FARNBOROUGH—Boeing still sees an opportunity to win Italy as a customer for its KC-46A, even after Rome pulled the plug on contract talks.
Italy operates an older version of Boeing 767-based refueling aircraft and was in talks to replace them with six KC-46As before those discussions recently fell apart. Rome says it will now launch a competition and Airbus, which offers the rival A330-based multirole tanker transport and already has signaled interest in adding Italy to the program’s sizable customer base.
The talks between Boeing and Italy broke down over one element of Rome’s industrial return demands, says Tim Flood, who leads Boeing’s regional business development in Europe, Israel and the Americas. “We met the requirements for the Italian Air Force” but not for that industrial aspect, he says here at the Farnborough Airshow.
But Italy could still end up buying the KC-46A, especially since the service’s current base infrastructure can handle the 767 while the rival A330 is larger, Flood notes. He adds that under the competitive process, some of the industrial considerations will fall by the wayside.
Boeing also sees a few other opportunities in Europe for the tanker that the U.S. Air Force operates. Among them is Poland, which is fielding a large fighter force. Norway may eventually also consider buying a sovereign capability, Flood says.
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