Artur Davis Supports A Spilt Tanker Contract

Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Daniel Inouye says he is considering a proposal to split the $40 billion tanker contract.

According to CongressDailyAM, Inoye says he would be open to the idea if its the fastest way to get the refueling tankers in the air.

Northrop Grumman and EADS won the contract to build 179 tankers for the Air Force last year. But the Government Accountability Office upheld a protest filed by Boeing and the Pentagon canceled the contract.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates hopes to restart competition this spring, but he has rejected the idea of a split contract. Gates says doing so would add $7 billion to the program's development costs over the next five years.

Alabama Congressman Artur Davis said Wednesday that he's convinced a spilt contract is the best way to go.

“While Northrop Grumman/EADS have made the best offer, and in my opinion, won the contract fairly, it is obvious that Washington politics has brought the tanker process to a halt," Davis said. "To get this process moving again, and to avoid another multi-year round of challenges and appeals, we need a solution now. I have become convinced that a competitive dual award contract clearly represents our best chance for ending the frustrating political impasse in Washington and building a tanker that will create thousands of new jobs in Mobile and, most importantly, equip our military with the next-generation aerial refueling tankers it needs and deserves.”