Northrop jumps into public relations work

SAN DIEGO, April 1 (UPI) -- Northrop Grumman has launched a public relations campaign to secure support for the $40 billion U.S. Air Force contract awarded in February, the company said.

Company Chairman Ron Sugar said Northrop's aim was to combat "misinformation and disinformation" concerning the contract, which rival Boeing Corp. has protested.

The company's aim is to convince the public and political leaders 60 percent of the tanker planes Northrop will build in conjunction with the European Aeronautic, Defense & Space Co. would be American-made, The Politico Web site reported.

Boeing's formal protest concentrates on the selection process. The company contends the Air Force hadn't stipulated it wanted a larger plane.

But, in the political arena, the issues of jobs resonates with the public.

For its part, Boeing is sidestepping the jobs issue.

"No question about it: Boeing realized that Buy American is a losing proposition for a company that sources its commercial products all over the world," Loren Thompson of the Lexington Institute, a suburban Washington think tank, told The Politico.

On the U.S. House of Representatives Armed Services Committee, however, Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Calif., is considering options for overturning the contract, including the addition of Buy American stipulations to the House defense authorization bill, The Politico reported.