Airbus is hoping to take advantage of the “special relationship” between Britain and the United States as it tries to win a $100 billion (£49.6 billion) order to supply refuelling tankers to the US Air Force.

One of the biggest-ever defence orders, it could be worth more than $6 billion in export earnings to the UK.

The project has become intensely political, forcing Airbus, which is competing against Boeing, to play up its Anglo-American credentials.

Airbus says that more than 75 per cent of its A330 tanker will be built in America or Britain. Boeing has countered by saying that its 767 competitor will be 85 per cent American.

Boeing is also playing on its credentials as a blue-chip American group to help to convince US politicians and the Defence Department to select its aircraft.

It says that the tanker programme will support 44,000 jobs in the US.

Airbus and Northrop Grumman, its partner in the competition, are also promoting the US jobs line, saying that a new production facility would be built in Alabama for the tankers.

The wings for Airbus aircraft are built at its Broughton factory in North Wales and the company employs more than 13,000 people in the UK.

Although production of the fuselages will move from Europe to America if Airbus wins the contract, the wings will continue to be made in Wales.

Airbus hopes that the British component of its aircraft will carry some weight with US legislators and defence officials, given the close relationship between the countries.

A spokesman for EADS, the parent company of Airbus, said: “The US and the UK enjoy a special security relationship. The Northrop Grumman KC30 programme is a unique opportunity to simultaneously strengthen future US/UK joint operations, as well as deepen our mutually beneficial defence industrial partnership.”

The USAF’s fleet of refuelling tankers include the KC135 Stratotanker, some more than 50 years old, and a younger fleet of KC10s, which are more than 25 years old.

The competition to supply the new aircraft is expected to conclude early next year.

The US Defence Department is expected to order an initial tranche of 179 tankers worth about $40 billion.

A further two tranches of a similar number of aircraft will come later.

The total cost of replacing the fleet, including maintenance costs, is estimated at more than $200 billion.

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