MUKILTEO — Washington state would gain 11,000 aerospace jobs should the Boeing Co. win the U.S. Air Force tanker contest, company officials said today.
Boeing is competing against EADS for the contract to supply the Air Force with 179 aerial refueling tankers. Boeing will offer the Air Force a tanker based on its Everett-assembled 767 jet. Bids for the contract, worth at least $35 billion, are due in July.
Boeing predicts its tanker would generate $693 million in annual economic benefits.
Company officials gathered with Gov. Chris Gregoire and Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash, at the Future of Flight Aviation Center and Boeing Tour in Mukilteo today for the announcement.
“Our men and women serving in the armed forces need new tankers, and Washington state needs jobs,” Murray said. “A Boeing-built tanker will provide 11,000 jobs here at home as it delivers the most capable and affordable plane for our troops.”
While the Air Force isn’t expected to take into consideration the number of American jobs each competitor’s tanker will create, Congress is likely to do that given the economic climate.
EADS, the parent company of Boeing’s commercial rival Airbus, plans to offer the Air Force a tanker based on Airbus’ A330 jet. The European consortium will assemble its tanker in Mobile, Ala. EADS announced last month that it would go ahead in the bidding process after its U.S.-based partner, Northrop Grumman, dropped out.
The Air Force agreed to extend the initial deadline of May 10 by 60 days to accommodate EADS in making the bid on its own.
This is the Air Force’s third attempt at replacing its fleet of Eisenhower-era KC-135 tankers, which were built by Boeing. Air Force officials recently testified before Congress that they lack sufficient tankers to support a new major conflict, should one arise. Part of the problem, they said, is the maintenance time required to keep KC-135s in the air. At any given moment, one in five KC-135s is in a maintenance hangar and unavailable for use.
The Air Force plans to announce the tanker winner later this year. It recently said the winner should plan on starting work in November.
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