Gates jette l’éponge et refile le programme KC-45 au prochain président

C’est une décision extraordinaire qu’a annoncée aujourd’hui le secrétaire à la défense Robert Gates. La compétition pour le programme KC-X, ou KC-45, pour un nouveau ravitailleur en vol ($35 milliards pour un premier contrat) est abandonnée (non pas suspendue, mais bien abandonnée pour être reprise à zéro). Bien entendu, propose Gates, elle sera rouverte, mais avec la nouvelle administration, c’est-à-dire selon les vues les plus optimistes, au printemps 2009. Les perspectives de délai pour arriver au terme de cette affaire extraordinaire, qui devient l’emblème flamboyant de la crise du Pentagone, sont laissées à l’appréciations des oracles et de leurs boules de cristal.

L’annonce a été faite par un “press release” de l’OSD (Office of Secretary of Defense), aujourd’hui bien sûr, qui donne des détails inhabituellement précis sur l’aspect “émotionnel” et sur les pressions existantes autour de ce programme.

«Today, the Department of Defense notified the Congress and the two competing contractors, Boeing and Northrop Grumman, that it is terminating the current competition for a U.S. Air Force airborne tanker replacement.

»Secretary Gates, in consultation with senior Defense and Air Force officials, has determined that the solicitation and award cannot be accomplished by January. Rather than hand the next Administration an incomplete and possibly contested process, Secretary Gates decided that the best course of action is to provide the next Administration with full flexibility regarding the requirements, evaluation criteria and the appropriate allocation of defense budget to this mission.

»Secretary Gates stated, “Over the past seven years the process has become enormously complex and emotional – in no small part because of mistakes and missteps along the way by the Department of Defense. It is my judgment that in the time remaining to us, we can no longer complete a competition that would be viewed as fair and objective in this highly charged environment. The resulting “cooling off” period will allow the next Administration to review objectively the military requirements and craft a new acquisition strategy for the KC-X.”

»In making this decision, it was concluded that the current KC-135 fleet can be adequately maintained to satisfy Air Force missions for the near future. Sufficient funds will be recommended in the FY09 and follow-on budgets to maintain the KC-135 at high-mission capable rates. In addition, the Department will recommend to the Congress the disposition of the pending FY09 funding for the tanker program and plans to continue funding the KC-X program in the FY10 to FY15 budget presently under review.»

Defense News donne, aujourd’huiencore, quelques premiers détails concernant les concurrents : Boeing est content, Northrop (et EADS) pas du tout…

«Boeing “welcomes the Defense Department's decision and believes that it will best serve the war fighter in allowing the appropriate time for this important and complex procurement to be conducted in a thorough and open competition,” the company said in a statement issued shortly after the announcement. “This will assure delivery of the right tanker to the Air Force and serve the best interests of the American taxpayer.” Boeing, which built the entire current tanker fleet, also holds the maintenance contract on the aging KC-135s.

»Northrop, however, was not as pleased with Gates' decision. “The Department of Defense, as recently as last week, stated the urgency to replace the Eisenhower-era fleet of refueling tankers,” Northrop spokesman Randy Belote in a statement. “With this delay, it is conceivable that our war fighters will be forced to fly tankers as old as 80 years of age. While we understand, we are greatly concerned about the potential future implications for the defense acquisition process.”»

Suite à demain, avec ce nouveau chapitre de la saga.

Mis en ligne le 10 septembre 2008 à 23H00