The aircraft manufacturers Lockheed Martin and Airbus are vying together for a major order from the US armed forces. One wants to outdo the competitor Boeing with the A330MRTT tanker aircraft.

The US Air Force will decommission some aging tankers by 2029. You need a replacement for these. Boeing is in position with the KC-46A. Lockheed Martin and Airbus have created the LMXT consortium and want to score with a competing model that is a special version of the A330MRTT. This is to be built in the United States of America. As a result, one expects better chances of being able to land the order.

In the last tender, which was around ten years ago, Boeing emerged as the winner with the KC-46A. At the time, Airbus had another partner, Northrop Grumman. However, the cooperation with Lockheed Martin, one of the largest suppliers to the US armed forces, is completely reshuffling the cards.

According to US media reports, up to 160 tankers could be delivered. For both Airbus/Lockheed Martin and Boeing, the award would mean revenues of several billion US dollars. According to Lockheed Martin, it is intended that the “base” in the form of the A330 will be manufactured at the Airbus Mobile plant. Then it goes to Lockheed Martin in Marietta, where the conversion into the military aircraft LMXT (A330 MRTT) is to take place.

According to Lockheed Martin Managing Director James Taiclet, this procedure is intended to ensure that the product is a US product. In the past, the place of production played a very important role in the award of the contract. According to reports, Airbus lost out for this reason, among other things.