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European defense contractor EADS has bid on the contract to build the Air Force's new refueling tanker. EADS is the parent company of Airbus.
The contract for 179 planes is worth $35 to $40 billion.
EADS delivered copies of its 8,800 page proposal to the Pentagon a day before the Air Force's deadline for bids.
“It’s a fully compliant proposal that meets all the 372 requirements” listed by the Air Force, Ralph Crosby, chairman of EADS North America said at a news conference.
If it wins, EADS still plans to set up a plant in Mobile, Alabama, to build the tankers. The company also has said A330-based freighter aircraft will be built at the same plant.
There was some doubt whether EADS would bid after its partner in the project, Northrop Grumman, pulled out.
Boeing also is expected to compete for the contract to build 179 new jets.
If Boeing wins the contract, it would mean hundreds of jobs in Wichita and the Pacific Northwest.
The Air Force has tried and failed several times to pick a winner. The Pentagon plans to award a contract by November.