Tanker Contract Could Be Delayed 5 More Years

The $40 billion Air Force tanker contract could be delayed for another five years.

According to a report in Congressional Quarterly -- the White House and the Pentagon are considering putting the deal on hold in an effort to cut defense spending.

Last year, Northrop Grumman and its partner EADS won the military contract but Boeing protested the win.

After a watchdog group found flaws in the contest, the entire process was forced to start over. A decision on the delay could come by April.

If the Northrop team wins the deal, they will build the tankers at Mobile's Brookley Field and that means thousands of jobs for Alabamians.

Congressman Artur Davis released a statement saying he is disappointed by the decision.

“I would be extremely disappointed by any decision to put temporary savings over the country’s long-term security needs. Building a modern fleet of refueling tankers, and replacing a model constructed in the Eisenhower era, has been described as a national priority for much of the last decade. In an era when there are still conventional threats to our security, there will be significant congressional resistance to a retreat on the tanker.

I hope that once the Administration absorbs the reaction from lawmakers in both parties who believe a new tanker is vital, this published leak about the tanker will prove to be nothing more than a weak trial balloon. The task of assembling even a narrow majority for a 2010 budget resolution will become even more difficult if that budget does not include a commitment to a tanker that can meet our modern fighting needs.”