Next generation of tankers is in good hands

The Boeing tanker features:

• The same digital flight deck Boeing is using on its new 787 Dreamliner, which displays information to pilots on screens 75 percent larger than on the Airbus A330.
• A safer, more reliable fifth generation fly-by-wire refueling boom that can off load fuel faster than ever before.
• Primary aircrew control of the aircraft instead of overreliance on computer software which can limit maneuverability in safety and combat emergencies.

Boeing has the experience to build a great airplane and manage a major Air Force contract for the next several decades, and our taxpayers, soldiers, sailors, and airmen should be pleased with the prospect of Boeing’s role in building our badly needed next generation tanker.

Despite Airbus dropping out of the competition to build a fleet of planes they are unqualified for, the controversy continues. Because of pressure from the European Union and their allies in the Pentagon and Capitol Hill, Airbus is considering bidding for the contract they dropped out of. While the military is waiting for the French to decide the Air Force’s future, tens of thousands of American jobs, billions of dollars and our airmen are waiting.

Brigadier General Thomas C. Pinckney (Ret.), a decorated fighter pilot, served in the U.S. Air Force for nearly 30 years.