Posted on 02/01/2011 7:53:47 PM PST by sukhoi-30mki
Boeing to revise bid for US military tanker deal (AFP) – 8 hours ago
WASHINGTON — Boeing said Tuesday it would submit a new, "final" bid for a $35 billion contract to supply the US military with 179 aerial refueling tankers, as it tries to beat European rival Airbus.
A Boeing spokesman said the firm and US Air Force officials held talks Monday to discuss the company's proposal and revisions would follow.
"This was our last opportunity to get feedback from the Air Force on our proposal before the end of the tanker competition," Bill Barksdale said in a company blog post.
"Based on this feedback, we're now making final adjustments to our bid, which we will provide February 11 to the Air Force," he said.
The revised final proposal "will represent our best and final offer to the Air Force -- one that matches decades of tanker experience and the best state-of-the-art technology with a proven Boeing airframe to best fulfill the Air Force's requirements."
Analysts expect the Air Force to announce its decision in March on the contract to replace 179 tankers from an aging fleet of Boeing KC-135s from the 1950s.
"As the competition comes down to the wire, our tanker team is focused on one thing: providing the Air Force with the most capable tanker at the lowest cost to the taxpayer," Barksdale said.
This will be the third time in nearly a decade the Air Force has tried to secure a contract for the planes.
At first awarded to Boeing in 2003, the Pentagon was forced to cancel the contract by Congress due to irregularities in the process.
In 2008, EADS (European Aeronautic Defence and Space), the parent of Airbus, and US partner Northrop Grumman won the bid, but the decision was
(Excerpt) Read more at google.com ...
Is this the same bid that McCain tried to force the USAF to award to Airbus?
Is that how we are spinning it now?
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