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)
I really , really like that congress is upset but why can’t we build our own? I’m concerned about security in France also.
Pratt and Whitney is sure upset by the decision. I’m in Connecticut and they are all over the radio talking about they build a better engine for the tanker.
Yeah....and everything in metric.
I really don’t like this either but since it has caused Murray and Cantwell to go into hysterics, I think I’ll lean back, eat some popcorn through my smirk and sit this one out.
The arsenal of democracy is under new management.
It’s Washington’s loss and Alabama’s gain. I’m from WA :(
Everyone should call/email every Congressional representative you have (I already have) to protest this foolish decision. It is extremely offensive that my tax money is being given to the parent of Airbus. However, it is even more offensive that we are allowing a foreign country to supply the airframe for a defensive project. It is not only offensive, it is extremely, absolutely stupid!
President Bush, where are you? You are the Commander in Chief, and you need to quash this idiocy! American defensive programs need to be built by Americans! Because you cannot predict who our enemies are going to be in 20 years!
Both Aircraft are a mesh of foreign and domestic parts, Cindy. I like Boeing best for safety and reliability in commercial aircraft, but I see nothing wrong with this. Airbus holds a lot more fuel, has GE engines and will bring 7000 jobs to Alabama.
I am not sure security in France will weigh too heavily into this. I certainly understand why there would be concerns though, but I think the Pentagon just picked the best plane, or at least thought they did.
Whoot! Way to go Northrop Grumman!
I would like to know why they did this. If it’s payback to congress for sitting on bills and not supporting the military, I can support this. I wish they would have picked a small American company though.
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Here are some other related threads.
EADS/Northrop upsets Boeing in Air Force tanker competition — analyst
Seattle Times ^ | February 29, 2008 | Dominic Gates
Posted on 02/29/2008 3:53:16 PM CST by skeptoid
Hope Congress un funds the Air force for a few years.
And makes them all wear Berets and knickers.
Best Bid being awarded to a foreign nation on a security project is the equivalent to Bernard Shaw saying he needed to remain impartial with the info he had while at the El Rahseedd hotel.
If this happens I may need to vote for Osama to slow the money being spent offshore for future military projects.
And to think it all began with a mess of porridge...
I’m not outraged. My stock went way up today, and my retirement fund is tied to Northrop.
It’s all in metric now.
The tanker will have GE Engines, and all the refueling and navaids will be installed in a plant to be built in Georiga,
USA. 4000 pers employed.
USAF wanted an AC Tanker with 2X capacity of KC-135 —
Boeing didn’t come up with the required AC as spec’d.
The Chauchat, such a great weapon.
Alabama won this contract fair and square. Boeing was having production problems on other contracts. More importantly, the Northrup-EADS tanker will hold 3 times as much fuel and can supply fuel in flight in two different ways. It is clearly the better plane for the Air Force. And it’s being manufacured in Sweet Home Alabama!!
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