Tanker "start" date now November

The Air Force changed its KC-X Request for Proposals to list a contract "start date" of Nov. 12. Previous Pentagon announcements said the award for the $40 billion contract to build tankers for the U.S. Air Force would be made in the early fall. This comes a month after the Defense Department announced that EADS would be granted an extra 60 days to put together a solo bid on the tanker after Northrop Grumman, which said the RFP favored a smaller Boeing plane, dropped out as EADS' partner. The original contract "award date" listed in the amended RFP is Aug. 16. (Source: Air Force Times, 05/03/10) Meanwhile, in Frankfurt, Germany, EADS Chief Executive Louis Gallois said he's certain EADS would win the tanker contract. "I would even bet that we will get the contract," Gallois told German tabloid Bild. (Source: Reuters, 05/03/10) Gulf Coast note: EADS wants to build the tankers in Mobile, Ala.