Boeing aims to sell KC-46 to Poland

Poland has issued an RFP for up to four tankers to help meet refueling requirements for NATO. Boeing hopes that they will become the first foreign buyer of the KC-46 Pegasus tanker. The European Defense Agency has a requirement for eight tankers, but Poland doesn't want to be dependent upon other nations, so is buying separately from the EDA buy. Competition is expected to come from Airbus with the A330 MRRT, and IAI with a converted 767-300ER. The first delivery slots for the KC-46 would be starting in 2018, and it would have the advantage of having gone through a full Air Force flight test program.

Boeing hopes that Poland will become the first export customer for the KC-46A Pegasus tanker it is developing for the US Air Force.

Warsaw has issued a request for proposals seeking as many as four tankers to help it meet refuelling requirements as part of the NATO alliance, with a decision expected by the year end.

Although the east European nation is also a member of the European Defence Agency, which has a separate requirement for eight tankers, Poland is keen to ensure its air force is not constrained by any decision taken by the EDA.

www.flightglobal.com...

a reply to: Zaphod58

Contrary to some of our friends, it looks like the Poles are putting serious money into their own defense.
Not surprising. They learned the hard way in WWII. (Most of you won't have a clue about that lesson.)

a reply to: Aliensun

They recently (a few years ago) bought Block 52 F-16s, and have been training with US units for the last three or four years, almost the entire year every year since. They also upgraded their MiG-29s, and there are plans to offer them Typhoons when they open bidding to replace their older fighters.

If history teaches us anything, even sparse military power put into Polish hands will make for a formidable defense!

Edit to add:
en.wikipedia.org...

a reply to: TheBlackTiger

The Polish military has been considered a laughing stock for years, due to the age of a lot of their equipment. But there are not many military forces in Europe that I'd rather go into a fight with other than them. Now that they're getting modern military equipment, and learning to use it properly from the US, they're going to be one of the most formidable fighting forces in Europe.

Their first M346 has also begun production. They're going to have an impressive Air Force at this rate.

The more I find, the more impressed I am. They also have a ducted fan, VTOL UAV that is under development that is the highlight of a trade show.

I agree with the general comments re Poland. Their fighting record stands for itself and they were the most lethal RAF pilots in the Battle of Britain, having a vengeful drive that some other nationalities flying had yet to acquire.

zap, I'm wondering about your comment regarding the KC-46 having the advantage of being through an Air Force development programme. Do you mean with the Polish Air Force?

a reply to: waynos

No, a USAF flight test program. It's a lot tougher than the standard flight certification program a lot of conversions go through.

originally posted by: TheBlackTiger
If history teaches us anything, even sparse military power put into Polish hands will make for a formidable defense!

Absolutely!

Any nation that can use this:


To maneuver these:



To halt the advance of these:



Is capable of just about anything.

a reply to: Zaphod58

Ah, OK. I'm not so sure that is such an advantage against a rival (the KC-330) that is already in widespread service among several countries and which was judged superior by the USAF (as the KC-45) until the rules were changed to make sure Boeing won (IMO of course). But the way these things go (best lobbyist rather than best aircraft) I wouldn't bet either way.

a reply to: waynos

That's an advantage for that platform, but a lot of people will look at the USAF testing program as being a leveling of the field. Especially if the Pegasus comes through with out the problems that they saw with the A330, as fairly minor as they were.

Airbus needs to find a way to keep the booms from falling off the jet in flight first. Lol

a reply to: boomer135

Yeah, that's a drawback to that platform.

a reply to: Zaphod58

Yeah, one would hope that was an anomaly or is cured if your selling to an operator of US jets like the F-16. Is the Pegasus also set up for probe and drogue or would that require some modification?

a reply to: waynos

It will be able to mount the wing drogue pods as well as having the permanent centerline drogue like the KC-10.

PL have not decided on the air tankers yet. They did just sign a contract for $500M AGM delivery for the F-16.

The U.S. needs to offer them Raptors just to see Putin shat his pants lol. Start a bunch of news that Lockheed is going to start up production again to build a lot more for us, Poland and Israel given the political climate. He would go into a fit and start doing a Khrushchev, pounding his shoe till the podium broke.