Boeing gets Air Force deal for 100 jets WASHINGTON (AP) =97 The Pentagon has approved an Air Force plan to lease 100= =20 modified 767 jetliners from Boeing (BA) for use as refueling tankers,=20 members of Congress said Friday. The controversial plan has undergone=20 repeated delays, but supporters in Congress kept up pressure on the=20 Pentagon. "I am very pleased the Department of Defense approved the 767=20 tankers lease," said Sen. Pat Roberts, R-Kan., chairman of the Senate=20 Intelligence Committee. "I've worked for more than a year with the Air=20 Force and the department to see that this decision was reached." Critics=20 have called the estimated $17 billion price tag too high and complained=20 about the unusual structure of the deal, which calls for leasing the planes= =20 rather than buying them outright. Supporters say the lease arrangement=20 would allow the Air Force to take delivery of the planes sooner and with=20 less upfront costs, but critics say the plan could cost more money over= time. The Pentagon said Boeing can build the tankers for about $131 million each,= =20 Roberts said. The Air Force would be able to buy the planes after six years= =20 for an estimated $4 billion. The plan has strong support in Congress=20 because of the approximately 2,300 jobs it would bring to Boeing. The=20 tankers' 767 airframes would be built at Boeing's plant in Everett, Wash.,= =20 about 25 miles north of Seattle. Other work on the military modifications=20 would be done at Boeing's Wichita, plant. The Pentagon planned to release= =20 more details of the deal Friday afternoon. Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash.,=20 said the deal would be a major boost for the depressed economy of the=20 Seattle area. "It's a big victory for our state's economy and will deliver= =20 a sustained boost for Boeing's production lines and its workers at a time=20 when they need it most," said Cantwell. "The men and women who serve our=20 nation in the Air Force need and deserve the best equipment available, and= =20 the Boeing 767 tanker is a best-of-breed technology." The tankers are=20 intended to replace more than 500 KC-135's that are over 40 years old. *************************************************** The owner of Roger's Trinbago Site/TnTisland.com Roj (Roger James) escape email mailto:ejames@xxxxxxxxx Trinbago site: www.tntisland.com Carib Brass Ctn site www.tntisland.com/caribbeanbrassconnection/ Steel Expressions www.mts.net/~ejames/se/ Mas Site: www.tntisland.com/tntrecords/mas2003/ Site of the Week: http://www.caribbeanfloral.com TnT Webdirectory: http://search.co.tt *********************************************************