Fri, Dec 10, 2010
Program Management Firm Selected, Bidding Open
While there has been no word on whether Boeing or Airbus will
get the contract to build the next Air Force Tanker, EADS North
America said Wednesday that it is soliciting bids through its
recently selected program management firm for design and
construction of the Mobile Conversion Center where KC-45 aerial
refueling tanker aircraft will be militarized for the United States
Air Force. Preparation for construction of the facility began in
November with the selection of Hoar Program Management to oversee
the project.
The selection of a program manager and initiation of work on the
Mobile Conversion Center reflects EADS North America's commitment
to produce the KC-45 in the U.S. and put Americans on the job as
soon as possible.
The conversion center is one part of a large aircraft production
facility that EADS North America will construct in Mobile, Alabama,
to build the KC-45 in the United States if the Air Force selects it
as its new aerial refueler. The European-based company estimates
that the KC-45 will create or support 48,000 American jobs across
the country, and create more than 1,500 direct positions in Mobile.
Construction of the production facilities also will create
thousands of related jobs in the Gulf Coast area, EADS says.
The company says it has also committed to build commercial A330
freighter aircraft at the same site, resulting in the capability to
produce more than twice as many aircraft annually in the U.S. than
required to support the U.S. tanker program.
File Photo
EADS North America already has begun work related to the KC-45
in Alabama. Earlier this year, the company began its transfer of
the KC-45 program management team - nearly 200 employees - to new
offices in Mobile. "The Air Force has had to wait far too long for
a new tanker, and the 48,000 Americans who will build the KC-45
have had to wait far too long for the jobs," said Ralph D. Crosby
Jr., EADS North America Chairman. "If our tanker is selected by the
Air Force, we are well positioned to hit the ground running on day
one."
Hoar Program Management will begin Advertisements for
Qualifications effective December 12, 2010 and will begin issuance
of Request for Qualification packages effective December 13,
2010.
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