The Pentagon said Tuesday it aims to stick to plans to award a contract for a new US aerial refueling tanker by "this fall," telling aerospace rivals to be ready to start work by November 12.
"The award date has not in any way slipped. We still hope to be able to do so this fall, we are still planning to do so this fall, we still expect to do so this fall," press secretary Geoff Morrell told reporters.
The Pentagon had said earlier the multi-billion-dollar contract would be awarded in the "early fall."
The US Air Force on Tuesday announced November 12 as the "contract start" date, a guide for bidders on the project to set out their proposed work plans on the same timeline.
"It's an arbitrary date according to which both companies should build their master schedule," Morrell said.
Some media had confused the November 12 date with the deadline for awarding the contract.
"The contract start date is simply a tool in the evaluation process," he said.
The high-stakes competition for the tanker contract worth at least 35 billion dollars pits European aviation firm EADS, parent of Airbus, against its US rival Boeing.
Proposals from each firm are due by mid-July.
EADS decided to return to the contest after its US partner Northrop Grumman dropped out.
The Defense Department agreed to extend a May 10 deadline for bidding by 60 days after EADS re-entered the competition.
The tanker contract calls for replacing the older Boeing KC-135 Stratotankers that date back to the 1950s.
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