Northrop bows out of the new Air Force tanker competition

Posted on Tue, 09 Mar 2010 15:33:37 GMT

EADS confirms that the Northrop Grumman/EADS team will not bid for the US Air Force Tanker replacement program. Five years ago EADS had partnered with Northrop Grumman, as prime contractor, to pursue the US Air Force KC-135 modernization program. In 2008, the team was selected and awarded the contract. Today, Northrop Grumman has decided not to submit a bid to the Department of Defense (DoD) for the KC-X program.

In my Opinion Northrop could not compete with the bid from Boeing, a maker of most U S based Airliners? The United States military has always had Boeing, as their golden child, where Military contract are concerned.

This decision does not diminish EADS's commitment to the US, as reflected in the success of the Army's Light Utility Helicopter. It also can be seen in the many EADS systems and capabilities that operate with the US Army, Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard. EADS is the largest international customer for US aerospace and defense products, contributing over $11 billion dollars annually to the American economy and supporting more than 200,000 high technology jobs.

EADS Still has the support of the leaders of France, Germany, the United Kingdom and Spain in supporting the EADS proposal, promoting transatlantic defense cooperation as a two-way street and the interoperability that the KC-45 would offer.

This article was written and complied by James Abbey, a resident aviation editor.

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