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Mobile and Baldwin County News

Tag: 2008 tanker competition

Local News A large commercial jet under assembly inside an aircraft factory hangar

Lost in Translation: What the EADS Chief Really Said About Building in Mobile

James Bullard, August 6, 2008

A newspaper interview in August 2008 seemed to say EADS would build commercial aircraft in Mobile whether or not it won the Air Force tanker contract. The company said that was not what it meant.

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History U.S. Air Force aerial refueling tanker aircraft in flight

Federal Watchdog Finds ‘Significant’ Errors in Air Force Tanker Bid Scoring, Clouding Mobile Assembly Plant Plans

James Bullard, June 18, 2008

The GAO found the Air Force made significant math errors in scoring a $35 billion tanker contract, casting new doubt on plans for an aircraft assembly plant at Brookley Field in Mobile.

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Mobile Military tanker aircraft conducting an aerial refueling operation in flight

Air Force Concedes Cost-Estimate Error That Had Favored Boeing in Tanker Fight

James Bullard, June 12, 2008

The U.S. Air Force admitted a cost-calculation error that had favored Boeing in the tanker contract evaluation, adding a new twist to a dispute with direct stakes for a proposed Northrop Grumman/EADS assembly line at Mobile’s Brookley Field.

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Local News Person browsing a social networking site on a laptop, representing online grassroots activism

Facebook Group Rallies Support for Northrop Grumman Tanker Bid in Mobile

James Bullard, March 13, 2008

As Boeing protested the Air Force’s tanker contract award, Mobile-area supporters of the rival Northrop Grumman/EADS bid organized a Facebook group urging residents to weigh in through a congressional survey.

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Local News A military aerial refueling tanker aircraft

Shelby Defends Mobile’s Tanker Win in Financial Times Op-Ed as Boeing Backers Pile On

James Bullard, March 10, 2008

Sen. Richard Shelby used a Financial Times op-ed to defend the Air Force’s tanker contract award to a Northrop Grumman-EADS team, arguing the deal would bring thousands of jobs to a new Mobile assembly site, not send them overseas.

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Mobile Military aerial refueling tanker aircraft in flight against a clear blue sky

Mobile Realtor’s Open Letter Pushes Back on Obama’s Early Doubts About the Tanker Deal

James Bullard, March 5, 2008

A Mobile-area Realtor has written an open letter to U.S. Sen. Barack Obama, pushing back on the presidential candidate’s early skepticism about the Air Force’s decision to award a massive aerial refueling tanker contract to Northrop Grumman and its European partner, EADS Airbus, over Boeing. Obama had voiced concerns about…

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Mobile Industrial waterfront in Mobile, Alabama

Boeing Protest Expected as Mobile Basks in Airbus Tanker Win, ThyssenKrupp Plant Adds to Momentum

James Bullard, March 1, 2008July 21, 2026

After Northrop Grumman and EADS won the 2008 Air Force tanker contract, Mobile officials described expected long-term change and construction planning.

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Mobile The U.S. Capitol dome with an American flag against a clear blue sky

GOP Circles Buzz Over Possible Bonner Run for Governor in 2010, But Congressman Downplays Talk

James Bullard, February 29, 2008

Republican circles are speculating that Rep. Jo Bonner could be eyeing a 2010 run for Alabama governor after his new House Appropriations Committee assignment, though Bonner says his focus is on re-election.

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History Exterior of an aerospace manufacturing plant building

Behind Mobile’s Excitement Over the New Airplane Plant, a Familiar History of Waiting for Saviors

James Bullard, February 29, 2008July 21, 2026

As Mobile celebrates a major new aerospace plant, some longtime observers are urging caution, pointing to a long history of the city pinning its hopes on outside projects — from the shipping channel to Brookley Air Force Base — that didn’t fully deliver the transformation many expected.

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Mobile Aircraft operations at Mobile's Brookley Aeroplex

Mobile Wins the Contract: Air Force Awards $40 Billion Tanker Deal to Northrop Grumman-EADS Team

James Bullard, February 26, 2008July 21, 2026

Archived coverage tracing Mobile’s 2008 tanker saga from anticipation to the Air Force’s $40 billion award to Northrop Grumman/EADS, bringing KC-30 assembly to Brookley Field.

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