WASHINGTON — The Pentagon has agreed to reopen the competition for a new air refueling tanker plane. Kansas and Washington politicians have waged a fierce battle to overturn the Air Force decision to buy a tanker made by European airplane maker Airbus in cooperation with U.S. defense company Northrup Grumman. U.S. Sen. Pat Roberts from Kansas said the change gives Boeing a fair chance to compete and ensures that American military personnel get the best plane possible. Earlier this week, Kansas Gov. Mark Parkinson and Washington Gov. Chris Gregoire formed the U.S. Tanker 2010 Coalition with other government and business officials. If Boeing wins the contract, much of the work would be done at Wichita and in Seattle. Many have said the competition has been stacked in Airbus’ favor. This week’s switch is the second major switch in the tanker saga. Originally, the Pentagon yanked the tanker contract from Boeing after a scandal in which Boeing and Air Force officials were convicted of corruption.
