EVERETT, Wash. (AP) — Congressmen Norm Dicks and Rick Larsen visited Boeing’s Everett plant Friday with Boeing Commercial Airplanes CEO James Albaugh.
They talked with workers about the jobs that will be retained because Boeing won a $35 billion Air Force contract last month to build 179 air refueling tankers. The tankers use the 767airframe, which is assembled at the plant.
Dicks recently suggested accelerating the tanker production, saving money from the quicker retirement of older KC-135 tankers that are costly to maintain. KC-135 tankers from Fairchild Air Force Base in Spokane are currently involved in supporting the no-fly zone in Libya.
Dicks is the top-ranking Democrat on the House Defense Appropriations Subcommittee. Larsen is a senior member of the House Armed Services Committee.