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Boeing to protest Air Force tanker award |
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By Roxana Tiron
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Posted: 03/10/08 07:38 PM [ET] |
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Boeing Co. on Monday decided to file a formal protest with the Government Accountability Office, challenging the Air Force’s decision to award a multi billion dollar contract to build new refuelling tankers to its competitor. Boeing plans to file its protest on Tuesday. The company’s decision comes after more than a week of heated rhetoric in Congress, where Boeing’s supporters have charged the Pentagon made a mistake in awarding a contract worth up to $40 billion to a team made up of Northrop Grumman and European conglomerate EADS. The team offered a tanker based on the Airbus 330. EADS is the parent company of Airbus. In a statement, Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), one of Boeing’s staunchest supporters and a defense appropriator, urged the GAO to conduct a “thorough” investigation. She also said that Congress needs to continue looking into the ramification the Air Force decision has on national security and the U.S. economy. Sen. Richard Shelby (R-Ala.), a supporter of the winning team, cautioned that Congress should not get involved in altering the Pentagon’s contracting decisions. The Northrop tanker contract would bring about 2,000 new jobs into Alabama. The GAO has 100 days from the day the protest is file to either side with Boeing or the Air Force. |
