In the Boeing camp, Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) quickly released a statement following the EADS North America announcement Tuesday confirming news that it would enter the KC-X tanker contest. Murray said she would “continue to work with Republicans and Democrats alike to make clear to the Pentagon and the White House that this is the wrong move for our service members and our workers.” She emphasized that the World Trade Organization had ruled that the Airbus A330 had been developed using illegal subsidies and that holding up the USAF tanker competition “to allow an illegally subsidized foreign company to bid is bade for American workers, our men and women in uniform, taxpayers, and our economy.” She added: “A competition between companies on an equal playing field is one thing. A competition where American workers have to compete with the treasuries of European countries is another.”
The Air Force has embraced new technical approaches like open mission systems and rapid software updates for cutting-edge aircraft like the B-21 and Collaborative Combat Aircraft. Increasingly, though, the service is also working to apply these to its older, “legacy” aircraft, officials said this week.