In the Harrison Ford movie Air Force One, a dramatic scene depicts air-to-air refueling. In real life, this fuel service is not nearly as dramatic, but recent reports to Congress from top brass in the Air Force and the Army say there’s an air refueling gap that potentially jeopardizes their mission and they’re calling for private contractors to help out. The 4thEst8 has an exclusive interview with a St. Louis entrepreneur who is building a company to address this problem, and use existing military contracts as a toe-hold into a $44 billion commercial market.
“There are contracts out there already,” Air Refueling Tanker Transport CEO Dwight Cox told the 4thEst8. Cox is an Air Force veteran, with decades experience in the logistics of air refueling. “I’m seeking capital to bring four airplanes and 16 crew members (on board) to prove MVP and secure a $124 million contract from the Navy.”
Navy contract – to start
Cox says he has the airplanes, and has experienced crew ready to go to work. Because it’s a highly regulated industry the airplanes and crew have to undergo training and qualification for normal flight, and then mission qualification to prove they can safely refuel aircraft from the air. Doing that will take shy of five months, but once proven, Cox says the Department of Defense has to award his company a long-standing Navy contract because the company that currently holds it is based in Ireland.
“There has never been a domestic (U.S.) company competing for that contract,” Cox said. “Once we have our crew and planes qualified, according to Federal Acquisition Regulation, they have to give us the contract. We will be generating revenue in 4 ½ to 9 months, and our goal is to offer capability to the entire Department of Defense.”
Big money
In reports to Congress this year, both Secretary of the Air Force Barbara Barrett and the head of the U.S. Transportation Command, Army General Stephen R. Lyons, say the military does not have enough air-to-air refueling capacity to do their job, and must bring in contractors to fill the gap. Cox says every airplane and helicopter pilot that has to regularly qualify their skills at being refueled is tying up mission critical military tankers for that training – and his company could easily pick up that slack.
”Aerial refueling as a force element is the most-stressed force element in the Transcom portfolio, both for day-to-day operations as well as for high-end conflict,” General Lyons told a Senate Armed Services Committee in late February of this year. He was testifying during a hearing on the defense authorization request for fiscal year 2021 and the Future Years Defense Program.
Private sector
American companies that sell military aircraft to our allies need help delivering their product over great distances, as well as bringing that hardware back for servicing. Cox says the military and commercial market for air-to-air refueling on such deliveries is $44 billion, with several RFI’s (requests for information) asking for a commercial solution to this problem that have gone unanswered.
“Congress also put out a National Defense Authorization act for $1 billion for this type of service, to test this capability,” he said. “Getting to MVP with the Navy contract opens up a lot more opportunity.”
Air Refueling Tanker Transportation is headquartered in T-Rex in downtown St. Louis, and is a member of the ITEN tech incubator. Cox is the company’s only full time employee. The company was founded in 2011.
