Kansas politicians are fuming over the US Air Force's decision to award a 40-billion dollar tanker refueler modification contract to a foregn company.

Boeing and French rival Airbus had been vying for the contract. Boeing said the deal would have meant hundreds of jobs in Wichita if it were awarded to them.

Boeing's Wichita facility would have served as a finishing location for the 767, in essence, outfitting it to become a KC-767, as well as test flying the planes before delivery to the military.

Kansas Congressman Todd Tiahrt told KAKE News previously that the contract would have meant nearly 4,000 jobs in the Wichita area for Boeing and its contractors. He also said the contract would have injected 14-million dollars into the local economy annually.

Meanwhile, the Airbus offer calls for the modification of its A-330 airplane into what would be called a KC-30 tanker. The A-330 is bigger in size to the 767 that Boeing would have used. However, it is less fuel efficient.

Statement from Kansas Senator Pat Roberts:

"I am extremely disappointed in the Air Force's decision to choose Northrup Gruman/EADS over Boeing to make the critical new aerial refueling tanker. From the beginning, the Air Force vowed to have an open competition process. I look forward to seeing their justification for this unfortunate outcome. Personally, I will scrutinize and insist on a Monday briefing by the Air Force to see the numbers that justify a contract for American planes going to a foreign entity, when the merits clearly reside with Boeing. If this decision holds, it will be at the cost of American jobs and American dollars, if not our national security."

Statement from Kansas Congressman and former Boeing employee Todd Tiahrt:

"I am deeply troubled by the Air Force's decision to award the KC-X tanker to a French company that has never built a tanker in its history. We should have an American tanker built by an American company with American workers. I can not believe we would create French jobs in place of Kansas jobs. I will work to ensure this decision is thoroughly reviewed at the highest levels of the Pentagon and Congress. At the end of this laborious process, I hope the Air Force reverses its decision."

Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius:

"We are incredibly disappointed and surprised Boeing was not selected to fulfill this important contract. Boeing's KC-767 Advanced Tanker provides a combination of military capabilities, job creation and economic benefits in more than 40 states, as well as financial and environmental advantages for taxpayers. Because it is more fuel efficient, selecting Boeing's model would have saved American taxpayers an estimated $10 billion in fuel costs."

Stay tuned to KAKE News and KAKE.com for the latest details in this developing story.