US Tanker Jet EADS Abandons Airbus 'Deal of the Century'

The stakes were huge -- a $35 billion contract for 179 tanker jets -- but in the end European aerospace giant EADS saw no chance in winning. On Monday, its US partner Northrop Grumman withdrew its joint bid with EADS to build tankers for the Pentagon based on an Airbus aircraft model. EADS officials claim the new bidding process was tailored exclusively for a Boeing win.