GovernmentExecutive.com

Northrop Grumman Corp. is planning a counteroffensive this week to correct what company officials believe is a campaign of misinformation surrounding the Air Force's decision to award the California-based firm and EADS, the European consortium behind Airbus, a lucrative contract for aerial refueling tankers.

Ronald Sugar, Northrop Grumman chief executive officer, said the firm will attempt to correct the record about statements made by Boeing Co., the losing bidder, and its supporters about the Northrop-EADS platform.

"We relish the opportunity to make the facts known," Sugar said Monday. "I believe that as the facts are known and more widely understood that the process will play out and we'll be back building tankers here."

Starting Monday and expected to continue over several days, the company is running an ad in several publications explaining why its A330 was selected over the Boeing 767 for the Air Force's refueling mission.

A spokesman for the firm said they are penning op-ed pieces in areas that benefit economically from the program. In the upcoming weeks, Northrop officials will reach out to members of Congress to dispute arguments by Boeing supporters, including statements that the selection of the Airbus plane amounts to a significant outsourcing of jobs to Europe.

"The only reason why we've chosen to speak up here is that ... we've seen so much misinformation, and I would call [it] even disinformation, we thought it was important to set the record straight," Sugar said.

Boeing has protested the decision for the contract, worth as much as $40 billion, to GAO, which has until mid-June to conduct its review.

COMMENTS

• Yes, I wandered how Boeing would refuel planes being that their boom was still in the design stage or is it that this pause /delay will buy them time to complete their design Pretzel Posted June 19, 2008 5:51 PM
• I strongly suspect that Boeing is guilty of a classic mistake on competitive proposals. They "listened" to the USAF customer just long enough to here what they wanted to hear and to justify a 767 bid. They stopped "listening" to the USAF customer as the dialogue continued, never heard the real discriminating details of this procurement. CLASSIC MISTAKE. Let's get some facts straight: - Boeing 767, as bid, has never been built. It is a combination of the 767/200, 767/300, and 767/400 - A totally new airplane. Northrop's Tanker is flying today and is in testing. Now which one is lower risk to the USAF and taxpayers. - Boeing has not yet designed the boom refueling system they bid. Northrop's Boom is flying today and is in testing. Again, a lower risk approach for the USAF and the taxpayer. - Boeing says its Defensive system is better than Northrop's. Isn't it funny that the Defensive System proposed by Boeing is built by Northrop? Radar Posted May 21, 2008 11:36 AM
• NG originally said their KC-X programs would result in 25,000 direct and indirect US jobs, but quickly doubled that number to 48,000 when Boeing released its 44,000 jobs number. If NG can't correctly estimate the number of jobs they expect create, how can we expect them to properly run a $35-40 billion dollar program? The answer is easy, NG won't be running the KC-45 program, they are a front company for EADS and Airbus. NG did not design the A330, Airbus did. NG did not design the KC-30 or the KC-X, EADS did. NG did not design the KC-X boom refueling system, EADS did. NG will not built the "KC-45", EADS will, in an EADS owned factory in Mobile, if EADS ever builds that factory. Boeing has every right to protest the KC-X decision, US Law allows them to protest. Boeing rarely protest DOD decisions, but in this case Boeing felt that the USAF selection process was flawed and chose to protest to the GAO. The EADS designed KC-45 has never been built or flown, EADS has an A330 that one day will be modified into a KC-45 in a complex process involving factories in 4 countries, follow-on KC-45s will follow an ever changing process until the Mobile factory is built. EADS has built 1 A330 based KC-30 for Australia, this aircraft in currently with EADS at its Sevilla, Spain plant where it will remain until mid-2009 for ground and flight testing. NG may not want too many "facts known" about its senior partner, EADS. The fact that many senior EADS executives are under investigation by the French AMF (French SEC) for insider trading. The fact that they repeatedly threatened to withdraw from the KC-X competition unless the USAF changed the RFP rules to favor them and EADS. Ivan Posted May 14, 2008 8:44 PM