Despite a slew of news reports to the contrary over the weekend quoting a US lawyer ostensibly representing Russia’s United Aircraft Company and an unidentified US contractor, there will be no Russian entrant in USAF’s KC-X tanker replacement program. RIA Novosti news service reported Monday that UAC issued a statement, saying the claims are “false.” Further, Alexey Fedorov, UAC president, said in the statement, “The UAC does not plan either to take part in this tender or set up a joint venture.”
Air Force Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr., chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, held meetings with defense leaders from the Philippines, Japan, and South Korea during a trip to the Indo-Pacific this week.