Babbin, along with many others, has no explanation as to why his vaunted Boeing is several years behind schedule in delivering a total of eight tankers to the Italians and Japanese.
And can anyone remember who the main lobbyist for Boeing was?.....
Tom Daschle’s wife!!
Why does he or anyone else need to? They are foreign orders...with foreign partners...the Italians being the choke-point [why are we not surprised?].
The U.S. KC-767 will be U.S. made.
Nontheless,Boeing already delivered two apiece, and the delivery pace was clearly impacted by the Italians wanting more of the pie than they could successfully chew. Note this report in Wikipedia:
Italy's aircraft became the first KC-767 to be assembled. The aircraft are initially built as 767-200ER commercial airplanes, then flown to a separate facility for conversion into tankers. Italy's first aircraft made its maiden flight on May 21, 2005,[25] and in June the same year, Japan's first aircraft arrived at Boeing's Wichita, Kansas modification center to be fitted out with the tanker equipment.[3]
Italy's second aircraft arrived for modification at the Naples, Italy facility of Boeing's partner, Aeronavali on May 6, 2005.[26]
On January 23, 2007, the KC-767 flight test aircraft set a program milestone by making its first hookup with a receiver aircraft, a B-52 Stratofortress. The "dry contact" transferred no fuel, but was intended to test the tanker's fifth-generation fly-by-wire telescoping boom. Unlike the KC-135 boom operator, who is prone, the KC-767 operator uses a remote station with a video display. The testing is being done at Edwards Air Force Base, and the test aircraft is destined for Italy once testing is complete.[4] Even if the KC-767 is not the final winner of the KC-X competition, Boeing expects the refueling boom being developed in the current program to be used on the KC-X airframe.[4]
The KC-767 extended its air refueling boom and transferred fuel to another aircraft for the first time on March 5, 2007.[27] The tanker completed another test milestone on April 12, 2007 when its aircrew successfully extended and retracted both wing refueling hoses.[28] Flight testing has resumed on Japan's tanker after modifications were completed.[29] In November 2007, Boeing decided to shift modification work on the KC-767A tankers for Italy and Japan from subcontractor Aeronavali's facility in Italy to Boeing's Wichita facility in an effort to meet delivery schedules.[30]
Both the Japanese and Italian planes were to be done via work by the Italian partner... so there is an object lesson for all would-be "global" and "multinational" defense manufacturing. Production by Committee times Ten. Bring the work home, boys, bring it home.