Paris - The head of the European aerospace giant EADS, Louis Gallois, was quoted Thursday as saying that his company would place another bid to provide next-generation aerial refuellers to the US Air Force after having its contract called into question.

"We are very confident about the quality of our offer," Gallois told the business daily La Tribune. "If the competition must, one way or another, be reopened, we will obviously be quality competitors."

On Wednesday, a US congressional auditing agency, the General Accountability Office (GAO), ruled that the US Air Force had made a series of mistakes and unfairly awarded the 35-billion-dollar contract to EADS and its US partner Northrop Grumman over EADS's US rival Boeing.

While the ruling is not binding, it could spark sufficient political controversy to force the Air Force to restart the bidding process.

The decision was a blow to EADS, which is still reeling from production problems that have delayed the delivery of the A380 superjumbo aircraft produced by its subsidiary Airbus.

The news caused EADS shares to plunge by more than 3 per cent at the opening of the Paris Bourse, before recovering slightly. (dpa)