The Boeing Company on April 28 announced that Ohio will benefit from approximately 690 total jobs and an estimated $33 million in annual economic impact if the Boeing NewGen Tanker is selected as the U.S. Air Force's next aerial refueling aircraft.
Currently, Boeing works with 500 suppliers/vendors in Ohio, resulting in an estimated $4.7 billion in annual economic impact and supporting an estimated 190,000 direct and indirect jobs in the state.
One of Boeing's key Ohio suppliers is Ravenna-based Allen Aircraft Products, a leader in the production of aircraft fluid systems components and metal finishing processing for both commercial and military aircraft.
"Allen Aircraft and its workers are proud to be a part of a Boeing team that is ready to provide the taxpayer with the best tanker," said Neil Mann Jr., president, Allen Aircraft Products. "This partnership between Allen and Boeing's talented U.S. work force will deliver a much-needed economic boost to Ohio communities and the most capable tanker at the best price to the Air Force."
Some of the other Ohio manufacturers ready to produce critical components on the NewGen Tanker include:
The NewGen Tanker is a widebody, multi-mission aircraft based on the proven Boeing 767 commercial airplane and updated with the latest and most advanced technology. Capable of fulfilling the Air Force's needs for transport of fuel, cargo, passengers and patients, the combat-ready NewGen Tanker is being offered as a replacement for 179 KC-135 aircraft. Boeing is writing a proposal to meet or exceed the 372 mandatory requirements described in the service's final KC-X Request for Proposal released on Feb. 24. The Air Force is expected to award a contract later this year.
The NewGen Tanker will be made with a low-risk approach to manufacturing that relies on existing Boeing facilities in Washington state and Kansas as well as U.S. suppliers throughout the nation, with decades of experience delivering dependable military tanker and derivative aircraft. Nationwide, the NewGen Tanker program will support approximately 50,000 total U.S. jobs with Boeing and more than 800 suppliers in more than 40 states.
The Boeing NewGen Tanker also will be more cost-effective to own and operate than a larger, heavier tanker. It will save American taxpayers more than $10 billion in fuel costs over its 40-year service life because it burns 24 percent less fuel than the competitor's airplane.
Boeing has been designing, building, modifying and supporting tankers for decades. These include the KC-135 that will be replaced in the KC-X competition, and the KC-10 fleet. The company also has delivered four KC-767Js to the Japan Air Self-Defense Force and is on contract to deliver four KC-767s to the Italian Air Force. Three of the four Italian tankers are in flight test, with the fourth airplane in production.
More information on Boeing's NewGen Tanker, including video clips and an interactive tour of the aircraft, is available at www.UnitedStatesTanker.com.
A unit of The Boeing Company, Boeing Defense, Space & Security is one of the world's largest defense, space and security businesses specializing in innovative and capabilities-driven customer solutions, and the world's largest and most versatile manufacturer of military aircraft. Headquartered in St. Louis, Boeing Defense, Space & Security is a $34 billion business with 68,000 employees worldwide.