AF to take lead in tanker award

The Air Force will be in charge of awarding a $40 billion contract for aerial tankers, according to Defense Secretary Robert Gates. The authority had been removed earlier when two previous attempts to award a contract were botched. Boeing and the Northrop Grumman/EADS team are competing for the contract. (Source: New York Times, 09/16/09) Gulf Coast note: EADS plans to assemble the planes in Mobile, Ala., if it wins.