If Airbus wins, Mobile builds tanker

MOBILE, Ala. – Airbus and Lockheed Martin officials say the LMXT strategic tanker will be built in Mobile and Marietta, Ga., if the team wins the Air Force bridge tanker competition over Boeing. The bridge tanker program calls for aircraft based on existing technology to supplement the Air Force tanker fleet after the last KC-46 is delivered in 2029. The tanker will cover the gap until the service develops its future Advanced Air Refueling Tanker. Should they win the Air Force KC-Y tanker competition, Mobile would get a third final assembly line. The tanker would use the A330 airframe and would be the first widebody aircraft to be assembled in Mobile. The third assembly line would mean a $450 million investment and 400 direct jobs with an average salary of $60,000 per year. Airbus currently assembles A320 and A220 jetliners in Mobile. Boeing currently builds tankers for the Air Force. (Source: multiple, including Reuters, DefenseOne, aldotcom, Mobile Area Chamber of Commerce, 01/31/22) Previous; Detailed article on the KC-Y competition can be found in the August issue of the Gulf Coast Aerospace newsletter.