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| Home Front: Politix |
| Score tied: EADS 1, BOEING 1 USAF is in penalty box |
| 2008-06-18 |
| WASHINGTON — Congressional investigators have granted Boeing's protest of a $35 billion Air Force tanker contract awarded to Northrop Grumman Corp. and Airbus parent European Aeronautic Defense and Space Co. The Government Accountability Office decision is not binding, but it puts pressure on the Air Force to re-examine the contract and could help Boeing capture part or all of the award. The was confirmed by the offices of Sens. Patty Murray, D-Wash., and Pat Roberts, R-Kan. The decision also gives ammunition to Boeing supporters in Congress seeking to block funding for the deal or force a new competition. The contract for 179 aerial refueling tankers is the first of three deals worth up to $100 billion to replace the Air Force's entire tanker fleet. |
| Posted by:USN, Ret. |
| #5 Thing is the Boeing jet is older airframe design, older tech, shorter ranged, and lower capacity, and need to be foreward based. And Boeing cannot supply as many aircraft as quickly as EADS/Northrop. All disqualifiers conpared to the EADS/Northrop offering. The USAF screwed thign sup, but its pretty obviosu that other than idiotic jingoism, this will be yet another delay and may saddle the USAF wiuth an inferior aircraft that will have strategic consequences (requiring forward basing, lower cargo lift capacity, slower rollout and delivery). Fore EADS to sub out parts of it for a political fig leaf. But award it and get on with production of the better aircraft. |
| Posted by: OldSpook 2008-06-18 20:47 |
| #4 Yeah, I hear the point you're raisin' NS, but USAF doesn't get to cherry pick among requirements once the source solicitation has been released. |
| Posted by: lotp 2008-06-18 20:07 |
| #3 The Boeing product is still a lemon, regardless of what fruit Northrop put up. |
| Posted by: Nimble Spemble 2008-06-18 19:32 |
| #2 Full GAO report here |
| Posted by: lotp 2008-06-18 18:32 |
| #1 A couple key GAO findings: The Air Force did not assess the relative merits of the tanker proposals in accordance with the criteria it established. The Air Force conducted "misleading and unequal discussions" with Boeing by informing Boeing that it had fully satisfied a key performance objective, but later determined that Boeing had only partially met this objective. The record did not indicate, as the Air Force claimed, that the Northrop tanker could refuel all current Air Force fixed-wing aircraft. They screwed around with cost estimates, too. |
| Posted by: lotp 2008-06-18 18:27 |