WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Roger Wicker, R-Miss., today released the following statement after Northrop Grumman announced it would not bid on the Air Force refueling tanker:

“I don’t blame Northrop Grumman for refusing to participate in what would have been a charade.  The final RFP clearly stacked the deck for Boeing’s smaller, less capable plane.  This is a regrettable result for the American taxpayer and for our national defense.

“The office of the Secretary of Defense made a political decision back in 2008 after the objective competition awarded the contract to the Northrop Grumman-EADS team.  I regret this outcome for the thousands of American workers across the country – including those in Mississippi and Alabama – who were not given a fair chance to compete for next generation aerospace jobs.

“Unless the RFP can be reversed, this entire process does irreparable damage to the credibility of competitive acquisition in the future.”

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