EADS names former Senate majority leader to U.S. board

WASHINGTON, Oct 15 (Reuters) - The North American unit of EADS on Wednesday said it had named former Senate majority leader Trent Lott, a Mississippi Republican, to its board.

Lott announced his retirement from the Senate late in November, ending a 34-year career in Congress in which he became a powerful conservative figure.

EADS has a big helicopter production facility in Lott's home state, where it builds helicopters for the U.S. Army. It also has an engineering center in neighboring Alabama.

EADS is a subcontractor to Northrop Grumman Corp (NOC.N), which beat out Boeing Co (BA.N) in a high-stakes, bitter competition last February to build $35 billion worth of new mid-air refueling airplanes for the U.S. Air Force.

The Pentagon last month canceled that competition and postponed any further decisions on the big aircraft program until the next administration.

EADS North America Chief Executive Ralph Crosby said Lott would bring "unparalleled experience and perspective" to the board at a time when the company is pushing to greatly expand its presence in the U.S. defense market.

"He will provide invaluable expertise as our company expands its presence in the U.S. defense and homeland security sectors," Crosby said. (Editing by Maureen Bavdek)