Boeing: Air Force calculations wrong

CHICAGO, June 13 (UPI) -- Chicago-based Boeing Co. says the Air Force erred in calculating that Northrop Grumman Corp.'s airborne tanker would be cheaper to operate than Boeing's design.

Boeing said the U.S. Air Force discovered an error in the calculations that indicated Northrop's proposed converted Airbus A330 planes would cost less than Boeing's proposed converted 767s, the Tacoma (Wash.) News-Tribune reported Friday.

The Air Force's latest calculations indicate the Boeing planes would be more cost-effective, the report said.

However, the $35 billion contract was awarded to Northrop, which is working together with European Aeronautics and Defense Systems, earlier this year. Boeing has protested the deal to the Government Accountability Office, which is scheduled to rule on the contract June 19.

"Now that we see that the data wasn't correct and the costs were less, we're looking forward to getting some answers," Boeing spokesman Bill Barksdale said.

Northrop spokesman Randy Belote acknowledged there were errors in the calculations, but he said the errors were relatively minor and the A330-based design remains operationally superior to the 767-based plane.