Ensuring a Competition?:

“Officials familiar with the negotiations” tell the Mobile (Ala.) Press-Register that the Air Force plans to use a “scoring system” that could ensure the Northrop Grumman-EADS team stays the course in the KC-X tanker replacement program. It could, that is, if it includes “capability-to-cost metrics,” reports the Press-Register’s George Talbot. Without that, Northrop officials have said they don’t believe the KC-30—larger than the Boeing KC-767—will receive a fair shake. Sen. John McCain and other lawmakers are intent on ensuring that the competition be a real competition. And, the Air Force is under pressure to provide more than a traditional tanker, specifically a hybrid that could haul more cargo or passengers than the current KC-135. Boeing also has considered offering its larger 777 as an option.