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Potential Conflict Seen in Tanker Bids

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From Bloomberg News

A new competition for an aerial refueling tanker could be “tainted” by the U.S.-European dispute over government aid to plane makers Boeing Co. and Airbus, Air Force Secretary James Roche said Thursday.

The dispute needs to be settled before the Air Force reopens a competition to replace tankers in service more than 40 years, Roche said in a statement.

The U.S. filed a World Trade Organization complaint Oct. 6 claiming that Airbus had received more than $15 billion in government loans since 1967, helping it overtake Chicago-based Boeing’s lead in sales of commercial aircraft.

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The EU countered, alleging that Boeing had gotten $23 billion in aid since 1992 through tax breaks, federal research grants and Japanese subsidies to Boeing suppliers.

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