Sens. Jerry Moran and Pat Roberts of Kansas are joining a bipartisan coalition calling for Boeing Corp. to win the contract for a new Air Force refueling tanker.

Boeing is competing with European manufacturer EADS, parent company of Airbus, for the contract.

Roberts and Moran planned to take part in a news conference Thursday afternoon in Washington promoting Boeing’s case. The conference was expected to highlight the potential benefits to Kansas if Boeing wins the bid.

Roberts and Moran are both Republicans. Three Democratic senators — Maria Cantwell and Patty Murray of Washington state and Debbi Stabenow of Michigan — were also expected at the news conference.

A decision on the contract is expected in the coming weeks. Washington and Kansas would get most of the work on the new aircraft.