Last fall, USAF awarded a $1 billion depot maintenance contract for KC-135 tankers to Boeing, but losing competitor Alabama Aircraft Industries (formerly Pemco Aviation Group) says the Government Accountability Office has sustained at least part of its protest. According to various news reports, the GAO found that USAF did not properly evaluate cost/price for the Boeing proposal. GAO recommends a new evaluation. The Air Force has 60 days to decide whether to act on the recommendation.
Air Force depots are not typically meant for quick repair jobs, but during Operation Epic Fury, the service moved some of its stateside heavy maintenance capability forward to fix battle-damaged aircraft closer to the fight.
