A study paid for by Boeing Co found that a Boeing-built aerial tanker would create 10 times as many new U.S. jobs as the now-withdrawn plan by Northrop Grumman Corp and EADS .

The study was done before Northrop and EADS, parent of Airbus, announced this week that they would not bid to build the tanker in the end, saying new bid specifications favored Boeing's offer.

If Boeing develops and produces the tanker, it should lead to the creation of an estimated 62,605 to 70,706 new U.S. jobs over the life of the contract, the study said.

The study was done by Sonecon LLC, a private consultancy headed by Robert Shapiro, a U.S. undersecretary of commerce for economic affairs from 1997 to 2001.

By contrast, the Northrop-EADS tanker would have led to the creation of no more than 7,080 new U.S. jobs, the study said.

(Reporting by Jim Wolf; Editing by Lisa Von Ahn)

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