Rapid Fire March 15, 2012: Scrap Aircraft

• Among the acquisition targets under consideration by EADS North America: digital imagery providers.

• The latest batch of old USAF aircraft sold as scrap metal will be available for auction next week.

• The US Air Force’s Air Mobility Command has been working on reducing the amount of fuel used to balance KC-135 tankers and C-5 Galaxies. They used to load 8,800 pounds of fuel to maintain the center of gravity of KC-135s but upgrades such as heavier avionics now provide some of that weight. Obviously reducing weight at takeoff also lowers fuel consumption.