Boeing Poised To Be Sole Bidder On Air Force One Replacement -- Stars and Stripes/Bloomberg
CHICAGO — Boeing Co., whose aircraft have ferried U.S. presidents for more than half a century, is poised to be the only contender for a Pentagon contract to provide the next Air Force One jetliner early next decade.
Boeing said it's reviewing an Air Force request for information about the plane issued Sept. 9 and isn't ready to announce a bid. Toulouse, France-based Airbus doesn't intend to make a proposal based on its double-decker A380 jet.
That leaves Boeing as the "only credible offerer" for the iconic jet, said Loren Thompson, a defense analyst with the Arlington, Va.-based Lexington Institute. The Air Force wants a four-engine plane, and the A380 and Boeing's 747-8 are the only Western commercial models that fit the bill.
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My Comment: Talk about having "a lock" on the deal.