EADS Hires Retired General for Tanker Bid
From Reuters
European aerospace group European Aeronautic Defense & Space Co. said it hired retired U.S. Air Force Maj. Gen. Silas Johnson to head its marketing effort in a high-stakes aerial tanker competition with Boeing Co.
Johnson retired in 2002 after 34 years with the Air Force, including positions as commander of the Mobility Warfare unit and commander of the Air Control Wing at Tinker Air Force Base, where the current tanker fleet is maintained.
The move comes a day ahead of an expected announcement by EADS North American Chief Executive Ralph Crosby to kick off a search for a U.S. production facility where Airbus could assemble a tanker or other aircraft, industry sources said.
