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Head Of The Mobile Airport Authority Retiring
By Steve Alexander Reporter
Published: Fri, February 22, 2008 - 8:27 pm
Steve Alexander
That's one of the options being talked about more frequently as an important announcement draws closer.
On Monday, a decision is expected to be made public about whether the Air Force will pick the EADS team or Boeing to build the fleet.
EADS and Northrop Grumman want to build the aircraft in Mobile at Brookley Field.
Boeing would build them in the state of Washington.
Alabama Development Office Director Neal Wade tells News Five he attended an international air show this week where that option was talked about.
Wade says, "I just returned from the Singapore Air Show yesterday and that split buy was a rumor that was going around throughout Singapore."
But Wade says he's also heard either company could win.
He says, "We want at least EADS to win or the split buy because we want to have that presence of EADS in Mobile."
Mobile County Commissioner Steve Nodine is hoping Mobile and the EADS team win the contract, but he says splitting the work makes more political sense.
Nodine says the losing company might formally protest the decision.
He says, "If its a protest, it could take another year and that brings you into another administration and so that brings more ambiguity."
Nodine says a split could mean half the jobs or half the contract, but "even if its just half a contract, we're still going to have to create all of the facilities."
EADS has announced it would also build commercial freight planes here if Mobile wins the contract.
To learn more about the KC-30 and other economic development projects in our area, click here.
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Most of the financial community are saying, Boeing will get the contract in whole.I guess that means senators Shelby and Sessions and congressman Bonner have little pull in their jobs if this is correct.