Posted on 01/23/2011 11:10:05 AM PST by sukhoi-30mki
US military's tanker deal: a saga without end
Sun, Jan 23, 2011
AFP
WASHINGTON - The battle between aerospace giants Boeing and EADS to supply new aerial refueling tankers for the US Air Force could drag on even after the military finally makes a decision on the contract, experts say.
For the past decade, the Pentagon has struggled to launch a new fleet of refueling aircraft to replace the old KC-135 workhorses that date back to the 1950s, but the effort has been marred by scandal and bitter feuds.
Two previous attempts to move ahead with a new tanker were cancelled, first with Boeing and then with EADS and its US partner Northrop Grumman.
The Pentagon hopes a decision on the $35 billion deal - expected sometime in February or March - will settle the issue once and for all. But nothing is guaranteed given the high stakes and "failure is an option," said Richard Aboulafia, a defense analyst with the Teal Group.
"Nothing can ever get done because it is the most partisan defense contract in history," he told AFP.
"Boeing and EADS have allied themselves with politicians who absolutely are not going to let this rest."
Chicago-based Boeing, which is offering a military version of the 767 aircraft, can count on solid support from Democrats in Congress, while the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company has strong backing from Republicans, including lawmakers from Alabama, where the firm plans to build a plant to construct the tanker based on its A330 aircraft.
The issue has become "very politicized," said Loren Thompson, chief operating officer of the Lexington Institute, which receives funding from defense contractors.
Thompson said he expected the Pentagon to issue the long-awaited decision in March but that "
(Excerpt) Read more at news.asiaone.com ...
So in a nutshell,,,, the dems want to support fat union infested Boeing,,, and repubs prefer to outsource the project to a foreign company, willing to use a few locals to provide a veneer of domestic production?
We are so screwed.
Is there a third choice?
“Is there a third choice?”
Convert all our aircraft to run on solar power? Or, gosh, outsource our defense to China. (Do I need the “/s”?)
Yes.
The Ilyushin Il-78, which is a Drogue and Probe system, not a Boom, but which could be modified. http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2661470/posts
Jeez, just build the dang thing. The oldest KC-135s will turn 56 years old this year.
Jeez, just build the dang thing. The oldest KC-135s will turn 56 years old this year.
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