It's try number three for the much needed new mid-air refueling tanker, a process that has already seen endless delays, countless arguments in Congress, and Boeing's chief financial officer sent to prison. I think it's already clear which aircraft is better and which company is better equipped to get the planes to our troops on time, but Boeing is in a blue state and Airbus' factory is going to be put in a red state (Alabama), so we are likely to see other issues than those be the deciding factor. The KC-135's that need to be replaced are, on average, 50 years old. http://www.reuters.com/article/rbssIndustryMaterialsUtilitiesNews/idUSN2446990420090924
The rules for the latest round of the competition have been released, and it looks like it has been re-written to favor Boeing. Northrop is pissed, and is threatening to boycott the competition. http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSN0151336920091201
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/09/business/09tanker.html?scp=1&sq=boeing grumman&st=cse http://www.irconnect.com/noc/press/pages/news_releases.html?d=186116 An interesting letter, considering the location of the writer: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/northwestvoices/2011311599_boeingsolewinneroftankerbid.html