France wants chance to compete

PARIS - French Defense Minister Hervé Morin said he told U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates that he hoped EADS and Northrop Grumman would get a fair chance to compete for the U.S. Air Force refueling tanker. He said at a joint news conference he reminded Gates "that when one is a country that stands up for the market economy, it can't be a one-way street." Northrop Grumman says the draft request for proposals favors the smaller Boeing offering and has threatened to withdraw from the competition if the RFP is not modified. The final RFP is expected this month. (Source: Defense News, 02/08/10) Gulf Coast note: Northrop and EADS hope to assemble the tankers in Mobile, Ala.