On Tuesday, the European aerospace major EADS announced that it is all set to place a bid on a highly lucrative deal to supply the US Air Force with brand new aerial refueling tankers, a move which will pit the company against its arch rival Boeing.

EADS, the parent company of Airbus, will be putting forward an offer as the lead contractor, having lost is American partner Northrop Grumman about six weeks back, as has been shared by officials.

Louis Gallois, Chief Executive Officer of EADS, shared that the company had been looking to foray into the US defense market for quite some time now, a territory which has since long been dominated by Boeing and other American companies.

"We want to increase our presence in the United States", he said.

EADS has been given until July 9 in order to finalize its bid in the contest, a move which has good chances of triggering what analysts are expecting would be a full-blown political debate.

On April 21, 2010, the EADS CEO would be attending a meeting at the International Centre For Journalists where more details might emerge.