Lockheed Martin and Airbus announced Jan. 31 that the aircraft-building titans will work jointly to offer a bid on the U.S. Air Force’s next round of the KC-Y generation of mid-air refueling tankers. Airbus would assemble the jets in Mobile, Ala., at Brookley Aeroplex, and then into tankers at Lockheed Martin’s facility in Marietta, Ga. The decision is contingent on who the AF chooses to build the tankers beginning in 2029. Airbus would add a new Final Assembly Line (FAL) in Mobile to build the tankers, if it wins the bid, says Jeff Knittel, CEO and Chairman of Airbus Americas. Airbus builds an A330 military tanker (MATT) in Toulouse, France, and converts into a military equivalent in Spain, but to win the AF contract Airbus would have to offer an American-made contender. Back in 2001, Airbus went up against Boeing to win a wave of KC-46 tankers. Airbus, known as EADS, proposed and won the contract. Boeing successfully appealed and ended up winning it. Airbus went on to build assembly lines for two other families of jetliners in Mobile. The sour taste still lingers. (Source: AL.com 01/31/22) Airbus, Lockheed Martin announce plans to build tankers in Mobile - al.com
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