Marketing group backs dual tanker buy

The Aerospace Alliance, a marketing partnership of Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi and Northwest Florida, said Monday that it now supports buying aerial tankers from both Boeing and the Northrop Grumman/EADS team. In a story on the group's Web site, it said buying from both competitors would mean 36 tankers a year rather than 12 and create up to 100,000 jobs nationwide. When the group formed in October 2009, it said its priority was to support Northrop/EADS' effort to win the competition to replace the Air Force's tanker fleet. Northrop/EADS wants to assemble the planes in Mobile, Ala. But in December Northrop threatened to drop out of the bidding on grounds the draft request for proposal favors the smaller Boeing plane. The Pentagon has said it does not want to buy planes from both manufacturers, and it will only make minor RFP modifications. (Source: Tcp, 02/01/10)