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KC-X: Voo Solo da EADS

Empresa europeia anuncia que irá participar sozinha da licitação de forneciemento do novo avião tanque da USAF

A EADS North America informou que irá enviar proposta para participar do certame licitatório do Departamento de Defesa dos EUA, denominado KC-X (KC-45) que visa selecionar uma nova aeronave reabastecedora para a USAF – Força Aérea Americana

Segundo o já noticiado, após a desistência Northrop de participar da licitação (a Northrop foi associada da empresa européia no primeiro KC-X anulado pela USAF após processos judiciais da Boeing) a empresa buscou associar-se a L-3 Communications. Especula-se que a EADS sonda a Lockheed como parceira para o certame.




EADS to make solo bid for US refuelling tanker

European aerospace giant EADS has said it will make a solo bid for the $35bn (£20bn) contract to build a new fleet of US military air refuelling tankers.

EADS and US partner Northrop Grumman abandoned their planned bid for the deal last month saying the process was biased against them.

They had argued that the terms of the tender favoured US group Boeing.

EADS re-entered the race after the US government extended the bid deadline. It has until 10 May to make a bid.

The EU has pledged to watch the tendering process very carefully, with Brussels having earlier said it would be "extremely concerned" if EADS was prevented from fairly bidding for a major US defence deal.

Scandal

The US Air Force is seeking to replace its ageing fleet of 1950s-built KC-135 air tankers, which refuel other military planes in mid-air.

The process has had a protracted history - to say the least - despite the only competing parties being EADS and Northrop Grumman on one side, and Boeing on the other.

Boeing was initially awarded the contract in 2003, only for it to be subsequently cancelled after an ethics scandal that saw a US Air Force official convicted of criminal conspiracy.

The official in question was said to have unfairly promoted the Boeing deal.

Northrop Grumman and EADS then won a contract in February 2008, but this was subsequently cancelled following a Boeing appeal.

At the time, there was substantial political opposition in Washington to the involvement of EADS, which owns Airbus, the European rival of US-based Boeing.

Until they abandoned their latest bid interest in early March, Northrop and EADS planned to supply a tanker plane based on the large capacity A330 plane made by EADS subsidiary Airbus.

Boeing's tanker, the KC-767 is based on its smaller 767 plane.

Fonte: BBC