Print edition: 
So far, Boeing isn't officially saying how many jobs winning a U.S. Air Force tanker contract would mean for Kansas.
Boeing has said that winning the contract would mean 44,000 jobs nationwide, including jobs with suppliers.
But the company hasn't made state projections, said Boeing spokesman William Barksdale.
"I'm hopeful we'll get some numbers sooner rather than later," Barksdale said.
The good news is, however, that Wichita is one of two places Boeing has said would receive tanker work.
Wichita would become a finishing center for the refuelers, and Boeing's Everett, Wash., facility would perform the final assembly, he said.
Boeing said during the last round of bidding that a tanker contract would mean 300 to 500 jobs at Boeing Wichita and another 500 with suppliers, including Spirit AeroSystems, which builds part of every Boeing airliner.
But it has not said in this round how many jobs it would mean for Wichita.
U.S. Rep. Todd Tiahrt said he thinks the job projections will be similar to the last time.
"There's been no change to the manufacturing plan," Tiahrt said. "They're still going to do the modifications as planned in Wichita."
Overall, Tiahrt said, a Boeing tanker contract would bring 3,500 jobs to Kansas, if you add jobs at machine shops and other companies that supply parts to Spirit.
In 2008, the Department of Defense awarded the Northrop Grumman/EADS team the $35 billion contract, but the decision was overturned by the Government Accountability Office, who said the Air Force failed to evaluate both proposals on the same merits.
Northrop Grumman said last week that it won't submit a bid, saying the Air Force's proposal favors a smaller aircraft than the Airbus A330 it would offer.
Boeing is offering a refueling tanker using its 767 as a platform.
