USAF Awards Contract to Northrop Grumman/Airbus

[Tweek]

If you had been born on the other side of the pond, would your loyalties be different?  Would you want your country to have the jobs?  Would  you want your military to use aircraft built in your country?  Would you want it to be harder to get into the aviation business when you are spending thousands on college tuition to get an opportunity?

In that case, do you have a problem with the UK, Canada and Australia buying the C-17?

[fabiane]

My airforce still flies F-4 Pantoms..., so what's the point?
And German Airforce VIP service was a 707 until the nighties and still operates Challengers. And my airforce wanted to fly the C-17, but we couldn't afford it. So Germany leased Antonovs from Russia. A lot of European Airforces fly foreign build AC. Netherland the KC10, 707 in Spain, RAF the Tristar,...  

I wouldn't blame Lufthansa for buying the 747-8i. Would you if a major US Carrier buys Airbuses?

So if it's the best product for a good price why not buy a KC767?
German TV-news just said it will be 7000 jobs for Alabama.

BTW: Does Boeing have an European factory for their European Costomers? And isn't Northrop an all American company? I don't get the agitation here. And I think Northrop will do an excellent job in technical support for these. The other A330s are already well served aswell (NWA, US,..). So I don't see a problem here.

[Hagar]

BTW: Does Boeing have an European factory for their European Costomers? And isn't Northrop an all American company? I don't get the agitation here. And I think Northrop will do an excellent job in technical support for these. The other A330s are already well served aswell (NWA, US,..). So I don't see a problem here.

Good points. People complaining about job losses either conveniently forget or are unaware that China is now the largest foreign supplier of aircraft components to Boeing. http://www.boeing.com/companyoffices/aboutus/boechina.html

In that case, do you have a problem with the UK, Canada and Australia buying the C-17?

I would say that is irrelevant.

[Tweek]

In that case, do you have a problem with the UK, Canada and Australia buying the C-17?

I would say that is irrelevant.

Well if air forces should only buy 'home grown' aircraft, then that should also apply to those outside of the US. Why should they be entitled to export if nobody else is?

[The Ruptured Duck]

[quote][quote]
If you had been born on the other side of the pond, would your loyalties be different?

[Hagar]

In that case, do you have a problem with the UK, Canada and Australia buying the C-17?

I would say that is irrelevant.

Well if air forces should only buy 'home grown' aircraft, then that should also apply to those outside of the US. Why should they be entitled to export if nobody else is?

Read the question again.

If you had been born on the other side of the pond, would your loyalties be different?  Would you want your country to have the jobs?  Would  you want your military to use aircraft built in your country?  Would you want it to be harder to get into the aviation business when you are spending thousands on college tuition to get an opportunity?

Duck is American so would hardly object to a US company supplying other countries air forces.

[expat]

If you had been born on the other side of the pond, would your loyalties be different?  Would you want your country to have the jobs?  Would  you want your military to use aircraft built in your country?  Would you want it to be harder to get into the aviation business when you are spending thousands on college tuition to get an opportunity?

In that case, do you have a problem with the UK, Canada and Australia buying the C-17?

i dunno, does airbus produce an aircraft as capable as the C-17?
i do hate the idea of china building any part of any plane.  although there was a fighter jointly built by boeing and china that was cancelled when the US found out.  most of it is sitting in the KS aviation museum here inWichita

Checked the website, but could not find it. Do you have a name or pictures? Sounds interesting.

Matt

[The Ruptured Duck]

Yeah, they don't have it on the site.

[Tweek]

If you had been born on the other side of the pond, would your loyalties be different?  Would you want your country to have the jobs?  Would  you want your military to use aircraft built in your country?  Would you want it to be harder to get into the aviation business when you are spending thousands on college tuition to get an opportunity?

Duck is American so would hardly object to a US company supplying other countries air forces.

Precisely. So it reinforces my point that the only reason he's bothered about Boeing getting the contract is because they're American. Nothing to do with capability of the aircraft.

[Hagar]

If you had been born on the other side of the pond, would your loyalties be different?  Would you want your country to have the jobs?  Would  you want your military to use aircraft built in your country?  Would you want it to be harder to get into the aviation business when you are spending thousands on college tuition to get an opportunity?

Duck is American so would hardly object to a US company supplying other countries air forces.

Precisely. So it reinforces my point that the only reason he's bothered about Boeing getting the contract is because they're American. Nothing to do with capability of the aircraft.

That was fairly obvious & perfectly understandable. I felt exactly the same way about our national airline & armed forces when we had an aircraft industry worth speaking of. Procurement by government departments is generally economically or politically influenced & has little to do with the performance of the equipment or its suitability for the job.

[Tweek]

If you had been born on the other side of the pond, would your loyalties be different?  Would you want your country to have the jobs?  Would  you want your military to use aircraft built in your country?  Would you want it to be harder to get into the aviation business when you are spending thousands on college tuition to get an opportunity?

Duck is American so would hardly object to a US company supplying other countries air forces.

Precisely. So it reinforces my point that the only reason he's bothered about Boeing getting the contract is because they're American. Nothing to do with capability of the aircraft.

That was fairly obvious & perfectly understandable. I felt exactly the same way about our national airline & armed forces when we had an aircraft industry worth speaking of. Procurement by government departments is generally economically or politically influenced & has little to do with the performance of the equipment or its suitability for the job.

Understandable indeed. I'd much prefer it if the UK had the booming aircraft industry it had in the 1950s, and we could manufacture all of our own aircraft. However, I wouldn't choose an aircraft based solely on it's 'nationality', especially if it was an inferior platform to a rival company's.

I understand his point, totally. I just don't agree with it. It just seems a bit strange to say that your air force shouldn't be ordering an aircraft, simply because it isn't built in your own country.

[The Ruptured Duck]

[quote][quote][quote][quote][quote]If you had been born on the other side of the pond, would your loyalties be different?

[Tweek]

You might if your neighbors and friends were employees, or if there was a possibility of getting a job with said company.  Its more about city and state loyalty than country.  The A330 was one of the most comfortable airline rides I've ever had.

Very true, I'd have a biased opinion. I'm just thinking from a wider perspective, without that bias.

[Hagar]

Understandable indeed. I'd much prefer it if the UK had the booming aircraft industry it had in the 1950s, and we could manufacture all of our own aircraft. However, I wouldn't choose an aircraft based solely on it's 'nationality', especially if it was an inferior platform to a rival company's.

That actually happened far more than you might realise.

I understand his point, totally. I just don't agree with it. It just seems a bit strange to say that your air force simply SHOULDN'T be ordering an aircraft, simply because it isn't built in your own country.

If your country has the capability (which the USA has) it's logical that it should produce all its own military equipment. Once you start relying on other countries you leave yourself open to political blackmail.

[The Ruptured Duck]

That actually happened far more than you might realise.

I understand his point, totally. I just don't agree with it. It just seems a bit strange to say that your air force simply SHOULDN'T be ordering an aircraft, simply because it isn't built in your own country.

If your country has the capability (which the USA has) it's logical that it should produce all its own military equipment. Once you start relying on other countries you leave yourself open to political blackmail.

Good point.  And what about Espirit de Corps?  I know a few servicemen who will be wierded out about working with foreign aircraft.  The equipment will have to change (I assume an airbus uses metric), and there will have to be more training to learn the aircraft on account of airbus having different maintinence requirements