U.S. Defense Department announced Wednesday it has canceled a bidding competition for its Air Force's next-generation aerial refueling fleet because the contest between Northrop and Boeing needs more time to be decided on.
Defense Secretary Robert Gates said the contest to supply the Air Force with new aerial refueling planes had become too "highly charged" to be judged before the Bush administration leaves office.
The decision to delay the award until the next president takes office is considered a victory for Boeing, which had threatened to back out of the contest because of a timeline and terms it said would unfairly hinder its chances.
Randy Belote, a spokesman of Northrop said the Los Angeles-based defense contractor feels "extremely disappointed" at the decision.
"With this delay, it is conceivable that our warfighters will be forced to fly tankers as old as 80 years of age," said the spokesman.
Northrop and its European partner Airbus won the 35-billion-dollar contract earlier this year, but some lawmakers in the Congress and Boeing protested about the way it was awarded, forcing the Pentagon to null the awarding and reopen the bidding process.
Source:Xinhua
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