The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) announced on July 9 that it has decided to reopen the bidding process for the KG-X multibillion-dollar midair refueling tanker contract. On Aug. 6, DoD issued a draft request for proposals to the competitors in the U.S. Air Force's 35 billion dollars program to acquire new aerial refueling tanker aircraft. The request went to Northrop Grumman (Los Angeles, Calif.) and The Boeing Go. (Chicago, Ill.) and addresses concerns the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) raised about the original award of the contract in February, said Shay Assad, the Defense Department's director of procurement and acquisitions policy. Assad spoke during a Pentagon news conference Aug. 6. GAO officials in June found improper practices related to the 35 billion dollars contract originally awarded in February to a Northrop Grumman/EADS/Airbus consortium (see end note). That award prompted a protest from rival bidder Boeing as well as criticism from members of the U.S. Congress and American industrial leaders who objected to, among other things, the prospect of sending U.S. military contracts to "overseas suppliers." DoD officials have ordered Northrop Grumman to stop work on its February contract.
展开▼
