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By JOHN T. BENNETT
Published: 2 Jul 2010 06:35 Print | EmailA California-based aerospace firm is finalizing plans to partner with a Ukrainian aircraft maker to pitch up to three aerial tankers in the U.S. Air Force's multibillion-dollar KC-X competition.
U.S. Aerospace, Inc. and Antonov executives inked a pact on July 1 spelling out the terms of a partnership under which the American company will act as the prime contractor of a team that will enter up to three Antonov aircraft into the high-stakes KC-X race, an industry source said.
Boeing is expected to enter a 767-based aircraft, and its arch-rival Airbus plans to pitch a tanker based on its A330. The U.S.-Ukrainian partnership likely will send ripple waves across the global defense sector. All bids are due July 9.
The source said U.S. Aerospace and Antonov plan to enter the four-engine AN-124-100, and a two-engine variant of that airframe known as the AN-122.
In a further twist, the U.S.-Ukrainian team plans to enter "a new plane designed to meet the [KC-X] specs, dubbed the AN-112," the source told Defense News.
The AN-112 would be, if eventually entered, the only plane in the race designed specifically for the Air Force's tanker requirements.
In a report filed July 1 with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, U.S. Aerospace told federal regulators of its intention to partner with Antonov and bid those three aircraft.
The source said U.S. Aerospace and Antonov formally notified Pentagon officials on July 1 of the team's intention to bid.
The July 1 SEC report supports that statement: "On July 1, 2010, we advised the U.S. Department of Defense and the U.S. Air Force that, in joint cooperation with Antonov, we intend to bid in response to the Request for Proposal from the U.S. Air Force for the KC-X Tanker Modernization Program," according to the SEC report. At the time of this posting, the Pentagon had yet to respond to an inquiry.
Under terms of a "strategic cooperation agreement" signed July 1 in Kiev, Ukraine, "final assembly" of an U.S. Aerospace-Antonov tanker would take place on U.S. soil. Defense News obtained a copy of the agreement. The American company would oversee that stage of production.
U.S. Aerospace would coordinate the bidding process, negotiate with the Air Force, coordinate with subcontractors, ensure conformity of aircraft to requirements of RFP for KC-X Tanker Modernization Program," according to the agreement.
Antonov would integrate components into the aircraft, work with its U.S. partner on preparing the aircraft for certification and testing, and "manufacturing and delivering to [U.S. Aerospace] specified aircraft and components," states the pact.
The cooperation agreement is exclusively for the KC-X competition.
The agreement bears the signature of Charles S. Arnold, senior adviser to the U.S. Aerospace board of directors. It also bears another signature reserved for a senior Antonov official, but that typed name has been redacted. The signature is visible, but illegible.
U.S. Aerospace has offices and production facilities in Santa Fe Springs and Rancho Cucamonga, Calif. A company fact sheets state the firm has done business with and provided components to the Pentagon, U.S. Air Force, Lockheed Martin, Boeing, L-3, General Electric, and other aerospace and defense firms. The fact sheet states the company supplies "structural aircraft parts" to the military's P-3 fleet, as well as Boeing's 747 program.
The California-base company is "engaged in the production of aircraft assemblies, structural components, and highly engineered, precision machined details," according to its website. It also manufactures and re-manufactures aircraft engine and landing gear components.
Antonov, also known as Antonov Aeronautical Scientist/Technical Complex, is a state-owned firm. It is the manufacturer of the world's first and second largest planes, the AN-225 Mriya and AN-124 Condor strategic airlifters, according to a company fact sheet. Antonov also makes the AN-148 and AN-158 commercial airliners.
"Each Party shall bear its own costs and expenses incurred through the performance of this [agreement] except as otherwise agreed in writing between the parties," the pact states.
This is the second time this year word of a second non-American aircraft entrant has shaken up the KC-X race. For several days in March, it appeared Russia's United Aircraft Corp. planned to enter the competition with an unnamed U.S. partner. While sources provided official-looking legal documents to support that, the firm denied any intention to bid.
At that time, U.S. defense analysts dismissed the since-scuttled UAC aircraft, saying even if the company made good on its alleged intentions to chock a modified Il-96 four-engine airliner full of U.S. components, the Soviet-era plane was not advanced enough to compete with - much less outperform - Boeing's KC-767 or Airbus' A330.
Richard Aboulafia, an aviation analyst at the Fairfax, Va.-based Teal group, said there is little reason to take the alleged bid seriously.
"This falls under the heading of 'fool us once...shame on them, fool us twice...oh, never mind, they didn't even fool us once,'" Aboulafia said, calling it: "Dumb beyond belief, for more reasons than I can count."
To that end, a May 24 SEC report filed by U.S. Aerospace signals it is in financial trouble. A number of factors "raise substantial doubt about the company's ability to continue as a going concern," the firm told federal regulators.
In KC-X Twist, Ukrainian Aircraft Maker, U.S. Aerospace Readying Bid - Defense News
Published: 2 Jul 2010 06:35 Print | EmailA California-based aerospace firm is finalizing plans to partner with a Ukrainian aircraft maker to pitch up to three aerial tankers in the U.S. Air Force's multibillion-dollar KC-X competition.
U.S. Aerospace, Inc. and Antonov executives inked a pact on July 1 spelling out the terms of a partnership under which the American company will act as the prime contractor of a team that will enter up to three Antonov aircraft into the high-stakes KC-X race, an industry source said.
Boeing is expected to enter a 767-based aircraft, and its arch-rival Airbus plans to pitch a tanker based on its A330. The U.S.-Ukrainian partnership likely will send ripple waves across the global defense sector. All bids are due July 9.
The source said U.S. Aerospace and Antonov plan to enter the four-engine AN-124-100, and a two-engine variant of that airframe known as the AN-122.
In a further twist, the U.S.-Ukrainian team plans to enter "a new plane designed to meet the [KC-X] specs, dubbed the AN-112," the source told Defense News.
The AN-112 would be, if eventually entered, the only plane in the race designed specifically for the Air Force's tanker requirements.
In a report filed July 1 with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, U.S. Aerospace told federal regulators of its intention to partner with Antonov and bid those three aircraft.
The source said U.S. Aerospace and Antonov formally notified Pentagon officials on July 1 of the team's intention to bid.
The July 1 SEC report supports that statement: "On July 1, 2010, we advised the U.S. Department of Defense and the U.S. Air Force that, in joint cooperation with Antonov, we intend to bid in response to the Request for Proposal from the U.S. Air Force for the KC-X Tanker Modernization Program," according to the SEC report. At the time of this posting, the Pentagon had yet to respond to an inquiry.
Under terms of a "strategic cooperation agreement" signed July 1 in Kiev, Ukraine, "final assembly" of an U.S. Aerospace-Antonov tanker would take place on U.S. soil. Defense News obtained a copy of the agreement. The American company would oversee that stage of production.
U.S. Aerospace would coordinate the bidding process, negotiate with the Air Force, coordinate with subcontractors, ensure conformity of aircraft to requirements of RFP for KC-X Tanker Modernization Program," according to the agreement.
Antonov would integrate components into the aircraft, work with its U.S. partner on preparing the aircraft for certification and testing, and "manufacturing and delivering to [U.S. Aerospace] specified aircraft and components," states the pact.
The cooperation agreement is exclusively for the KC-X competition.
The agreement bears the signature of Charles S. Arnold, senior adviser to the U.S. Aerospace board of directors. It also bears another signature reserved for a senior Antonov official, but that typed name has been redacted. The signature is visible, but illegible.
U.S. Aerospace has offices and production facilities in Santa Fe Springs and Rancho Cucamonga, Calif. A company fact sheets state the firm has done business with and provided components to the Pentagon, U.S. Air Force, Lockheed Martin, Boeing, L-3, General Electric, and other aerospace and defense firms. The fact sheet states the company supplies "structural aircraft parts" to the military's P-3 fleet, as well as Boeing's 747 program.
The California-base company is "engaged in the production of aircraft assemblies, structural components, and highly engineered, precision machined details," according to its website. It also manufactures and re-manufactures aircraft engine and landing gear components.
Antonov, also known as Antonov Aeronautical Scientist/Technical Complex, is a state-owned firm. It is the manufacturer of the world's first and second largest planes, the AN-225 Mriya and AN-124 Condor strategic airlifters, according to a company fact sheet. Antonov also makes the AN-148 and AN-158 commercial airliners.
"Each Party shall bear its own costs and expenses incurred through the performance of this [agreement] except as otherwise agreed in writing between the parties," the pact states.
This is the second time this year word of a second non-American aircraft entrant has shaken up the KC-X race. For several days in March, it appeared Russia's United Aircraft Corp. planned to enter the competition with an unnamed U.S. partner. While sources provided official-looking legal documents to support that, the firm denied any intention to bid.
At that time, U.S. defense analysts dismissed the since-scuttled UAC aircraft, saying even if the company made good on its alleged intentions to chock a modified Il-96 four-engine airliner full of U.S. components, the Soviet-era plane was not advanced enough to compete with - much less outperform - Boeing's KC-767 or Airbus' A330.
Richard Aboulafia, an aviation analyst at the Fairfax, Va.-based Teal group, said there is little reason to take the alleged bid seriously.
"This falls under the heading of 'fool us once...shame on them, fool us twice...oh, never mind, they didn't even fool us once,'" Aboulafia said, calling it: "Dumb beyond belief, for more reasons than I can count."
To that end, a May 24 SEC report filed by U.S. Aerospace signals it is in financial trouble. A number of factors "raise substantial doubt about the company's ability to continue as a going concern," the firm told federal regulators.
In KC-X Twist, Ukrainian Aircraft Maker, U.S. Aerospace Readying Bid - Defense News
