Boeing

The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] today announced that Iowa will benefit from an estimated 1,600 direct and indirect jobs if it is selected to build the U.S. Air Force's new tanker aircraft fleet. The economic activity generated in Iowa will exceed an estimated $60 million annually.

"Selecting the U.S. Air Force's next generation air refueling tanker is a critical decision for our nation. Teaming with Boeing, Iowa industry and the state's economy will benefit with jobs that help deliver the best choice for our military forces -- the KC-767 Advanced Tanker," said Iowa Gov. Chet Culver.

Boeing formally submitted its proposal to the Air Force on April 10. The offering, the KC-767 Advanced Tanker, is designed for aerial refueling of other aircraft, but also is able to move cargo, passengers, patients and medical crewmembers. These capabilities, combined with best-in-competition fuel efficiency, global flexibility and space usage, provide a strong value proposition to the Air Force.

"Building the most capable, advanced tanker in aviation history can only be accomplished by the best aerospace team in the world," said Mark McGraw, vice president, Boeing Tanker Programs. "That's why we have Iowa and its experienced workforce playing a key role on our KC-767 Advanced Tanker."

Rockwell Collins, based in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, will produce navigation and communication avionics for the KC-767 Advanced Tanker. In addition to Rockwell Collins, Iowa industry will provide electrical systems and raw materials for the new tanker if Boeing is selected for the contract.

Nationwide, 44,000 Americans and 300 suppliers will design, build and support the Boeing KC-767 Advanced Tanker.

Boeing will assemble the tanker at its facilities in Everett, Wash., using many of the same manufacturing processes that produced almost 1,000 highly reliable and maintainable commercial Boeing 767s. Installation of military refueling systems and flight test activities will take place at the company's finishing center in Wichita, Kan.

The Boeing Global Tanker Team producing the KC-767 Advanced Tanker includes Rockwell Collins, Vought Aircraft Industries, Pratt & Whitney, Smiths Aerospace, Honeywell, Spirit AeroSystems and Delta TechOps. This experienced group of partners has proven expertise in aerial refueling systems, network centric operations, integrated avionics solutions and lean manufacturing concepts, which will offer the Air Force high levels of reliability and unique technical advancements.

Boeing has been designing, building, modifying and supporting tankers for nearly 75 years, with hundreds of KC-135s and KC-10s currently in service with the Air Force. The company is flying KC-767s today and has logged nearly 1,000 hours on the tanker platform. Recently, Boeing demonstrated its advanced air refueling systems by transferring fuel through its fifth-generation boom and extending and retracting the fuselage-mounted and wing-mounted air refueling hoses, both critical milestones for the KC-767 program.