GK121, the details of the first tanker fiasco are really moot (other than the USAF and Boeing being corrupt).
EADS and the Europeans were more than happy to have that one go down the tubes since it wasn't fair.
How can they b1tch about this one since the USAF screwed a different but still unfair pooch?
Again, for the last time, I'm not advocating for either one as the better tanker just get something decided and start building.
Brick - these are not really comparable incidents as you suggest. The first was clearly a totally inappropriate fraudulant anti-competitive stitch up, the latter appears to be a 99% fairly run competition with some fairly minor discrepancies that have been blow up to cast doubt on the outcome. I note that good lawyers can always turn such technicalities into major problems, and those running competitions need to be extremely careful (it appears they weren't careful enough - however it doesn't appear 'malicious' to me).
It seems possibile the USAF will be absolutely seething over this, and resentment at Boeing for causing this stink will be on a scale that will ensure when its done 100% fairly this time they will again, in all likelihood, loose. It could be interesting in that given the spotlight now on this, and hence the need to do it now absolutely fairly - it could actually prove to be very difficult to politically manipulate without the US looking like muppets globally (of course this maybe an acceptable price to the administration for home grown votes).
I'd hope that NG, having being awarded the contract once, can claim huge damages if they subsequently do not win again due to lost revenue, all the huge long lead time orders they'll have placed with suppliers, the investment they will have made to start up production etc. There could already be huge amounts of early KC45 spend committed by NG that the US taxpayer will have to stump up for even if the competition is overturned. Anyone know how long NG were in "Go Mode" before things the decision was officially overturned? I assume the USAF will now have put NG work on hold, but even this could still be costing them a fortune.