The Air Force is going to be getting replacements for its aging fleet of refueling tanker jets but doesn't know yet who'll be building them.
That decision is up to Defense Secretary Robert Gates who hopes to announce a winner for the $35-billion contract this summer.
Northrop Grumman and Boeing have been locked in a fierce competition for the contract for 179 tankers for nearly a decade.
A Boeing official went to jail in a scandal over a plan to lease jets to the government. And a subsequent award to Northrop was overturned.
The whole project has become a major political hot potato involving lawmakers whose districts stand to gain or lose jobs depending on who gets the contract.
Gates decided to hit the reset button on the project, with new guidelines and new bidding. He's rejected a proposal to split the award between both contractors.
Defense analyst Loren Thompson says it could be years before any new plane is ready. In the meantime the 50-year-old fleet of KC-135 tankers will have to keep flying.
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CUT 287 (04/07/09)>> 00:35 ""
Sagar Meghani (SAH'-gur meh-GAH'-nee)
The Defense Department will try again this summer to award a 35-billion dollar Air Force tanker contract. AP National Security Correspondent Sagar Meghani reports from the Pentagon.
CUT 287 (04/07/09)>> 00:35 ""
Sagar Meghani (SAH'-gur meh-GAH'-nee)
The Defense Department will try again this summer to award a 35-billion dollar Air Force tanker contract. AP National Security Correspondent Sagar Meghani reports from the Pentagon.
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US F-16 fighter jet prepares to take on fuel from KC-135 refueling plane during international war games, above Mountain Home Air Force Base, Mountain Home, Idaho, photo
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US Air Force F-16 fighter approaches a KC-135 tanker jet for refueling over Iraq, photo