WASHINGTON — The European plane-building company that lost out on a $35 billion refueling tanker deal said Friday that it won’t appeal the Air Force’s decision to go with Chicago-based Boeing Co. in one of the biggest defense contracts ever.
One week after the military chose Boeing, officials of European Aeronautic Defence and Space Co. said they were disappointed with the decision but did not want to extend a multimillion-dollar fight that has already dragged on for a decade.
“It’s time to put the interest of the war fighter first, and we’re stepping aside,” Ralph Crosby Jr., chairman of EADS North America, said at a news conference.
The Air Force picked Boeing to build nearly 200 giant airborne refueling tankers to replace the Eisenhower-era KC-135 tanker fleet. The contract, which eventually could be worth as much as $100 billion, will mean tens of thousands of U.S. jobs, with Washington state and Kansas getting the bulk of the work. The Associated Press
