The U.S. Air Force and Pentagon were expected to announce a decision Monday on the multibillion-dollar KC-X aerial refueling tanker contract, a competition with major economic implications for Mobile and the Brookley Aeroplex.
Two Competing Teams
The contract pits Chicago-based Boeing against a partnership of Airbus parent company EADS and Northrop Grumman, which has proposed building tanker aircraft using an Airbus airframe at a facility in Mobile. According to reports from WKRG and NPR, a decision had been expected around 2 p.m. Monday, though officials cautioned a delay remained possible.
Alabama Development Office Director Neal Wade, speaking from the Singapore Air Show, told WKRG that a split decision dividing the contract between the two competitors remained a possibility. NPR reported that congressional Democrats have generally been seen as more sympathetic to the EADS-Northrop Grumman bid, while Republicans have tended to back Boeing, reflecting the regional and political stakes tied to jobs in Washington state, Kansas and Alabama.
What’s at Stake for Mobile
Supporters of the EADS-Northrop Grumman bid have argued that pairing the European aircraft maker with the American defense contractor helped overcome objections to awarding a major U.S. military contract to a foreign-based manufacturer. Boeing has countered that its aircraft is smaller and more fuel-efficient, while the Airbus-based plane offers greater cargo and fuel capacity.
Regardless of the outcome, officials say the tanker competition has already raised Mobile’s profile within the aerospace industry, and some expect the region to draw further aviation investment even without a split award. Huntsville, home to NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center and a longtime hub for defense and aerospace work including Boeing operations, remains Alabama’s more established aerospace center, but Mobile and Brookley are increasingly seen as an emerging player in the industry.