Lockheed Martin Corporation has reportedly announced that a future midair refueling tanker of the U.S. Air Force would be developed in Georgia and Alabama. If the company wins the aircraft contract, it will potentially create 1,300 new jobs between the two facilities.
Hiring and expansion at current facilities in Marietta, Georgia, and Mobile, Alabama for the upcoming U.S. tanker are subject to the award, which is predicted by late 2024 or 2025, according to the Director of the LMXT tanker program for Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Larry Gallogly.
In June, the Air Force initiated the survey of the aircraft sector to recognize whether another maker had the interest or capacity to develop the next iteration of midair refueling tankers similar to the recently bought KC-46.
Lockheed has partnered with Airbus SE of France in the contest, which utilizes an Airbus commercial plane as the foundation for the tanker.
The intention is to first make the LMXT in the form of an A330 airliner at the current Mobile, Alabama facility of Airbus, which has nearly 15,000 employees, then upgrade the jets at the Lockheed facility in Marietta that has 5,000 employees currently. This would be the first time that a wide-body jet of Airbus has been assembled outside of Europe.
The Air Force has been after replacing hundreds of KC-135 tankers from Eisenhower’s era that are still in service across three lots. The first portion was the KC-46 Pegasus made by Boeing which has been affected by performance issues including defects in an onboard video system along with the boom that connects the aircraft seeking refueling and the tanker.
The June announcement of the Air Force initiated the competition for the second tranche of around 140-160 jets which would comply with the Boeing contract to develop 179 KC-46 Pegasus planes. Boeing is also competing for the second tranche. A third tranche is likely to be announced in the 2030s.
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