US to reopen Boeing-Airbus bidding war over refuellers
Paris (AFP) - The US Air Force is set to reopen a bidding war between Boeing and arch-rival Airbus over the replacement of its ageing fleet of refuelling aircraft essential to Washington's ability to project power beyond its borders. In a tortuous and scandal-riven procurement process, during which two contracts were scrapped, Boeing finally snagged a $35-billion (30-billion-euro) deal in 2011 to develop and supply 179 KC-46 refuellers by 2029. Even though the project was plagued by cost overruns and delays, Boeing looked set to walk away with the next phase of the project to replace the Air F...