Airbus-based jet wins $35 billion contract
WASHINGTON - In a shocking move, the U.S. Air Force awarded a $35 billion contract to replace its aging fleet of aerial tankers to a consortium led by a France-based defense contractor rather than Boeing Co.
The Air Force decision is a stinging blow to Chicago-based Boeing, which had built most of the tankers in the Air Force fleet and was widely considered the front-runner for the contract, among the three largest ever awarded by the Pentagon.
Boeing had won an earlier version of the contest, only to be stripped of its prize amid an ethics scandal when the Air Force purchasing official who had overseen that process wound up on Boeing's payroll.
Rather, they were wowed by the newer and larger airplane, built to haul fuel and cargo, offered by European Aeronautic Defense and Space Co., parent of Boeing rival Airbus SAS.