Originally published September 15, 2009 at 3:04 PM | Page modified September 16, 2009 at 10:48 AM

Boeing won't offer "Frankentanker" in Air Force competition

Boeing said it will not offer an aerial-refueling tanker that is made up of parts from different aircraft models when it submits a bid in the new Air Force tanker competition,.

By Seattle Times business staff

Archive | Opponents call Boeing's plane "Frankentanker"

Boeing will not offer an aerial-refueling tanker that is made up of parts from different aircraft models when it submits a bid in the new Air Force tanker competition, Rick Lemaster, the head of Boeing's tanker program, said Monday at the annual Air Force Association conference

"We're not doing the Frankentanker," said Lemaster. That was the derisive term used by competitors to denigrate Boeing's previous tanker offering, which had wings, a fuselage and cockpit from three different models of the 767.

Lemaster said that to minimize cost and risk in the reopened competition, Boeing will stick with a single model of either the 767 or the larger 777, depending on what requirements the Air Force stipulates. The Air Force is expected to release details of the new contest within weeks.

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