Program Management Firm Selected, Bidding Open

While there has been no word on whether Boeing or Airbus will get the contract to build the next Air Force Tanker, EADS North America said Wednesday that it is soliciting bids through its recently selected program management firm for design and construction of the Mobile Conversion Center where KC-45 aerial refueling tanker aircraft will be militarized for the United States Air Force. Preparation for construction of the facility began in November with the selection of Hoar Program Management to oversee the project.

The selection of a program manager and initiation of work on the Mobile Conversion Center reflects EADS North America's commitment to produce the KC-45 in the U.S. and put Americans on the job as soon as possible.

The conversion center is one part of a large aircraft production facility that EADS North America will construct in Mobile, Alabama, to build the KC-45 in the United States if the Air Force selects it as its new aerial refueler. The European-based company estimates that the KC-45 will create or support 48,000 American jobs across the country, and create more than 1,500 direct positions in Mobile. Construction of the production facilities also will create thousands of related jobs in the Gulf Coast area, EADS says.

The company says it has also committed to build commercial A330 freighter aircraft at the same site, resulting in the capability to produce more than twice as many aircraft annually in the U.S. than required to support the U.S. tanker program.

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EADS North America already has begun work related to the KC-45 in Alabama. Earlier this year, the company began its transfer of the KC-45 program management team - nearly 200 employees - to new offices in Mobile. "The Air Force has had to wait far too long for a new tanker, and the 48,000 Americans who will build the KC-45 have had to wait far too long for the jobs," said Ralph D. Crosby Jr., EADS North America Chairman. "If our tanker is selected by the Air Force, we are well positioned to hit the ground running on day one."

Hoar Program Management will begin Advertisements for Qualifications effective December 12, 2010 and will begin issuance of Request for Qualification packages effective December 13, 2010. 

FMI: www.hoarpm.com, www.eads.com