Reuters news service late Monday reported that EADS has decided it will go it alone to bid for the KC-X tanker contract, quoting “sources familiar with the matter.” The Pentagon’s No. 2 civilian official, William Lynn, said late last week that time was running out for EADS to respond to DOD’s offer to extend the bidding period. Northrop Grumman in March backed out of the KC-X contest for which it had teamed with EADS. Reportedly EADS had been trying to interest L-3 in a KC-X partnership, but that didn’t pan out.
The Air Force has spent more than two years studying cancer risks to Airmen who work with the service's intercontinental ballistic missiles. Now lawmakers in Congress are placing fresh scrutiny on the issue and have prepared legislation that would direct the service to clean silos and launch facilities.