Study advises Air Force against Boeing contract

? In a setback for Boeing Co., a new Pentagon study has found the Air Force’s aging tanker fleet is not in urgent need of modernization because of corrosion problems.

Moreover, the Air Force’s maintenance team has become so efficient at combating deterioration that more refueling tankers are now available for missions than in previous years, according to a report by the Defense Science Board, a group of scientists and defense officials that advises the Secretary of Defense.

“There is no compelling material or financial reason to initiate a replacement program” at this time, according to slides accompanying a science board briefing Wednesday on Capitol Hill that were provided to the Tribune.

If the Air Force feels compelled to do something now, it should consider other options, including converting used commercial aircraft into tankers, the board added.

It also questioned the wisdom of using “the 20-year-old 767 design” for a new tanker fleet. Instead, it suggested working with airframe manufacturers to develop “new tanker options.”

Chicago-based Boeing is still hoping the Pentagon will soon give the green light to a $23.5 billion contract for 100 tankers based on 767 aircraft.

Boeing said it has not yet received a copy of the report.

“We look forward to the opportunity to review the actual Defense Science Board report,” spokesman Doug Kennett said. “We stand ready to assist the Air Force in meeting their requirements. We believe the 767 is clearly the best solution to meeting our nation’s growing aerial tanker needs.”

The Air Force has maintained it desperately needs to start replacing tankers because age-related problems are decreasing the fleet’s reliability at a time when U.S. forces are fighting in far-flung locations.

But Sen. John McCain, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, has long argued the Air Force was exaggerating the corrosion problem to justify an unusual and expensive plan to lease Boeing tankers.

Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, who has expressed reservations about the acquisition, ordered several studies of the tanker issue earlier this year.