Posted on 02/29/2008 7:13:12 PM PST by Paleo Conservative
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A U.S. Air Force decision awarding a $35 billion aircraft contract to a team including the European parent of Airbus landed like a bomb in Congress on Friday, drawing howls of protest from lawmakers aligned with the loser, America's Boeing Co.The Congressional delegation from the Seattle area said they were "outraged." Kansas Republican Rep. Todd Tiahrt vowed to seek a review of the decision "at the highest levels of the Pentagon and Congress" in hopes of reversing it.
Boeing has big facilities in both Seattle and Wichita, which stood to gain from the long-term project to build up to 179 aerial refueling tankers. Although Boeing was favored to win the contract, the Air Force awarded it to a partnership between Northrop Grumman and Europe's EADS.
Conventional wisdom was running so strongly against Northrop-EADS in some corners of Capitol Hill that Texas Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison's office issued a statement late on Friday declaring Boeing the winner. It was swiftly retracted.
Lawmakers from Alabama, where Northrop and EADS plan to do some tanker work, were effusive in praising the Air Force.
"I thought all along that the Northrop Grumman-EADS proposal was the best," Sen. Richard Shelby, an Alabama Republican, told reporters. He said the contract would bring nearly 7,000 jobs to the state.
On the disappointment of Chicago-based Boeing's allies, Shelby said he understood. "If Boeing had won this contract ... I would have been concerned about it."
As for Tiahrt's vow to seek a review, Shelby said, "The Pentagon and the Air Force have made their decision and I think it was for the right reasons and I'll stand by that."
The decision was sure to result in a debate, with a formal protest also possible, said defense consultant Jim McAleese.
The tanker deal will give EADS a huge boost in the U.S. defense market, making it the second biggest foreign supplier behind Britain's BAE Systems, analysts said.
"We are so very excited about having the opportunity to help the Air Force acquire the most modern and capable refueling tanker -- a tanker assembled in America -- by Americans," said Alabama Republican Rep. Jo Bonner.
Bonner represents Mobile, Alabama, where assembly work on the aircraft will be done, although it will largely be constructed in France at facilities of EADS' unit Airbus.
Airbus, with large facilities in Toulouse, is Boeing's arch-rival in the global commercial airliner business.
Wichita's Rep. Tiahrt said, "I am deeply troubled by the Air Force's decision to award the KC-X tanker to a French company that has never built a tanker in its history.
"We should have an American tanker built by an American company with American workers. I cannot believe we would create French jobs in place of Kansas jobs."
Tiahrt said he will seek to have the decision reviewed by both the Pentagon and Congress. "At the end of this laborious process, I hope the Air Force reverses its decision."
Washington Senators Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell, both Democrats, along with six other lawmakers from the state said in a joint statement: "We are outraged that this decision taps European Airbus and its foreign workers to provide a tanker to our American military.
"We will be asking tough questions about the decision to outsource this contract. We look forward to hearing the Air Force's justification."
(Additional reporting by Andrea Shalal-Esa, editing by Richard Chang)
If there IS a problem here, it can be dealt with by contractual stipulations with NGC/EADS by mandate of our stalwart gummint officials (including congresscritters), with, of course, the gentle, persistent prodding of concerned FReepers.
If there IS a problem here, it can be dealt with by contractual stipulations with NGC/EADS by mandate of our stalwart gummint officials (including congresscritters), with, of course, the gentle, persistent prodding of concerned FReepers.
p.s. the 330 MRTT has been flying since last fall (October?) and GB, the Aussies, Emirates, and the Saudis have all ordered it.
Huh? It's got three hoses and a boom.
There is still hope...for the liberals. They are giving it away at a prodigious rate. And the conservatives are trying to match them!
You mean Airbus already has a plant in Alabama producing tankers? That’s news to me. The tooling for a tanker is vastly different than for a passenger airplane. Trust me on this, I know what I am talking about here. Also, Japan is actually using one of OUR tankers.
“while currently outselling the 767 by 2.5 to 1”
That really ain’t saying much...
The basic components use the same basic jigs and fixtures and yeah, there are lots of differences; areas are strengthened, systems are added etc, but its a version of the existing A 330 airplane (500 in service) and its performance is very predictable.
And this version (A 330 MRTT) has been flying for several months now.
It is already built and flying.
Whatever 'tooling' required already exists.
Italy was the launch customer for the KC-767 in 2002. Japan signed up in 2003 and just got the first one, and it's over a year late and Boeing has agreed to pay a penalty for late delivery. The remaining 3 aircraft are to be delivered in '08, '09, and 2010. I don't know when Italy gets their 4 tankers.
Great Britain, Australia, UAE and Saudi Arabia have already chosen the 330 MRTT (over the KC-767). So did the USAF.
I think they SHOULD build the plant in Sweet Home so that American citizens will be employed building America's new military tanker/freighter/transport/medevac aircraft on American soil with American management by American labor.
Exactly the point of fact.
I guess they tried the same Shiite on the tankers.
The people of Seattle hate America and our government so for me Alabama is a more patriotic place to build the planes.
I would bet some heads are rolling in Washington State and also in DC.
Hey Hon get the chips and dip and take a seat to watch the hand wringing fun that is soon to begin.
However, with that said it is a sad day for America.
At first glance, I was going to say that the Air Force should choose the best plane, but then it occured to me Americans can make the best plane.
There is entirely too much hyperbole and histrionics on this thread. At the end of the day, all that should really matter is whether or not the men and women in the USAF have the absolute best product that our tax dollars can provide. We aren’t talking about cutting edge technology being imported from France. We’re not talking about F-22s. It’s simply a proven airframe that will be modified for military use in Mobile.
Too many people view military spending as a jobs program. Reading responses on the Seattle P-I website, the people up there almost saw this contract as an entitlement. The fact is that the EADS plane met the Pentagon’s specs and the Boeing plane didn’t. Plus, Boeing was corrupt in its dealings on this contract.
Some on this thread want to crucify McCain for his dealings with Boeing. But what he did was to shine the light on a sweetheart deal that was not in the best interest of the USAF.
Remember, the end result is all that should matter. And that end result is supplying our fighting forces with the best tanker possible.
4) the 767 is close to ready for replacement (altho UPS AND FEDEX ordered many last year)
UPS ordered 767’s — FedEx ordered 757’s
“Then build two of them and employ even more US Citizens. Or have the US manufacturer resubmit with a plane that can hold the adnl 20%.”
I’ve posted on this issue various times over the last several years. Each time I couldn’t get past that AIRBUS was the design that gave the best refueling capacity. I see it as a necessary Air Force program to keep warplanes fueled and in the air. Not a jobs program per se, but don’t the Northrop employees count ? As for Boeing resubmitting a new more competitive design, they had years to do just that, and SHOULD have. But they didn’t. Now times up, and USAF need the tankers.
“This plane will be built in France and flown to Alabama to have the decals put on”
From Northrop: “The KC-30 industrial team is committed to delivering an American military aircraft program, with tanker assembly and production taking place in Mobile, Alabama, and 58 percent of the aircraft, subsystems and support being provided by hundreds of American partners and suppliers. The KC-30 program will result in the in-sourcing of thousands of U.S aerospace jobs.”
As I said above, insinuations of treason are out of line. Boeing apparently didn’t design the best plane. Wishing punishment on the Air Force for Boeing for once not getting the contract is over the top. And generally absurd.
I thought the engines for the A330 wer going to be supplied by GE.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.