Boeing gana el concurso KC-X/Boeing wins USAF tanker Battle

Boeing ha obtenido el contrato para suministrar los futuros aviones cisterna de la USAF, que reemplazarán a los KC-135, algunos de ellos con 50 años de servicio. El nuevo avión estará basado en el avión comercial B-767. El número total de aviones a suministrar es de 179. EADS, se queda con la miel en los labios, y la planta de Getafe sin una importante carga de trabajo.
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Boeing has won the long-running battle to supply the U.S. Air Force with a new aerial refueling tanker. The new U.S. Air Force tanker will be based on Boeing's 767 twin-engine widebody airliner
The initial contract was a fixed-price incentive firm contract valued at over $3.5 billion for KC-X engineering and manufacturing development and the delivery of 18 aircraft, dubbed KC-46As, by 2017. The Air Force will eventually spend an estimated $30 billion to buy 179 planes.
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EADS espera para febrero la decisión sobre el KC-X/ EADS Anticipates U.S. Tanker Decision in February

EADS espera para el mes de febrero la decisión sobre el KC-X, el nuevo avión cisterna de la USAF, que sustituirá a los anticuados KC-135, para el cual compite con Boeing, con su A330 modificado.
Defense News
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EADS expects a selection in February for the $35 billion contract to supply new KC-X air tankers to the U.S. Air Force, which is the subject of fierce competition with archrival Boeing.
EADS is bidding its A330 Multi-Role Tanker Transport in the competition to replace the aging U.S. Air Force KC-135.
Defense News

EADS está preparando planta de fabricación del KC-X/ EADS North America prepares to build KC-45 tanker production facility in Mobile, Alabama

EADS North America está solicitando ofertas para construir una planta de ensamblaje para la construcción del futuro avión cisterna de la USAF, el KC-45, en Mobile, Alabama.
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EADS North America today announced that it is soliciting bids through its recently selected program management firm for design and construction of the Mobile Conversion Center where KC-45 aerial refueling tanker aircraft will be militarized for the United States Air Force. Preparation for construction of the facility began in November with the selection of Hoar Program Management to oversee the project.
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EL A330 de Airbus mejor valorado en el concurso de futuro avión cisterna de la USAF (KC-X)/EADS poised to win Air Force tanker contest

Según ejecutivo de Boeing contactados por Lexington Institute, han revelado que la USAF tiene una mejor valoración de la propuesta de EADS, el A330 modificado, que la de Boeing.
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Boeing officials told Loren Thompson of the Lexington Institute that the recently revealed USAF technical analysis of the two bids show EADS has a substantial advantage in the evaluation.
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La USAF retrasa hasta 2011 decisión sobre futuro avión cisterna (KC-X)/ 2011 US tanker decision delayed to 2011

La USAF decidirá en 2011 que avión sustituirá a sus anticuados KC-135 en la labor de cisterna, en lugar de la fecha límite marcada de 20 de diciembre de 2010.
EADS y Boeing están luchando encarnizadamente por este contrato por 179 aviones, el cual ganó la europea EADS junto a Northrop Grumman en 2008, pero que se canceló por apelación de Boeing al Congreso.
Actualmente Northrop no participa en el concurso (KC-X), programa que la USAF considera vital para su futuro.
EADS presenta un Airbus 330 modificado, mientras Boeing presenta un B767.
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The US Air Force said a final decision on a lucrative contract for a new aerial refueling tanker will be delayed until early next year, instead of a December 20 deadline.
The announcement marked the latest setback in a protracted contest that pits the US aerospace giant Boeing against rival EADS, the parent company of France-based Airbus.
Earlier this year, the Pentagon had promised to choose a winner in the contest in November and then had recently said it would declare a choice no later than December 20.
The European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company (EADS) and Boeing are in a bidding war for the deal to replace 179 aerial refueling tankers in an aging Boeing-built fleet.
In 2008, EADS in partnership with Northrop Grumman won the contract for the tankers, but the deal was canceled after a successful Boeing appeal to the investigative arm of Congress.
Northrop has dropped out in the latest contest.
US Air Force commanders see the planned KC-X aircraft as crucial to bolstering American air power and are anxious to replace the older Boeing KC-135 Stratotankers that date back to the 1950s.
In the last competition, EADS and Northrop offered a modified Airbus 330, while Boeing proposed an altered 767 in its bid.
Members of Congress have lobbied heavily on behalf of the rival firms, hoping to secure coveted jobs in their states.
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La decisión sobre el concurso por los aviones cisterna de EEUU podría retrasarse

La solución a la disputa entre EADS y Boeing para hacerse con el contrato de aviones cisterna de la Fuerza Aérea estadounidense podría retrasarse y no resolverse antes de final de año, como se preveía, según el presidente de Airbus Military.
El presidente de Airbus Military considera que no se dará una respuesta antes del 12 de noviembre, fecha inicialmente marcada. Por el momento, Airbus Military ,continúa aportando la información adicional requerida por el Pentágono, que no se refiere a cuestiones técnicas de la aeronave, lo que se considera "buen síntoma".
Otras razones para el optimismo de Airbus son la certificación militar del Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Aeroespacial español (INTA) y la próxima entrega a finales de año de dos A330 MRTT a Australia.
El contrato en juego incluye un pedido de 179 aviones, que supondrían unos 39.000 millones de dólares (más de 28.000 millones de euros). El impacto de la producción en España, en el caso de hacerse con el concurso, se debe a que el "grueso de la conversión" de los A330 a sus capacidades militares tendría lugar en nuestro país.

revistaejercitos

Fabricante ucraniano se presenta al concurso KC-X de la USAF/ Ukrainian Aircraft Maker, U.S. Aerospace Readying Bid for KC-X

Una empresa californiana está finalizando los planes para una alianza con el fabricante ucraniano Antonov, para participar en el concurso KC-X para dotar a la USAF de un avión cisterna. U.S. Aerospace y Antonov presentarían una versión del AN-124-100, dotada de dos motores en lugar de cuatro, y que se denominaría AN-122.
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A California-based aerospace firm is finalizing plans to partner with a Ukrainian aircraft maker to pitch up to three aerial tankers in the U.S. Air Force's multibillion-dollar KC-X competition.
A source said U.S. Aerospace and Antonov plan to enter the four-engine AN-124-100, and a two-engine variant of that airframe known as the AN-122.
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EADS podría ganar el concurso KC-X por precio inferior a Boeing/EADS could win KC-X on price

Leeham News piensa que EADS tiene la oportunidad de vencer a Boeing en el concurso KC-X de futuro avión de reabastecimiento en vuelo de la USAF, con un precio inferior al ofrecido por Boeing.
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Leeham News and Comment’s Scott Hamilton thinks EADS has a chance to beat Boeing for the lucrative KC-X contract by bidding lower than Boeing.
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Congreso Americano obligará al Pentágono a considerar las subvenciones recibidas por EADS (KC-X)/U.S. House Passes Amendment on Tanker SubsidiesN

El congreso de Estados Unidos ha aprobado una propuesta que obliga al Pentágono a considerar las subvenciones que recibe EADS en su decisión de futuro avión de reabastecimiento en vuelo (KC-X). Esta enmienda debe ser ratificada en el Senado. Boeing y sus apoyos en el Congreso, han declarado que las subvenciones dan ventaja a EADS.
La Organización Mundial del Comercio dice que Airbus ha recibido subvenciones ilegales para algunos programas, entre ellos para el A330, base del avión cisterna de EADS, a lo que EADS responde que también Boeing ha recibido subvenciones de Estados Unidos.
Respecto a esto tengo una pequeña duda, ¿no venden-donan los Estados Unidos material militar al extranjero a traves del Foreign Military Sales, a coste casi nulo?. ¿No sería esto una forma proteccionismo?
www.defensenews.com
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The U.S. House of Representatives passed an amendment the night of May 27 that would require the Department of Defense to consider "any unfair competitive advantage" that a competitor for the Air Force refueling tanker contract may have.
If the amendment passes in the Senate, it would require DoD to take into account subsidies Airbus has received from European governments. Boeing and its supporters in Congress have said those subsidies give EADS and Airbus an unfair advantage. (Boeing)
If the amendment passes in the Senate, it would require DoD to take into account subsidies Airbus has received from European governments. Boeing, competing with EADS for the $35 billion contract, and its supporters in Congress have said those subsidies give EADS and Airbus an unfair advantage in the contest.
Related Topics
The World Trade Organization (WTO) recently ruled that Airbus received unfair subsidies for some programs, including its A330, the plane that would be the basis for EADS' tanker entry. A counter-claim by the European Union is making its way through the WTO, alleging Boeing has received unfair subsidies from the U.S. government.

www.defensenews.com

Boeing podría no presentarse al concurso del futuro avión cisterna de la USAF/Boeing Source: We May Not Bid For KC-X

Boeing podría retirarse del concurso KC-X, y no presentar el B-767, como futuro avión cisterna de la USAF. Ejecutivos de Boeing están analizando la rentabilidad del proyecto, puesta en duda ya que el contrato sería a precio fijo. Este hecho dejaría a EADS, que a principios de año se daba como claro perdedor, como el único participante.
defensenews.com
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Boeing is considering not bidding for the U.S. Air Force's KC-X tanker contract.
Boeing Executives are privately debating whether their company can even win, much less make a profit, on the fixed-price contract
That would leave Europe's EADS - which earlier this year had threatened its own pullout - as the sole bidder for the multibillion-dollar prize.
defensenews.com

El Pentágono anuncia que los trabajos del KC-X, deben comenzar el 12 de Noviembre 2010/Pentagon wants tanker bidders ready Nov. 12

El Pentágono ha comunicado a los concursantes del programa KC-X, para dotar a la USAF de 179 aviones de reabastecimiento en vuelo, que los trabajos deben comenzarse el 12 de Noviembre de 2010. Los competidores son Boeing Co. y la europea EADS.
El Pentágono comunicar el ganador en el otoño de 2010 y ha comunicado la fecha de inicios de trabajos para que los competidores puedan planificar los trabajos a realizar. La USAF necesita sustituir su KC-135 de repostaje en vuelo, ya que datan de los años 50, algo que está intentando desde 2003.
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The Pentagon is telling bidders for a major tanker project to be ready to start the contract on Nov. 12.
The contract is worth at least $35 billion to build 179 refueling jets. Bids are expected from Boeing Co. and European Aeronautic Defence and Space Co.
Pentagon still hopes to award the contract in the fall, but that it set the Nov. 12 start date so that bidders could plan around it.
The request for proposals calls for the contract to be awarded on Aug. 12.
A federal procurement says bidders should prepare their proposals assuming a contract start date of Nov. 12.
The Air Force needs to replace its KC-135 refueling tankers, which date to the 1950s. It has been trying to pick someone to make the new tanker since 2003.
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EADS FINALMENTE SE PRESENTA AL CONCURSO DE CISTERNA DE LA USAF KC-X/EADS IS BACK IN TANKER COMPETITION

EADS North America competirá finalmente con su A330 en el concurso KC-X, para sustituir a los KC-135 de la USAF. La oferta será remitida el 9 de Julio. Mientras tanto se seguirá buscando a un socio americano. El anuncio de EADS llega tras un mes de deliberaciones tras la retirada de su socio en el concurso Northrop Grumman.
(defensenews.com)
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EADS North America will bid as a prime contractor in the U.S. Air Force's $35 billion KC-X tanker competition and has decided to bid its A330 Multi-Role Tanker Transport in the competition to replace the aging U.S. Air Force KC-135.
The company said it plans to submit a bid on July 9. In the meantime, the company will continue seeking a U.S. partner on the program.
EADS' announcement comes after more than a month of deliberation by the company after its erstwhile U.S. partner, Northrop Grumman, dropped out of the contest
(defensenews.com)

L-3 COMMUNICATIONS DICE "NO" A EADS

Reuters informa que L-3 Communications ha decidido no unirse a EADS en la competición para el futuro avión cisterna de la USAF,o programa KC-X.
EADS estaba intereasa en entrar en el concurso ofreciendo el KC-30 (A330). Tras el abandono de Northrop, EADS, necesitaba de un socio americano para poder concurrir.
El plzao de presentación finaliza el nueved de julio.

El Pentágono extiende el plazo de presentación de presupuestos para el KC-X/DoD open to extension of tanker deadline

Según fuentes oficiales del Pentágono, se va a alargar el plazo de presentación de propuestas para el concurso KC-X 60 días mas, hasta mediados de Julio si EADS declara formalmente que va a presentar su oferta.. Si finalmente se alarga el plazo, la Fuerza Aérea acelerará en lo posible el proceso para cumplir con los plazos estipulados y elegir al ganador a principios de Otoño de 2010.
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Pentagon officials will extend the bidding deadline 60 days — to mid-July — if EADS formally declares its intent to bid on the $35 billion Air Force tanker program, DoD spokesman said at a press conference Wednesday. If an extension happens, the Air Force was willing to compress the evaluation process in order to meet the original planned contract-award date of early fall.

OBAMA PROMETE CONCURSO KC-X "IMPARCIAL"/Obama Vows Air Force Tanker Selection To Be 'Free And Fair'

El presidente Barack Obama ha anunciado que el proceso de selección del nuevo cisterna de la USAF será “libre r imparcial", en una conferencia de prensa mantenida con el presidente francés Nicolas Sarkozy.” El controvertido concurso ha llegado a los niveles de la Casa Blanca y ha llegado a la política internacional. Sarkozy de visita en EE.UU, prometió reprocharle a Obama el proteccionismo del concurso, después de la retirada de Northrop, socio de la europea EADS, argumentando que las bases del concurso favorecían a Boeing. Actualmente EADS se plantea participar en solitario y ha pedido una extensión del plazo límite de presentación de ofertas. El pentágono no ha decidido nada al respecto, el plazo acaba el día 10 de mayo,(pero el jefe de la Fuerza Aérea ha expresado su deseo de alargar el plazo para permitir la presentación de mas ofertas.). Sarkozy ha expresado su confianza en las palabras de Obama que añadió que la decisión será tomada por el secretario de Defensa, sin su mediación.
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President Barack Obama on Tuesday said the process to select new Air Force refueling aircraft will be “free and fair.”
The controversy over one of the Pentagon’s most lucrative contracts has reached the levels of the White House and has spilled into international politics. Obama made the comments at a news conference with French President Nicolas Sarkozy, who is visiiting the U.S. In France, Sarkozy promised to have strong words for Obama with regard to the estimated $35 billion refueling tanker contract, according to European reports. The French and other European Union countries have accused the U.S. of protectionism after Northrop Grumman and partner EADS, a European conglomerate and the parent company of Airbus, announced earlier this month that they would not compete for the contract, arguing the bidding process would favor rival Boeing.
Now EADS is mulling whether to submit a solo bid. The company has already requested the Pentagon extend the deadline to submit bids by 90 days. The Pentagon has not yet decided whether to extend that deadline passed May 10,(but the Air Force's top officer Tuesday signaled his willingness to back an extension of the deadline for submitting bids for a new airborne refueling aircraft to allow time for a possible competitor to Boeing for the multibillion-dollar program.) as was originally intended. EADS is expected to announce soon whether it is going to compete with Boeing for the contract. When asked on Tuesday, Sarkozy told reporters he and Obama discussed the tanker issue. Sarkozy said he trusted Obama’s assurances that the selection process will be fair. Obama countered that the trust is warranted and cautioned that the procurement decisions are made by the secretary of Defense and as a long-standing policy the president does not “meddle” is such decisions. Northrop Grumman partnered with EADS and initially won the $35 billion contract for the tankers in February 2008. Boeing, however, successfully protested the award with the Government Accountability Office. Defense Secretary Robert Gates subsequently decided to cancel that award and start a new competition for 179 new aircraft to replace the Eisenhower-era tankers.

EADS se acerca a L-3 Communications para presentarse al concurso de aviones cisterna de EEUU

EADS ha iniciado contactos con L-3 Communications para presentarse de nuevo al concurso de aviones tanqueros convocado por la Fuerza Aérea estadounidense y del que se retiró recientemente en consorcio con Northrop Grumman por considerarse en desventaja competitiva con respecto al gigante norteamericano Boeing.
El Departamento de Defensa estadounidense mostró en los pasados días su predisposición para que EADS North America participara en la licitación como contratista principal de los 179 tanqueros KC-X, un contrato que asciende a 35.000 millones de dólares. El consorcio aeronáutico europeo, que se presentaba con Northrop Grumman, se retiró porque el Pentágono cambió en febrero los términos de la licitación no teniendo en cuenta la capacidad de tanques grandes, por lo que les excluía de la carrera por el contrato a favor de Boeing.
EADS North America busca ahora nuevo socio y, según fuentes citadas por El Economista, éste podría ser L-3 Communications con la que "ya ha habido alguna reunión" y Airbus Military (filial de EADS), evalúa "muy seriamente su elección como socia principal".

Rusia niega que vaya a entrar en el participación en el KC-X/Russia Denies Bid for U.S. Air Tanker Contract

Rusia ha negado que la empresa estatal United Aviation Corporation (UAC) entrara en el concurso para nuevo avión cisterna de la USAF, y rivalizar con Boeing Co y EADS. John Kirkland, abogado de Los Angeles, había anunciado a varios medios que la empresa rusa participaría en el concurso.
UAC ha negado cualquier relación con el abogado, ni este tema fue tratado en la reciente reunión mantenida entre Vladimir Putin y la secretaria de Estado de Estados Unidos Hillary Clinton.
El avión que se presentaría sería el Ilyushin-96 considerado inferior a sus competidores occidentales, y del que tan solo se han fabricado 30 unidades, aunque aún se fabrica una versión de carga.
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Russia denied on Monday that its state-run United Aviation Corporation (UAC) planned to bid for a $50 billion contract to replace the U.S. Air Force's fleet of air tankers, rivaling Boeing Co and Europe's EADS.
John Kirkland, a Los Angeles-based attorney, had told various news media over the weekend that UAC would announce a joint venture on Monday with a U.S. defense contractor to enter the bidding for the tanker deal.
UAC denied it had held any talks on bidding for the contract. "We have not been holding, are not holding and are not planning to hold such talks," said a UAC official. Separately, UAC vice-president Alexander Tulyakov said the attorney did not work for the company. "John Kirkland is not a UAC representative and we have had no communications with him [about the tender]," he told Reuters.
Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had not discussed any Russian role in the contract when they met on Friday, Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. "It was not a topic at the talks," he told Reuters.
The U.S. Air Force has been trying for nearly a decade to replace its fleet of Boeing-built KC-135 tanker aircraft, which are close to 50 years old.
EADS, the parent company of Airbus, won a deal in 2008 to build an initial 179 tankers, only to have it cancelled after auditors intervened. The Pentagon said last week that EADS had expressed possible interested in continuing to compete with Boeing for the contract.
Kirkland quoted Alexander Shishkin, who he said worked for the Russian Federal Service of Military-Technical Cooperation, as saying the U.S.-Russian joint venture being formed to bid would be announced at UAC headquarters on Monday morning.
However Shishkin, when contacted by Reuters on Monday, said he could not say anything. He would not even confirm he worked for the Federal Service of Military-Technical Cooperation. "I cannot say anything until the bosses decide something," he said. UAC's Tulyakov also said Russia was making arms sales abroad only via state arms export monopoly Rosoboronexport. "We have held no discussions with them [about the tender]," he added. An official at the agency said that there was nobody called Alexander Shishkin listed as working there. Kirkland had said Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov discussed a UAC bid for the tanker contract at a meeting with Clinton. The Foreign Ministry declined comment on Monday.
Neither Russian nor U.S. officials mentioned at the time any discussions about a tanker bid. Clinton held a bilateral meeting with Lavrov on Thursday and met President Dmitry Medvedev and Putin on Friday separately.
Kirkland said that a Russian bid would be based on a widebody version of UAC's Ilyushin-96 aircraft, which he said would be called the Ilyushin-98.

"There are some internal discussions within the UAC, but very preliminary ones, about the production of an air tanker based on the Il-96. But to talk about Russian air tankers refueling U.S. military planes — it is from the realms of fantasy," said a UAC source, who asked not to be named.

Fewer than 30 Ilyushin-96 aircraft have been produced and the plane is considered technically inferior to Western competitors. Russian news media reported last year that production of the passenger variant had been cancelled, although a cargo version is still in limited production. Russian media have made no mention of a new version of the Il-96 called the Il-98.

Empresa Rusa contra Boeing en el concurso KC-X/Russians will bid against Boeing for Air Force contract

La compañía estatal rusa, United Aircraft, anunciará el lunes que competirá con Boeing en el concurso KC-X, de futuro avión cisterna de la USAF. Rusia desvelará quién es su socio en Estados Unidos y ofrecerá una versión modificada del Il-96. Los aviones serían fabricados en Estados Unidos. El interés ruso fue revelado por el Wall Street Journal el 19 de Marzo. United Aircraft fue fundada por Vladimir Putin en 2006 para unificar a la industria aeronáutica rusa. Un portavoz de la empresa rusa, ha reconocido las dificultades a las que se enfrentan (restricciones en seguridad, sanciones por compras de material ruso), pero aseguró que el Il-96 cumple con los requisitos del concurso a un precio inferior a la competencia. Analistas especializados han calificado esta iniciativa como disparatada debido a las lógicas limitacines políticas, técnicas y económicas, y han afirmado que es un proyecto imposible.
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Russia's government-owned aerospace company,United Aircraft, will announce Monday it is competing against Boeing for the $40 billion refueling-tanker contract. Russia plans to unveil a U.S. partner and offer a modified version of its Ilyushin Il-96. The still-unidentified partner,would assemble the planes in the U.S. The Russian interest in the tanker bid was first reported Friday by The Wall Street Journal. United Aircraft was formed under the authority of then-President Vladimir Putin in 2006 to combine the most famous names in Russian aviation: Sukhoi, Tupolev, Ilyushin, MiG. United voicer told that they were facing significant hurdles, there are obvious security issues, there are sanctions and restrictions on buying things from Russia, but he insisted, however, that the Il-96 meets every single one of the final RFP requirements, and it comes in at a lower price than Boeing
One leading U.S. aerospace analyst thinks:
"What a completely bizarre idea, there would be enormous political, technical and performance barriers. It will not happen."

EADS TODAVIA MUESTRA INTERES AL PENTAGONO SOBRE EL KC-X/EADS tells Pentagon it might still vie for tanker deal

EADS ha mostrado interés al pentágono en continuar en el concurso que proveerá a Estados Unidos de un nuevo avión cisterna que sustituirá al KC-135, a pesar de la retirada de su socio Northrop El Departamento de Defensa, vería con buenos ojos la entrada de EADS y alargaria de una manera razonable el plazo de presentración de ofertas, fijado actualmente en Mayo de 2010. Ausente Northrop EADS, su rival Boeing se perfila como el ganador para suministrar 179 aviones cisterna en las próximas décadas.
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Europe's EADS has told the Pentagon of its possible interest in continuing to vie for a multibillion-dollar contract for a new U.S. aerial refueling fleet despite the end of a trans-Atlantic partnership formed to bid
The Defense Department would welcome an EADS bid and would consider a "reasonable extension" to the May deadline for bids if necessary, said Geoff Morrell, the Pentagon press secretary, in an emailed statement.
Absent a bid involving Airbus parent EADS , rival Boeing Co is poised to win a sole-source contract to build up to 179 refueling planes and compete for follow-on orders in future decades.

EADS TRATA DE ENCONTRAR NUEVO SOCIO PARA KC-X/EADS Seeking New Tanker-Bid Partner

Aunque es poco probable, puede producirse un vuelvo en el concurso para el KC-X. Al parecer EADS está intentando ganar tiempo y estaría buscando un nuevo socio para competir contra Boeing. Según algunas fuentes EADS ha pedido al Pentágono que extienda el plazo de la RFP, lo cual se ha realizado en otras ocasiones, aunque fuentes de EADS opinan que es dificil que otras empresas tengan tiempo para presentar el proyecto con los plazos actuales. Congresistas verían el retraso como inaceptable, ya que según ellos provocaria retrasos para las Fuerzas Armadas y coste extra para el contribuyente.
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The U.S. Air Force's $35 billion KC-X competition may not end up being a sole-source competition. It appears that EADS is looking to buy time to find a new partner to bid against tanker rival Boeing. European defense giant EADS has asked the Pentagon for additional time to find a new partner to bid in the $35 billion KC-X competition for the U.S. Air Force, according to numerous sources. A DoD official said later in the day, "We are neither encouraging or discouraging EADS from bidding. That said, it's not uncommon for us to extend RfPs a reasonable amount of time. But we haven't been asked to do so in this instance." One senior EADS official said earlier this week that he had serious doubts the company has enough time to find a new U.S. partner that could handle a $35 billion deal, such as Lockheed Martin, L-3 Communications or Raytheon. However, Raytheon issued a cryptic statement March 12 when asked whether company officials were in talks with EADS about a tanker partnership stating that they have the technology and capabilities to support the tanker program.
Three U.S. lawmakers told "delay is unacceptable.Dragging out this competition hurts our warfighters and costs the taxpayer." Several analysts said time may have run out for EADS.