U.S. Congressional auditors urged the Air Force Wednesday to reopen its bid for a 35-billion-dollar refueling-aircraft order, giving Boeing another chance at what is likely to be one of the biggest contracts in Pentagon history.
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) found the Air Force made "a number of significant errors that could have affected the outcome of what was a close competition."
The contract was awarded on February 29 to a team made up of Northrop Grumman Corp and Europe's EADS, corporate parent of Boeing's passenger-jet maker rival Airbus, igniting a protest by losing bidder Boeing Co.
The decision to award the tanker contract to Northrop Grumman, which plans to use an airframe from European manufacturer Airbus, surprised many defense industry observers.
The 35 billion dollar contract was to build 179 midair refuelers over the next 15 years to replace its current fleet of Boeing KC-135 tankers, which average 47 years old.
Boeing's proposed design was based on its 767 commercial airliner. Northrop and its partner, the European Aeronautic Defense and Space Company (EADS), offered a model based on the larger Airbus A330, variants of which are already used by Australia's air force.
The GAO's ruling is a recommendation to the Air Force, which has 60 days to respond.
Sue Payton, the Air Force's top weapons buyer, said the service was reviewing the decision and would spell out its response as soon as possible.
"The Air Force will do everything we can to rapidly move forward so America receives this urgently needed capability," she said in a statement. "The Air Force will select the best value tanker for our nation's defense, while being good stewards of the taxpayer dollar."
And in another written statement, Boeing Vice President Mark McGraw said, "We look forward to working with the Air Force on next steps in this critical procurement for our warfighters."
Source:Xinhua/Agencies
|
Comment
Tell A Friend
Print Format
Save Article