Tanker contract announcement expected

WASHINGTON (CNN) - Defense Secretary Robert Gates will announce Wednesday whether the Pentagon will reopen bidding for one of the largest contracts in military history, a Defense Department spokesman said Wednesday.The Air Force made an internal recommendation for a new round of bidding after Congressional auditors rebuked the service for "serious errors" in awarding the $35 billion contract Northrop Grumman, Pentagon officials tell CNN.

Gates will make the final decision on whether or not to take new bids. He said Tuesday he took the Government Accountability Office report "very seriously" and would announce a decision "very soon."

The Air Force originally - and unexpectedly - awarded the $35 billion contract to a bid from Northrop Grumman backed by Airbus. Many experts had anticipated Boeing would win the contract to build tankers that can refuel airplanes in flight.