Lockheed Martin reveals LMXT offering for USAF KC-Y tanker competition

Revealed on 17 September, the LMXT is being offered to the USAF for the service's KC-Y competition. (Lockheed Martin )

Lockheed Martin has revealed the LMXT aircraft that it is to bid for the US Air Force (USAF) KC-Y tanker competition, also known as Bridge Tanker.

Disclosed on 17 September, the LMXT will be a US-built and USAF-specific version of the Airbus Defence and Space (DS) A330-200 MultiRole Tanker Transport (MRTT) aircraft that is borne out of a teaming arrangement between the two companies, which was first announced in December 2018.

“The LMXT complements the US Air Force's tanker capabilities by providing the most advanced aerial refueller to meet America's immediate and long-term mission requirements. The LMXT strengthens and expands the US aerospace-industrial base by working with existing and new American suppliers. The LMXT also cultivates and sustains high-tech, high-skill American manufacturing jobs,” Lockheed Martin said.

News of the LMXT came about three months after the USAF formally launched its KC-Y tanker competition, with a request for information (RFI) issued on 16 June. The requirement is for a commercially derived aerial refuelling aircraft to supplement the USAF's fleet once deliveries of the Boeing KC-46A Pegasus are complete towards the end of the decade, and will bridge the gap between the KC-X and KC-Z (also known as the Advanced Air Refueling Tanker) recapitalisation phases.