NEW YORK (Associated Press) - John Lockard, chief operating officer of Boeing Co.'s defense unit, said Monday he is looking forward to addressing the revised bid request for a $40 billion tanker contract, calling the U.S. Air Force's intention to pick a winner by the end of the year "a sporty schedule."
The Air Force in February selected Northrop Grumman Corp. and European aerospace and defense giant EADS to replace 179 Eisenhower-era aerial refueling planes. Boeing filed a protest in March, and U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said earlier this month the Pentagon will reopen the bid. It is expected to issue a draft of the revised bid request to the companies by early August.
The deal, one of the largest in Pentagon history, is the first of three contracts worth up to $100 billion to replace nearly 600 refueling tankers over the next 30 years.
Speaking in a news conference at the Farnborough International Airshow, Scott Carson, president and chief executive of Boeing Commercial Airplanes, said he believes Boeing will make a "credible" proposal that "can be and will be a winner."
Louis Gallois, chief executive of EADS, said Saturday he is "confident" his team will win the bidding process.
The Air Force's original decision provoked fury among U.S. politicians, who objected to the military deal being awarded to an overseas contractor. Boeing had supplied refueling tankers to the Air Force for nearly 50 years.
Jim Albaugh, head of Boeing's defense business, claimed the reopening of the bid had nothing to do with protectionism.
"We protested based on procedural issues," he said Monday. "We believe the U.S. military ought to get the best."
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