Jane Edwards
Lockheed Martin has begun to explore several tanker concepts as the company prepares to bid on the U.S. Air Force’s KC-Z tanker program for aerial refueling missions, The War Zone reported Thursday.
The company introduced at the Air Force Association’s Air, Space & Cyber Conference its Advanced Tanker Concept model that has a wing-and-tail configuration and a hybrid wing body designed to meet the potential cargo transport requirement of the KC-Z program.
The report said Lockheed came up with a new aircraft concept that it intends to propose should the Air Force decide to pursue a flying wing design for the program.
A representative from Lockheed’s Skunk Works business told the publication that the concept is related to the company’s proposal for the U.S. Navy’s MQ-25 carrier-based aerial refueling drone program.
The company is also looking at the idea of using a fleet of small unmanned aerial systems to carry out aerial refueling missions in high-risk areas, according to the representative.
The representative said Lockheed has crafted those concepts to provide the Air Force with several options as the military branch works to define the KC-Z program’s requirements.
