The European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company (EADS) and Northrop Grumman of the United States are to team up to bid for a contract from the US Air Force to supply next-generation re-fuelling tanker aircraft, the companies said Wednesday.
"We are pleased to join Northrop Grumman in offering the US Air Force the most advanced aerial refuelling capability," said EADS co-chief executives Thomas Enders and Noel Forgeard in a statement.
Northrop Grumman said the program to build the KC-30 tanker, based on the airframe of the A330 commercial airliner — manufactured by EADS unit Airbus — would replace the KC-135 tankers currently in operation.
The joint effort is expected to create more than 1,000 jobs in the United States, with the US contribution to the program in excess of 50 percent.
As the prime contractor, Northrop Grumman would include EADS as a principal subcontractor and teammate.
EADS announced a decision in June to build an assembly line in Mobile, Alabama to equip civilian versions of EADS planes as midair-refuelling aircraft.
