Boeing won the U.S. Air Force's $35 billion contract to build 179 aerial refueling tankers, Pentagon and Air Force officials announced Thursday. Boeing's 767-based NewGen Tanker competed against EADS North America's Airbus A330-based KC-45 tanker in the Air Force's third try at starting to replace Eisenhower-era Boeing KC-135 Stratotankers.
An initial 2003 lease deal for new Boeing tankers fell apart under a cloud of scandal. The Air Force then chose a Northrop Grumman-EADS tanker over a Boeing offering in 2008, but Defense Secretary Robert Gates threw out that result after congressional auditors found serious flaws in the process. This award may also be appealed.
Boeing said a tanker win would mean an estimated 11,000 jobs in Washington, including at the company's Everett 767 assembly line, and a total of 50,000 jobs nationwide. EADS North America said its tanker would support 48,000 U.S. jobs.
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