HeraldNet: Ala. senator calls Air Force tanker contest flawed



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Aerospace Blog

October 26, 2009

Ala. senator calls Air Force tanker contest flawed

Posted at 1:39 pm by Michelle Dunlop

Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Ala., today called the U.S. Air Force tanker contest unfair, saying the agency’s draft request for proposals “clearly favors one competitor.”

I’m guessing that competitor isn’t Northrop Grumman and its partner, EADS, which would assemble their tanker in Mobile, Ala. Northrop and EADS’ rival, the Boeing Co., would assemble its tanker here in Everett.

“The draft RFP creates a cost shootout where the lowest priced bid wins, regardless of capabilities offered – capabilities that could save the lives of our warfighters. Such a race to the bottom is unworthy of our men and women in uniform. The draft RFP needs a serious rewrite to ensure that the taxpayer and the warfighter are equally protected. We cannot have our military flying in paper airplanes simply because it’s cheaper,” Shelby said in a statement.

Tomorrow, Shelby will hold a press conference with the rest of the Alabama delegation over the Air Force tanker competition.

This is the Air Force’s third try at replacing its KC-135 tanker fleet. Although the draft request for proposals was released just a month ago, this new competition already has run into problems, raising concerns that the contest is headed for another lengthy protest and delay in replacing the Air Force’s aging fleet.