"The (Defense) Department regrets that Northrop-Grumman and Airbus have taken themselves out of the tanker competition and hope they will return when the final RFP (request for proposal) is issued," Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said in a statement.

Defense officials were not prepared to change the requirements for the 35-billion-dollar contract to favor either the Airbus group or its aviation rival, Boeing, the official said.

"The Department has played this right down the middle and will continue to do so," Whitman said.

"The Air Force tanker is a modified commercial airliner, and Boeing and Airbus make hundreds of such aircraft every year. Both companies can make a good tanker," Whitman said.

Both sides have proposed changes to the competition that would favor their offer, he said.

The Pentagon has been reviewing comments on a draft request for proposal and plans to issue the final document for the competition "probably in January," he said.

The US Air Force's two previous attempts to find a replacement for its KC-135 air refueling tanker have been plagued by scandal, furious lobbying and political controversy.

Northrop and Airbus parent EADS were awarded the contract last year but Boeing managed to overturn the decision on appeal, with federal auditors concluding the competition had been flawed.

A new competition was announced in September to build 179 aerial refueling tankers to replace the aging tanker fleet.

Northrop and EADS have accused the Pentagon of disclosing sensitive price details from their bid for the tanker contract in the previous round of competition that could give their rival Boeing an edge in a new contest.

Defense officials have rejected Northrop's allegations, saying that disclosing the information did not violate federal regulations and that the details are outdated and not pertinent to the new round of bidding.

Both Northrop and Boeing have fierce advocates in Congress, who have already accused the Pentagon of bias in the bidding terms.

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