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Farnborough Airshow 2008: EADS stays confident of winning USAF tanker deal
By Damian Kemp
15 July 2008
EADS North America, partnered with Northrop Grumman in a bid to meet the multibillion-dollar requirement to replace US Air Force ( USAF) KC-135 tankers, has described the re-opening of the contest after an appeal by Boeing as a "recompete with a little 'r'" and remains confident of victory.
Speaking on 12 July, two days before the opening of the Farnborough International Airshow, EADS North America Chief Operating Officer John H Young said the company was ready to respond to the "relevant two or three" of the eight appeal points upheld, with the remainder relating to USAF issues.
"The appeal points which related to us were technicalities, such as the transfer of depot-level maintenance of tanker aircraft back to the USAF; we have said already that this would occur and we just need to make it technically [clear]," Young said.
"We have successfully demonstrated an 'over-run speed' [where fighter aircraft approach for refuelling at speed] and we just need to provide more data.
"Technically this process is a new tender and [Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics John Young] is going to make a decision but I see this as recompete with a small 'r'."