Topeka ? Kansas Gov. Mark Parkinson plans to participate in a discussion with other governors about the Boeing Co.’s bid to build the next generation of Air Force tankers.

Parkinson is attending the National Governors Association meeting in Boston, where the tanker discussion will be Friday.

Boeing is competing to build a new air refueling tanker for the Air Force. European Aeronautic Defence and Space Co., the parent of the aerospace company Airbus, filed its bid on Thursday.

If awarded the contract, Boeing is expected to complete some of the work at its Wichita operations center.

The Air Force plans to pick a winner by November in an effort to replace its current fleet of KC-135 tankers, some of which date to the late 1950s.