A final revised request for proposal, or RFP, for the next generation KC-X tanker was expected this week despite a slight delay, a Pentagon spokesman said, as Boeing and Northrop waged a bitter public relations campaign.

"When the RFP comes out I'm not sure that one side or the other side doesn't protest again," said General Arthur Lichte, who as head of the Air Mobility Command is responsible for the air force's transport and air refueling operations.

Speaking to defense reporters, Lichte emphasized the air force's interest in a quick resolution to the dispute so that it can begin replacing its aging fleet of KC-130 air refueling tankers.

But he expressed concern it will drag on.

"I mean this is a lot of money, I understand the business nature of this," the general said. "But I don't understand how at some point you stop and say, this company wins, and this company loses, or this company is successful and this company is not.

"I don't know how we get through something like that. With the poisonous nature of all the comments that are out there right now, I don't know how we make peace with everybody to say, okay let's go forward," he said.

Boeing protested when the contract was awarded to a team led by Northrop Grumman in February. Congressional auditors upheld the protest, forcing the Pentagon to backtrack and revise its request for proposal for the new tanker.

Lichte said he would be happy with whichever tanker is selected, but said he would not favor splitting the contract between the two companies. That would be costlier and require separate maintenance and training for aircrews, he said.

Northrop Grumman and its European partner EADS have proposed a tanker based on the Airbus A-330, while Boeing is offering a militarized version of the Boeing 767.

The contract would be to build 179 air refueling aircraft for the air force, a deal worth some 35 billion dollars. It would be the initial phase of a fleet replacement project worth over 100 billion dollars over the next 30 years.

Boeing currently is the air force's sole supplier of air refueling tankers, and loss of the KC-X tanker contract to Northrop and the Airbus airframe would be a major blow to the aeronautics giant.

Its backers in Congress have fiercely opposed a Northrop bid in a debate with strong protectionist overtones.

In awarding Northrop the contract in February, the air force cited Airbus' greater fuel and cargo capacity as a key reason for the choice.

Boeing threatened last month to withdraw from the bidding unless it were given six more months to draw up a new proposal, which would kick the decision over to a new administration.

US Defense Secretary Robert Gates has insisted on a fast track process with a final selection being made by the first week in January.

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