The head of a congressional subcommittee that oversees the U.S. Air Force called Wednesday for splitting a projected $35 billion aerial refueling-tanker buy between rivals Boeing Co and Northrop Grumman Corp, which is teamed for the competition with Europe’s EADS.

Rep. Neil Abercrombie, who heads the House of Representatives’ Armed Services Committee’s panel on air and land forces, said he would work to buy both of them.

The call is a direct challenge to the Pentagon, which has been adamant that contracting only one supplier would be the cheapest for U.S. taxpayers.

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