's not the great USA, you suddenly want to forget about everything. If you believe you're so self-efficient, why don't you re-establish the Monroe doctrine system and once again become isolated, if you believe that your products are the best and that other people shouldn't have the change to get US funding.

Welcome to the table Gentleman. Today's special is Globalisation and Economic Liberalism. I hope you enjoy it!

Only real reason i like airbus is for the simple fact airbus aircraft cockpits are pretty much identicle through out from A318 to A380.

A330 can only really be compaired to the 767 which its rival, the 777 doesnt have an airbus competitor just yet but i do think the A350 will challenge that.

A pilot who flys the baby A320 can also fly the big A330 with little hand over training so these pilots can fly a wider range of planes when needed without months of transition training.

You can go from a boeing 737 and then jump in and fly a 777 you would need months of training first as its totaly diffrent cockpit layouts.

but the A330 offers more for its money, maybe if boeing had lobbied a 777 tanker it would have won instead they chose the 767 which is smaller.

A 777 as a tanker would be well a better idea for boeing rather than 767, it flys farther heavyier faster and is more modern and is larger than 767 and A330.

But in all my favorite plane is A330.

Good news for the UK economy, but I must admit I'm quite suprised. I thought the UK government were the only ones that enjoyed snubbing there home based industries. Most unusual for the US http://img255.imageshack.us/img255/621/thinkbigsw1.gif

Thats my point though. with the changes, they will have to do test flights and get the plane cetrifed to fly, where as the KC-767 is already being delivered to Japan, and Itlay is next on the list. Its already flying and being built in a production run

One reason for this decision is probably to send a signal to Boeing that military contracts are not "automatically" theirs. It also supports Grumman and helps to keep diversity in the defense market - competition is the only way to keep the costs of future at least a little bit under control. Maybe the Pentagon has come to the conclusion that Boeing has become too dominant ...

This Tanker now also may become interesting for some european Air Forces. Together with the new A400M Transporter and the A380 as possible C-5 Galaxy replacement Airbus seems to finally get their feet into military aviation.

I don't know about others but it's not about American stuff is better it's that no military system should be dependent on foreign fabrication or supply. And as far as I'm concerned especially French.

Let's not forget about about Boeing's superb record with getting products to customers on time! I live in the area so I hear the ****storms everyday.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/busine..._tanker01.html

It depends. Of the 737, there are at least nine different"generations", the later ones coming with glass cockpits like the later boeing models like the 767, making them more similar then let's say 20 or 30 years ago. but granted, the similiraity is not as far-ealding as with the aibusses, where it has been an intentional design decision from the very beginning on.

:lol:

I wouldn't do that just yet. The fat lady hasn't sung yet and her name is Congress.

Oh, very true.
I can't see them killing this off. A large Air Force requires force multipliers and power projection abilities. Tankers provide some of this, and new tankers are needed.
If there are no tankers, you might as well cut the Air Force by 80%.

looking at figures, it's fairly obvious why the A330 was chosen.

For KC-767 Advanced Tanker:

• Max takeoff weight: over 400,000 lb (181,000 kg)
• Maximum Fuel Load: over 202,000 lb (91,600 kg)

A330 MRTT

Max Takeoff Weight - 230,000 kg* (507,063 lb*)
The wingtank cpacity of the A330 is greater than the entire capacity of the KC-767. Nuff said.

Another boring plane replacing a cooler model.

Seems only fighters are keeping their aura of awesomeness through upgrades. F-14 aside, obviously.

MRTT is flying and is in production. I do not believe that the specification currently undergoing qualification with the RAAF will be that much different to that ordered for the USAF so I do not see certification being much of a hurdle.