[avg_freeper]

Lockheed was the expected winner, so this is a surprise.

[Steve_Seattle]

Chicago-based Boeing

That still sounds weird.

[bondjamesbond]

Boeing really needs the work, but a 737 based maritime patrol aircraft is just stupid. Too fast, too high, with no loiter time on station. When you are using planes to track ships, low and slow is the way to go...

[A.A. Cunningham]

JSF fallout.

[RightWhale]

Boeing was one of the few stocks in the green today.

[Ronin]

And there was much wailing and gnashing of teeth....

Since Lockheed has done almost every other aircraft manufacturer dirty at one time or another, it's fun to see them get the dirty end of the stick for a change.

(Not that I expect them to roll over on this. They may fight nasty, but they're tenacious.)

[Modernman]

ping

[pabianice]

What happens when the people making the decision have never actually been aboard a military aircraft. This will bite the Navy big-time.

pabianice (3,000 hours in P-3s)

[finnman69]

[KarlInOhio]

I hope they learn the Air Force's lesson and don't take Linda Daschle's advice to lease the planes.

[finnman69]

Click on pic for larger cool drop NOW NOW NOW photo

[tom h]

"Lockheed was the expected winner, so this is a surprise."

Your perspective is interesting. I work in this industry and I would hardly have said Lockheed was the inevitable winner. The differences in the two offerings were striking. And the poster later on who cited "JSF fallout" is probably right, too.

Lockheed's chances are much better for MC2A and Aerial Common Sensor. And for political reasons and preservation of the industrial base, it makes much better sense to award Boeing MMA, which is primarily aircraft, and Lockheed one of the other two.

[smonk]

is there any chance that the navy envisions multiple rolls
for the same basic airframe, and this decision will get the
cost down per plane for future planes?

[Viperb2]

No.. after seeing how poor there flight line maintenance is and given their poor managament of C5AMP and C-130J and F-22, this is not a surprise.

[kerosene]

Back in the 1980's, another P-3 replacement program was underway. Lockheed proposed a larger, four-engined turboprop, called the P-7. Boeing proposed a variant of the 757! Lockheed won the competition, but they made major boo-boos with weight calculations (among other things), resulting in cost overruns that caused the Navy to kill the program.

P-7 Info

[GBA]

Ping

[ChEng]

Am I missing something here? Who are they going to be hunting? Hey guys, for a lot less then 4 billion we could BUY all the outstanding Russian subs( as we have many of their newer naval support ships) including setting up their crews running 7-11s. China, Canada or N. Korea? They have junk, lucky to make a cruise and back home again, so keep a few P-3s around as watch dogs. Spend the money putting "Warthogs" on our border. You "industry" guys (Boeing, etc.) figure out a way to kickass Airbus and leave my dime alone....

[msdrby]

ping

[Long Cut]

PING. Me old girl's retiring, and a new steed is on the way.

[zbigreddogz]

So, does this hurt or help Nethercutt?

[hosepipe]

Unmanned drones is the way to go on this. Lots of them.. Armed too.. Shooting down a drone would be a serious mistake, marks an area of concern.. Already have much of the technology needs refitting with new gizmo's..</p>
Can then have slow and low or fast and ordinance ridden.. or BOTH... Convert the P3's to AWACS type drone-o-mobiles. BUT military procurement don't like effective and cheap, they want expensive and looks dangerous..