LOS ANGELES, March 13 (UPI) -- Northrop Grumman said the U.S. Air Force debriefed it on plans to build the KC-45A air tanker Monday.
"The U.S. Air Force completed its debriefing to Northrop Grumman Corporation (Monday) and fully explained why the company's KC-45A tanker offering was clearly the superior tanker for the contract to replace the service's aerial refueling tankers," Northrop Grumman said in a statement this week.
"We greatly appreciate the customer's rigorous and deliberative debrief today. According to the Air Force, Northrop Grumman's KC-45A was selected because it is more advantageous to the government in the key areas of Mission Capability, Past Performance, Cost/Price, and Integrated Fleet Aerial Refueling Assessment. Our tanker clearly provides the war fighter with the best capability and at the best value to the American taxpayer," said Paul Meyer, Northrop Grumman vice president of Air Mobility Systems and KC-45A program manager. "We are under contract and moving out to get badly needed new tankers into the Air Force fleet as soon as possible."
"Over the course of this source selection process, both competitors have repeatedly stated that the Air Force acquisition process for the KC-X program was fair, open and fully transparent," Northrop Grumman said.
"The process employed was unprecedented in many ways because the Air Force involved acquisition personnel from Office of the Secretary Defense and other military services to ensure the use of fair methodologies, and it provided continuing feedback to both companies on their strengths and weaknesses which allowed them to address and resolve issues," the company said.
Northrop Grumman describes itself as "a $32 billion global defense and technology company whose 120,000 employees provide innovative systems, products, and solutions in information and services, electronics, aerospace and shipbuilding to government and commercial customers worldwide."
