EADS to announce Air Force tanker bid today – WSJ

Published 11:21 am Tuesday, April 20, 2010

The Boeing Co. will face a challenger for the Air Force tanker contest afterall. EADS is set to announce it will bid for the multi-billion contract today.

EADS’ original partner for the tanker deal, Northrop Grumman, withdrew from the contest in March. The U.S.-based defense contractor said the Air Force favored Boeing’s smaller 767 tanker. EADS has been scrambling for a partner.

Both the Wall Street Journal and Reuters report that EADS will announce that the European aerospace company will go it alone and submit a bid to replace 179 of the U.S. Air Force’s KC-135 tankers.

The Pentagon has said it will extend the May 10 deadline for bids to July 9, should EADS indicate interest in bidding.