EADS does not plan to bid on its own against Boeing for the Air Force’s KC-X tanker contract or seek another partner in lieu of teammate Northrop Grumman’s exit, company CEO Louis Gallois told reporters Tuesday in Paris. “I don’t see any opportunity to come back alone or with others,” Gallois said, Bloomberg news wire service reported Tuesday (via Business Week). Northrop announced Monday that it was leaving the KC-X competition, claiming the Air Force’s solicitation clearly favored a smaller aerial refueling aircraft like Boeing’s 767-based NewGen Tanker and not Northrop’s larger A330-based model. EADS’ Airbus unit builds the A330 in France now, but would have established a manufacturing presence in Mobile, Ala., together with Northrop, to turn out Air Force tankers. EADS might have also built A330 commercial freighters there. Gallois said such plans for a US plant are off the table now.
Pentagon Releases Cost of Living, BAH Rates for 2026
Dec. 30, 2025
The Pentagon will pay cost of living allowances to 127,000 service members in the continental U.S. in 2026, an increase of 66,000 members in 2025. Airmen and Guardians across the U.S. will also receive an average increase of 4.2 percent for their Basic Housing Allowance, compared to the 5.4 percent…
