How is this a foolish decesion?
Is it a good idea to have a foreign country deeply involved in a major defense project? My opinion is “No.” That is why, to me, it was a foolish - nay, very foolish - decision to give it to a partnership with EADS involved.
One company already has the tooling, the jigs, the plans, the machinery, the buildings, the resources, the management, and the employees ready to go to work tomorrow. The other company is all on paper and will take several years to fully man up.