Kacey Roberts
A Lockheed Martin and Airbus partnership has selected GE Aerospace to supply a propulsion system for an aerial refueling platform being offered to the U.S. Air Force.
Lockheed said Tuesday the CF6-80E1 engine was chosen to power the LMXT tanker after a competitive selection process in a joint bid to support the service branch’s recapitalization plan for its aging KC-135 fleet.
The LMXT offering is based on Airbus’ A330 Multi Role Tanker Transport design and the team intends to manufacture the tanker at the companies’ facilities in Mobile, Alabama, and Marietta, Georgia.
GE originally designed its CF6-80E1 engine for the A330 widebody aircraft to produce almost 70,000 pounds of thrust and offer a 15 percent increase in fuel efficiency compared with the predecessor CF6 models.
Lockheed will equip the LMXT with an aerial refueling boom technology from Airbus, a modern vision system and a command-and-control tools suite.
