Reuters: EADS likely to say it won’t protest tanker bid on Friday

EADS could announce as early as Friday that it will not protest the Boeing Co.’s win of a $30 billion Air Force tanker contest.

Quoting unnamed sources close to EADS, Reuters reports likely will not appeal the Air Force’s pick of Boeing for a contract to supply 179 aerial refueling tankers. EADS, the parent company of Airbus, had offered a tanker based on an A330 jet, which would have been built in Alabama.

Boeing’s 767-based tanker was deemed the “clear winner” by the Air Force last week.

For a decade, the Air Force has been trying to replace its KC-135 tanker fleet, which is roughly 49 years old. This is its third attempt at doing so.

Boeing’s win would keep its 767 line in Everett going for years to come.