WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Sam Brownback, along with Senators Pat Roberts (R-KS), Patty Murray (D-WA) and Maria Cantwell (D-WA), today sent a letter to the Joint Chiefs of Staff expressing concern over the tanker contract awarded to Airbus/EADS.

Full text of the letter is below.

"We write to express our deep concern that the recent KC-X contract was not awarded to the refueling tanker that is safest, most survivable, and most effective for the American warfighter. The KC-X tanker will have to serve as a refueling lifeline for all branches of our military in hostile regions around the world. Tankers face threats from shoulder-fired missiles, gunfire, and many other dangers, and these dangers are not going away. Why then would we not buy the tanker most capable of operating in these hostile environments while keeping U.S. tanker crews and U.S. pilots who depend on them as safe as possible? We raise this issue to you as the Joint Chiefs of Staff because the KC-X is intended to be the key refueling platform that all services will rely upon for decades to come.

"The KC-767 was rated as having five times the combat strength of the Airbus A330. It offers superior countermeasures to defeat shoulder-fired missiles, robust cockpit armor protection, safety features for fuel tanks, and a high-performance radar warning receiver system to detect surface to air missiles. The KC-767 is also smaller and more agile than the KC-X. These advantages translate into greater protection for tanker crews as well as aircraft that rely on tankers to stay in the fight.

"Survivability should have been a top priority in awarding a contract to replace the KC-135, which provides only limited defensive capabilities.

"Instead, the contract was awarded by downplaying the greater capabilities of the KC-767 and discounting the KC-30's weaknesses. We believe that you would agree, particularly in a time of war, that nothing should be of higher concern than our servicemembers' safety.

"Were all the services consulted about the priority of tanker survivability? What assessments have you made regarding the survivability of the proposed tanker platforms and resulting impacts on each of your services? Are each of you willing to accept the risks that come with not choosing the most survivable refueling platform for the entire U.S. military?"