Good. It should go to Boeing.
Something ain’t kosher.
It do sound fishy, Andy.
Read the article - same old, same old. If this is all Boeing has got, it’s nada.
nothing like having the home town paper highlight anybody who agrees with their side. I’m sure it’s a carefully balanaced article.
From what I’ve read about this deal generally leaves me with the impression it was some Political manuever that awarded the contract to Northrop-Eads.
Personally I’ve no involvement other than being an American citizen who would prefer 100% American production of any new American military equipment.
There has been so much reported about corruption within the EADS organization as well. I don’t think it is acceptable to be associated with an organization with that sort of track record.
Why ask for another third party? They had one last time that Northrop - EADS won.
Boeing has already lined every politicians pocket. Why not a few more?
I don’t care about your jobs in Washington. You guys didn’t care when all the jobs were being lost in the south. Didn’t your so-called senator, Sandy Murruy support Nafta before she was against it?
You guys are a joke. You didn’t win and now you’re trying to screw the people that did.
BTW, Boeing thought people in Mobile could build planes too. They wanted to build planes at the same exact site as Northrop Grumman - EADS. The only reason they didn’t was because of an LNG plant that was going to be built in the area. The LNG plant wasn’t built so now Northrop-EADS is building at that site. Again, Boeing thought people in Mobile could build them but now they decided against it.
This is way too much hypocrisy for me.
The Obama supporting tree-huggers in Washington think building Air Force tankers is an entitlement program. They think that only they deserve these jobs.
Boeing lost the most fair process in the history of defense procurement. This is after they tried to cheat the Air Force and the tax payers the time before.
Also, Boeing is trying to wrap the American flag around their planes. However, their new 787 that is 2 years behind schedule is 70% foreign content.
This guy is no expert. His ‘analysis’ sucks.
“Thompson made the following points in his report and the interview that he said raise serious questions about the Air Force decision:
— The Air Force claims it would cost roughly the same amount to develop, manufacture and operate 179 tankers regardless of whether they are based on Boeing’s 767 or the Airbus A330. But the Airbus plane is 27 percent heavier than Boeing’s and burns a ton more fuel per flight hour, Thompson said. “With fuel prices headed for the upper stratosphere, how can both planes cost the same amount to build and operate over their lifetimes?’’ Thompson said.”
ANS: Fuel cost is not the only factor. MX schedules, reliability, number of sorties to refuel X number of fighters, etc would all factor in. An additional 2000#/hr (about 300 gallons) could easily be offset elsewhere.
“—The Air Force has said the Northrop-EADS team received higher ratings on past performance than the Boeing team. But Thompson noted that Boeing has built all 600 of the tankers in the Air Force fleet and Northrop and EADS have never delivered a single tanker equipped with the refueling boom the Air Force requires.”
ANS: The Boeing tankers were built 50 years ago. Most people don’t consider a company’s performance in 1960 a very good indicator of future performance in 2010...
—The Air Force has said a computer simulation of how the competing tankers would function in an actual wartime scenario strongly favored the larger Airbus plane. But the simulation assumed longer runways, stronger asphalt and more parking space than actually exists at forward bases, Thompson said, and the simulation failed to consider the consequences of losing bases in wartime.”
ANS: Most of the bases I’ve forward deployed to over the last 25 years have been plenty long enough and strong enough for C-5s to operate out of...I doubt EADS is building something bigger and heavier than that.
“How can such unrealistic assumptions be relevant to the selection of a next-generation tanker?” Thompson said.”
ANS: How can such stupidity mask itself as analysis?
Tanker Competition: Buying Both Planes Would Waste Billions
DEAL OF THE CENTURY: WHO WILL WIN THE TANKER COMPETITION?
TANKER COMPETITION: NORTHROP WON BY A WIDE MARGIN
BOEING FIGHTS BACK: HOW IT PLANS TO PREVAIL