WASHINGTON (AP) -- Kansas lawmakers are calling on the Pentagon to extend the deadline for bids on the $35 billion Air Force refueling tanker contract.
Republican Sens. Pat Roberts and Sam Brownback say Boeing Co. needs four extra months to respond to the new request for a larger aircraft.
The Air Force initially awarded the contract to a team of Northrop Grumman and Airbus parent European Aeronautic Defence and Space Co. But after Boeing protested, congressional investigators found mistakes in how the award was made.
The Pentagon has since reopened the competition, aiming to choose a winner by the end of the year.
Roberts, Brownback and GOP Rep. Todd Tiahrt, also of Kansas, say the new guidelines unfairly favor Northrop's larger plane.
They warn of "fierce bipartisan resistance" in Congress if the new process seems unfair.