Artist’s rendering of the Boeing NewGen Tanker. (Image courtesy of Boeing)
Governors Mark Parkinson of Kansas, Jodi Rell of Connecticut, Pat Quinn of Illinois, John Baldacci of Maine, Jay Nixon of Missouri, Ted Kulongoski of Oregon, Gary Herbert of Utah, and Chris Gregoire of Washington all came out on Friday in support of Boeing’s formal bid for the U.S. Air Force tanker contract.
“With Boeing’s bid formally submitted today, it’s now time to move quickly to replace American’s aging refueling tanker fleet. Our military cannot afford any further delay. We need a next generation tanker now to replace our existing 50-year-old fleet,” the statement said.
They continued, saying that the Governors were all members of the U.S. Tanker 2010 Coalition, and are confident that Boeing’s tanker proposal is the best available choice and it meets the needs of the modern war fighter. Additionally, it’s the only available to go into immediate production and the only proposal that will create over 50,000 jobs during a time of economic distress.
“We respectfully urge the leadership at the Pentagon to finish the procurement process and move forward on this critical investment in our national security,” they said. They concluded by noting that America’s workers are the finest in the world and they believe that an American-built plane is the smartest choice.
Both Boeing and EADS this week submitted 8,000 page bids for the USAF’s proposal to replace their aging fleet of KC-135 Stratotankers. Boeing’s bid consists of an aircraft based on the 767 airliner, while EADS proposes an adaptation of the larger Airbus A330.
NYCAviation staff contributed to this report
