Tanker contract award delayed to Feb. 29

[unhappycamper]

Tanker contract award delayed to Feb. 29
By Gayle S. Putrich - Staff writer
Posted : Wednesday Oct 24, 2007 6:15:13 EDT

The Air Force is pushing back the award date of the $30 billion, 179-plane tanker contract until Feb. 29, according to industry and congressional sources. The service originally expected to award the contract for its top procurement priority before the end of this calendar year.

Air Force officials did not provide comment by Oct. 23.

Two competitors are vying for the contract: EADS and Northrop Grumman, offering an A330 variant called the KC-30, and Boeing with its modified 767 tanker. The Air Force has said it plans to have the first tanker in the air by 2013.

Bids for the contract were submitted April 10, and the competitors have been fielding questions from the service ever since.

Richard Aboulafia, military aviation analyst with the Teal Group in Virginia, said pushing the award date back just a few months was a winning move for the Air Force.

“I think they have every reason to delay. I don’t see a downside to pushing it off,” he said. “There’s always a chance either product could experience a bigger technological glitch between now and the contract award, but it’s more likely that both products will mature.”


Rest of article at: http://www.airforcetimes.com/news/2007/10/airforce_tanker_delay_071024/



uhc comment: More on EADS here --> http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=259x5753