The team of Northrop Grumman and European Aeronautic Defence and Space (EADS) has won the contract to build the new KC-X tanker, Air Force officials announced Feb. 29.

Ultimately, the Air Force wants to acquire about 400 new tankers over 30 years, making the entire contract worth about $100 billion.

Plans call for the newly named KC-45 to go to active-component units. That would enable the cascading of KC-135R Stratotankers to Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve refueling wings that fly KC-135E models, some of which are now 50 years old.

"The tanker is the number-one procurement priority for us right now," said Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Duncan J. McNabb. "Buying the new KC-45A is a major step forward and another demonstration of our commitment to recapitalizing our Eisenhowerera inventory of these critical national assets."

The KC-45 is a modified Airbus A330, which EADS manufactures in France. It was selected over the Boeing KC-767, a U.S.-built product that Italy and Japan have purchased.

Air Force officials said they based their tanker selection on five factors: mission capability, proposal risk, past performance, cost/price and an integrated fleet air-refueling assessment, which is performance in a simulated war scenario.

The KC-45 is the more expensive aircraft based on published reports, but it can carry more passengers and fuel.

Congressional leaders and union officials expressed immediate concern over the potential loss of jobs at Boeing, the manufacturer of the two Air Force tankers currently in use-the KC-135 and the KC-10 Extender.

However, Northrop and EADS said 60 percent of the material and labor for the KC-45 will come from U.S. suppliers, which exceeds the Pentagon requirement that at least 50 percent of it be made or purchased in this country.

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