MOBILE, Ala. (AP) -- The chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, Rep. John Murtha, says he favors splitting a potential $40 billion Air Force refueling tanker contract between two rival aircraft giants.
Murtha, a Pennsylvannia Democrat, made the comment Thursday on a visit to Mobile, which is trying to land the contract for Northrop Grumman/EADS at an Alabama port city site.
The Boeing Co. is also competing for the contract, and Murtha says both corporations should get some of the work.
The Air Force selected Northrop Grumman/EADS for the aerial tanker project last year, but then it reopened the bidding after the Government Accounting Office found flaws with the decision.
Murtha said an alternative approach is needed to get the refueling tankers built.
