Personally I think these deals were made to persuade the Euros from their position of trading with China. If that is true now we live in a world where the EU can have there way just by taking outrageous positions.
The trends in this article are quite chilling, particularly the business of BAE. That firm needs to be bought out. DO not forget that BEA is a major stockholder in Airbus.
We need to get over this notion that the Euros are our "allies," and that includes the UK. If labor wins again, and they find a way to dump Blair, it will be a whole other kettle of fish.
a noble cause, yours,
but left to our own devices, the american military procurement system has degenerated.
there's no competition.
middle class welfare recipients vote for the same u.s. congress people and senators who take money form northrup and lockheed.
the result is, as an article on the u.s. navy on this forum the other day detailed, an unaffordable navy.
U.S. firms are still very, very overwhelmingly in the lead here, and control major stakes in virtually all of these programs. I'm as suspicious of reliance on foreign producers for defense as anything, but this is a bit much.