The U.S. Air Force could explain to Boeing Co. as soon as Thursday why it awarded a US$35 billion (¤23 billion) aerial refueling tanker contract to rival European Aeronautic Defence and Space Co. and its partner, Northrop Grumman Corp., two lawmakers from Washington State said late Tuesday, according to AP. Sen. Patty Murray and Rep. Norm Dicks, both Democrats from a state that stood to gain many jobs had Boeing won the tanker deal, said in a statement that the Air Force had agreed to move up the debriefing to this Thursday from the originally planned date of March 12. Boeing, which has been supplying air-to-air refueling tankers to the Air Force for nearly 50 years and was widely expected to win the deal, will not decide whether to protest the decision until it is debriefed. The Air Force decision to award the high-stakes deal to EADS of Paris and Northrop Grumman of Los Angeles has touched off a furor in Congress and led many lawmakers to question why the Pentagon would give such an important contract to a foreign company. The backlash has been strongest among lawmakers from Washington, Kansas and other states that would have gained jobs had Boeing won. The contract to build up to 179 tankers is the first of three Air Force awards worth as much $100 billion (¤65.8 billion) to replace its entire refueling tanker fleet over the next 30 years.
