Company Prepared To Move Forward With Revised Proposal

Representatives of the Northrop Grumman/EADS KC-45 Tanker team met Tuesday with US Department of Defense acquisition officials to discuss the draft amendment to the KC-X Tanker Request for Proposals. Following the meeting, Northrop Grumman vice president and KC-45 program manager Paul Meyer issued the following statement:

"Today's meeting was a productive review of the draft amendment and the process that will be undertaken going forward. We had a frank and open dialogue and are confident that the final amendment will clearly outline the requirements that are expected to be met and the evaluation criteria that will be used to select the most capable tanker for the warfighter at the best value for the American taxpayer.

"It is clear that the Defense Department met the concerns raised by the Government Accountability Office, and the draft amendment to the KC-X Tanker Request for Proposals addresses those concerns by clarifying, but not altering the tanker requirements and specifications.

"It is also clear that the department recognizes the need to begin production on the next generation of aerial refueling tankers as quickly as possible. With the current fleet approaching the half-century mark in age, our men and women in uniform should not be asked to wait any longer.

"We look forward to submitting our proposal within the timeline established by the Defense Department."

As ANN reported, DoD officials met with representatives from both Northrop/EADS and rival Boeing Tuesday, to discuss revisions to the Pentagon's expedited call for proposals for a new Air Force tanker.

FMI: www.northropgrumman.com/kc45, www.defenselink.mil, www.af.mil