Cobb lawmakers lobby for aerial fuel tanker contract win for Lockheed Marietta

Jul. 3—Cobb County lawmakers, led by state Rep. Teri Anulewicz, D-Smyrna, are lobbying federal officials for Lockheed Martin's LMXT plane to be chosen as the U.S. Air Force's next aerial fuel tanker.

Should the plane win out, it would be partially constructed at Lockheed's Marietta plant. Gov. Brian Kemp said at a January promotional event the contract could add up to 1,000 jobs atop the 5,000 already employed at the plant.

"The men and women of Lockheed Martin's Marietta facility have an unmatched record of building true workhorse aircraft for the United States military," said Anulewicz, who represents Lockheed and Dobbins Air Reserve Base area. "These aircraft match cutting-edge technology with a high level of reliability, and I am 100% confident our team there can win this work if they are only given a chance to compete."

Anulewicz and a dozen more Cobb lawmakers of both parties signed a letter to U.S. Sens. Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff urging the federal government to "use a fair and open, value-based competition" for the contract.

Last week, several Congress members of the House Armed Services Committee attempted to force the Air Force to hold an open competition for the contract, Air Force Magazine reported. The amendment, however, failed in committee.

That effort followed comments from Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall, who said "the likelihood of a competition has come down" as the Air Force leans toward simply updating existing planes, according to Air Force Magazine.

Lockheed unveiled the LMXT in September 2021 as a partnership with Airbus, which already builds the Airbus A330 Multi Role Tanker Transport (the LMXT will build on the design of Airbus' existing tanker).

Should the LMXT be chosen, the planes would first be constructed as Airbus planes at the company's Mobile, Alabama factory, per a Lockheed news release. They will then be sent to Marietta for "phase 2" of the manufacturing process, where they'll be converted to the Lockheed LMXT model.

The failed push to force an open contract competition was led by U.S. Rep. Jerry Carl, R-AL, whose district includes the Mobile factory.

Boeing, meanwhile, holds the current contract for aerial fuel tankers and has entered a competing aircraft.

State Sen. Kay Kirkpatrick, R-east Cobb, added in the news release, "Putting fuel in aircraft is core to our mission of supporting our land, air and naval forces wherever they are deployed around the globe. This critical mission deserves an adequate platform, and I am proud to stand behind our Lockheed team's proposal and advocate for a value-based, fair and transparent competition to make sure we get the best, most affordable possible solution."

Cobb's lawmakers aren't the first to step into the lobbying sphere on the project. Kemp, in a guest column in the MDJ last month, likewise urged for an open competition, writing, "The benefits of a fair and open competition are clear: they allow the best air frame to win. Georgia's aerospace workers are ready to showcase their cutting-edge talents."