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| EADS wins $40bn US aircraft deal | EADS wins $40bn US aircraft deal |
| (20 minutes later) | |
| Franco-German company EADS, owner of Airbus, has won a contract to build refuelling aircraft for the US Air Force, worth up to $40bn (£20bn). | |
| EADS joined with US firm Northrop Grumman to compete against Boeing for the lucrative deal to build 179 new aircraft over the next 10 to 15 years. | |
| The winning plane is based on the Airbus A330 and will be assembled in Alabama, creating 25,000 jobs. | The winning plane is based on the Airbus A330 and will be assembled in Alabama, creating 25,000 jobs. |
| US company Boeing had been emphasising its home-grown credentials. | US company Boeing had been emphasising its home-grown credentials. |
| "The best for America's war fighters and America's workers," Boeing claimed in advertising running in the days leading up to the announcement. | "The best for America's war fighters and America's workers," Boeing claimed in advertising running in the days leading up to the announcement. |
| But EADS and Northrop Grumman said their KC-30 plane had a "longer range", with the ability to carry 45,000 more pounds of fuel than Boeing's plane. | |
| Global strike | |
| "It is the first step in our critical commitment to recapitalise our ageing fleet to move, supply and position assets anywhere," said Air Force General Duncan McNab. | |
| "In this global air force business, the critical element for air bridge, global intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, and global strike is the tanker," he said. | |
| The initial contract for the tanker, called the KC-45A, is to develop four test aircraft for $1.5bn, the US Air Force said. | |
| "The KC-45A will provide significantly greater air refuelling capabilities than the current fleet of Eisenhower-era KC-135s it will begin replacing," the Air Force said in a statement. |