Boeing defenders decry new RFP

WASHINGTON, Aug. 7 (UPI) -- Boeing defenders in Washington voiced dismay at the revised Air Force request for bids on a jet refueling air tanker project.

Added to the bidding is extra credit for fuel offload capability that will favor the Northrop EADS Airbus, a larger plane than Boeing's 767-200, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer reported Thursday.

Boeing successfully appealed a previous decision to award the $40 billion contract to Northrop EADS.

The second round in the bidding war opens when the Air Force releases its final request for proposal in mid-August. Bidders then have 45 days to submit a bid.

The time line does not give Boeing nearly enough time to come up with a bid using a larger plane, defense expert Loren Thompson of the Lexington Institute said.

"This looks like what card players would call a stacked deck," he said.

Washington Sen. Patty Murray, said the Air Force "changed the rules of the game in overtime."

She called the timetable "unrealistic."

Rep. Norm Dicks, D-Wash., said it was "unimaginable that the government would launch a $40 billion procurement with final proposals due in 45 days," the Post-Intelligencer reported.