Lockheed Martin has abandoned plans to offer contract air refueling services using a version of the Airbus A330 Multi-Role Tanker Transport (MRTT). Working with Airbus, Lockheed Martin originally announced this capability back in 2019 as part of a series of different air refueling proposals developed primarily for the US Air Force. The A330 MRTT aircraft was later renamed LMXT in the specific configuration offered for the service, although Lockheed has since determined that there is no credible business case for offering contract tankers to the US Air Force or other customers.
While Lockheed Martin is no longer interested in providing contract tanker aircraft solutions, the company is still seeking to sell the LMXT to the Air Force to meet the requirements of the service’s interim tanker acquisition plan, currently known as the KC-135 -recapitalization measure. Despite the name, this is intended to allow the Air Force to continue to replace its outdated KC-135 and KC-10 while moving towards a true next-generation design, although the scope of the program has been scaled back. The company also says it would continue to attract interest from private air refueling companies who may wish to continue offering the LMXT or A330 MRTT to other customers under a contract model.
All of this was confirmed by Lockheed Martin yesterday to The War Zone in a press conference attended by various journalists, where the company announced the selection of GE Aerospace’s CF6-80E1 turbofan engine for the LMXT. The CF6-80E1 is already one of the established engine options for the A330 MRTT.
With a thrust of 72,000 pounds, the CF6-80E1A3 is the most powerful CF6 engine to date. GE Aerospace
Although Lockheed Martin has lost interest in offering its own contract tanker services, it remains optimistic about the prospects for the LMXT in the Air Force.
Once the Air Force completes its planned purchase of 179 KC-46s — with delivery of the last of those aircraft slated for 2029 — the service wants to immediately begin receiving what it previously called “bridge tankers.” These additional refueling aircraft are expected to arrive between the end of the planned KC-46 acquisitions and the acquisition of an advanced aerial refueling aircraft.
At one point it was thought that between 140 and 160 examples of the bridge tanker design would likely be acquired, although that number has since been roughly halved to around 75 aircraft. Taken together, however, the additional tankers and KC-46s should offset the withdrawal of more than half of the existing KC-135s, while the KC-10s are already being retired. That still leaves a significant portion of the KC-10. However, the 135 fleet had to be replaced by a future type of tanker
Importantly, the KC-46, also known as the KC-Y in the past, will also be in the running for this interim contract.
In recognition of this fact, as part of their ongoing sales call for the LMXT yesterday, Lockheed Martin officials raised a possible scenario where an issue incapacitating the KC-46 fleet (should it be selected for the bridge tanker) could cause the Luftwaffe with this matter would burden a huge tanker gap if no other type is in stock.
A U.S. Air Force KC-46A Pegasus assigned to the New Hampshire Air National Guard’s 157th Air Refueling Squadron on the ramp in Sioux City, Iowa, September 17, 2020. Air National Guard photo by Senior Master Sgt Vincent De Groot
As for the contractor-operated model, it existed then and still does, as the Air Force and Navy have contracted several companies to provide aerial refueling services over the years. Omega, a US company that pioneered contract tankers for the US military and others, was named in yesterday’s Lockheed briefing. In the meantime other companies have joined this company, more and more of which are operating aircraft, which are increasingly equipped with refueling booms and hose and drogue refueling systems.
As another example of contractor-assisted air refueling services, Airbus is spearheading a consortium called AirTanker that offers a leasing program for A330 MRTTs. The Royal Air Force in the UK is AirTanker’s main customer.
The US Air Force, in cooperation with the US Transportation Command, has explored the idea of leased tankers in the past, as well as other government-owned but contractor-operated options, as you can read more about here.
A British Royal Air Force Voyager air-to-air tanker aircraft. These versions of the A330 MRTT are operated under a leasing agreement. CrownCopyright
In 2019, the Air Force faced repeated setbacks in the KC-46 program, while the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps increasingly turned to contractors to provide aerial refueling services for training, development, and operational test and evaluation work.
With the KC-46 underperforming and the Air Force’s KC-135R/T Stratotanker and KC-10A Extender fleets aging, it seemed like Lockheed Martin and Airbus were finally finding a way find themselves challenging Boeing’s dominance in the US military tanker market.
The Cold War era KC-135 Stratotanker still dominates the Air Force tanker roster. US Air Force
And a fully contracted tank tank option appeared capable of offering some significant benefits to the Luftwaffe.
As we discussed in detail at The War Zone, such a setup, with the Air Force sourcing at least some of its in-flight refueling needs from private contractors, would have freed the KC-10 and KC-135 for actual operational missions and brings cost savings.
Lockheed also cited other benefits of an A330 MRTT-based design, including a configuration that relies heavily on fuel capacity, which would be of great importance to the Air Force in future conflicts, particularly in the Asia-Pacific region. Indeed, the realities of a future war in this region mean that the US military as a whole only has to contend with an ever-increasing need for in-flight refueling.
At the same time, the Lockheed Martin/Airbus proposal also saw the provision of contracted refueling tankers as a stepping stone for the development of new, advanced tanker concepts, which the Air Force sees as increasingly important for future high-end operations. The latest program to emerge in this space is called the Next Generation Air-Refueling System (NGAS) and reflects the growing realization that regular tankers simply will not be able to survive in the future battlefield.
A Boeing concept for a combined wing-body aerial refueling tanker design. Boeing
The Air Force has stated that it aims to have a fleet of next-generation air refueling aircraft operational by 2040 at the latest, if possible sooner. At the same time, the service seems to be increasingly viewing the idea of the “bridge tanker” competition as an unwelcome distraction for NGAS.
Interestingly, Larry Gallogly, LMXT campaign director at Lockheed Martin, said in his speech yesterday that he believes traditional (non-cloaked) tankers will continue to play a role in the future, including as “mother ships” to refuel their deep-sea tankers. observable and otherwise more advanced counterparts. Comments like this suggest that there is at least some debate going on in the background as to what place the uncloaked tankers will have in the future Luftwaffe.
Overall, the likelihood of the Air Force now choosing the LMXT as an interim tanker, or even hosting a contest at all, certainly seems to have decreased. At least publicly, Lockheed Martin remains confident that there is a need and that its offering could still win an upcoming competition.
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Joseph Trevithick contributed to this story.