Russia’s state-owned United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) is planning to bid for US Air Force’s (USAF) $35 billion tanker contract. Russia will however partner with a “small U.S. defense contractor” for its offer, based on Ilyushin Il-96 wide-body jetliner, a four engine airliner.1

• 1. John T Bennett, ‘Russian State Firm: We'll Bid for USAF Tanker’, Defense News, March 19, 2010 at http://www.defensenews.com/story.php?i=4547300&c=EUR&s=AIR