Reuters news service late Monday reported that EADS has decided it will go it alone to bid for the KC-X tanker contract, quoting “sources familiar with the matter.” The Pentagon’s No. 2 civilian official, William Lynn, said late last week that time was running out for EADS to respond to DOD’s offer to extend the bidding period. Northrop Grumman in March backed out of the KC-X contest for which it had teamed with EADS. Reportedly EADS had been trying to interest L-3 in a KC-X partnership, but that didn’t pan out.
The $4.26 billion Small Business Innovation Research contracting program widely used by the Air Force went into hibernation as the government shut down Oct. 1, but unless lawmakers strike a deal on reforms, the program could reach an abrupt end.
