By Marina Malenic
The Pentagon yesterday awarded a contract to replace the Air Force’s aerial refueling tanker fleet to Boeing [BA].
“This competition favored no one except the taxpayer and the warfighter,” Deputy Defense Secretary William Lynn told reporters at the Pentagon.
The new aircraft will be designated the KC-46A, according to Air Force Secretary Michael Donley. The firm fixed-price contract awarded yesterday and valued at over $3.5 billion is for delivery of 18 aircraft by 2017. The overall program for 179 tankers is valued at upwards of $30 billion, officials said yesterday.
The contest was the Air Force’s second attempt to replace its Eisenhower-era tankers. Boeing successfully protested a previous win by Airbus parent company EADS and then-partner Northrop Grumman [NOC].
In the latest contest, both Boeing and EADS “were deemed to have met the mandatory requirements and were considered awardable,” said Donley. However, “Boeing was the clear winner.”
“We did exactly what we said we were going to do, and we took the time to do it right,” he added.
Basing decisions will be made over the course of the next few years.
Late last year, the Air Force sought to “level the playing field” after inadvertently providing the companies data about each other’s bids by later intentionally releasing the information to the firms (Defense Daily, Dec. 2, 2010). Neither Boeing nor EADS officials have ruled out legally protesting the release of the information (Defense Daily, Nov. 23, 2010).
Air Force officials said last week that they have prepared for a protest from the losing bidder (Defense Daily, Feb. 22).