After a decade of false starts, Boeing pulled off an upset to win the $35 billion contract to build a fleet of Air Force aerial refueling tankers, two congressional sources told POLITICO Thursday.The decision was 10 years in the making after bitter back-and-forth lobbying, advertising and scandal. Two earlier efforts floundered– one ending the careers of several Air Force officials and landing a Boeing executive in jail, and another award to European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company and Northrop Grumman in 2008 being overturned after Boeing protested.
I trust Boeing aircraft over Airbus anyday, but man this was an ugly fight. Hopefully it is over and our warfighters can get a newer tanker.