Boeing Loses to Airbus

[Made in the USA]

Keep buying those Japanese cars, Army!


Boeing loses tanker to Northrop Grumman-EADS team
BY MOLLY MCMILLIN
The Wichita Eagle

Boeing Co. was passed over today in the battle for a multibillion-dollar aerial tanker contract, Sen. Pat Roberts told The Eagle.

The Department of Defense selected a bid from the team of Northrop Grumman and EADS, the parent company of Airbus, over Boeing to provide the Air Force with a new fleet of refueling tankers, Roberts said.

Loren Thompson of the Lexington Institute, a Washington, D.C. -based organization said he was told the same thing by "authoritative government sources."

Boeing’s Wichita facility would have housed a finishing center to assemble and test the tankers. That was expected to create 300 to 500 jobs.

The contract also was expected create another 500 jobs with local suppliers, including Spirit AeroSystems.

Overall, the economic impact to Kansas would have been about 3,800 jobs and $14 million a year, Roberts and U.S. Rep. Todd Tiahrt said last month.

The new tankers are vital, Air Force officials say. By the end of the decade, the Air Force’s current fleet of 531 KC-135 and 59 KC-10 aircraft will reach an average age of 50 years old.

In choosing the KC-30 tanker — based on the Airbus A330 commercial airliner — the Air Force chose a larger airplane than Boeing’s offering, which was based on the 767 commercial airliner.

Experts expect Boeing to file a protest.

[Army_of_One]

So why did they choose Airbus over Boeing?

[Made in the USA]

Originally Posted by Army_of_One

So why did they choose Airbus over Boeing?

Because the guy that made the decision drives a Japanese Car!

[Army_of_One]

Originally Posted by Made in the USA

Because the guy that made the decision drives a Japanese Car!

Funny guy you are...

[Tee]

How can our government, who tells us to "buy American", hire an overseas company to build it's aircraft? Especially when we are on the verge of a reccession...That's just crazy!

Even if the bid was twice as high...at least it stays in the U.S. and creates jobs HERE.

[Made in the USA]

The "graft and corruption" probably got to them!
Of course, Boeing hiring the Female Officer that tried to set them up, probably didn't help matters.

[Tee]

Originally Posted by Made in the USA

Because the guy that made the decision drives a Japanese Car!

The guy responsible for the decision was John McCain, Senator of Arizona, even though this would have brought jobs into Arizona for his own constituents.

The Pentagon announced the contract award Friday.

Chicago-based Boeing (NYSE: BA) and labor unions had lobbied for the Chicago-based aerospace firm to get the contract, saying it would bring jobs to Arizona via subcontractors.

Northrop (NYSE: NOC) and Airbus will build the tankers in Alabama. The tankers can refuel other military jets in-air.

The Bush adminstration had originally inked a lease deal for the tankers with Boeing but that deal was scuttled by Arizona Sen. John McCain, who questioned the cost of leasing instead of buying, A Pentagon official and ex-Boeing executives ended up pleading guilty to some criminal charges related to the awarding of the lease contract.

And he's running for president?

oh well....it's only 40 billion dollars.

[Made in the USA]

Originally Posted by Army_of_One

So why did they choose Airbus over Boeing?

Sitting on the edge of my seat, waiting for you to answer Tee's question Army!

[K C Muffin]

I don't understand it either. When they "pay" Airbus for the planes, that money goes overseas to be spent in a foreign country. When they "pay" Boeing the money, most of it comes back in one form or other of taxes. So really the damn things are free (I know, it takes a few years for the money to all flow back in taxes...). So what gives? I don't have an axe to grind in this fight (local jobs), it just seems odd to me that a foreign company would be given a contract this size. I would like Boeing to fight the decision. I would also like the military to explain their rationale. It just doesn't make sense.

[Made in the USA]

If our Government won't even "invest" in our Country, looks like the "end is near", huh??