EADS hopes for future military contract

MOBILE, Alabama (WALA) - Reuters is reporting EADS or the European Aerospace Company, is hoping it can still win some work linked to the Air Force’s new tanker fleet. Boeing won the bid last month.

Sean O’Keefe, the head of EADS North America, told the Financial Times the company could gain some contracts for specialized aircraft that have been traditionally built on the basic tanker platform. However, it could be years before the U.S. Department of Defense offers any contracts.

EADS estimates Boeing cut its price to build the KC-46 planes by about $16 billion in order to clinch the deal.

Northrop Grumman dropped out of the bidding process last year, claiming the process wasn’t fair. Northrop originally won the contract in 2008, but Boeing protested and the bidding process started over.

Boeing built the KC-135 tankers in the 1950s and 1960s and based them on its 707 commercial planes. Contracts that followed were developed around the same airframe according to the Financial Times.

O’Keefe with EADS was quoted as saying, "Well shoot, we have got commercial aircraft that can fit those kind of requirements."