Estou chocado, a USAF acabou de comprar 179 AIRBUS!!!!!

[manuel.liste]

EADS hace las Américas

http://www.cincodias.com/articulo/empre ... mp_28/Tes/

[P44]

Hearing: Air Force Tanker Contract Award


(Source: US House of Representatives; issued March 4, 2008)



The House of Representatives amended its hearings schedule for today, March 5. At 10:00AM, the Defense subcommittee of the Committee on Appropriations will hear testimony on the Air Force tanker contract award from:

-- Sue Payton, Air Force Acquisition Executive
-- Lt. Gen. John L. "Jack" Hudson, Commander, Aeronautical Systems Center and Program Executive Officer for aircraft procurement and modernization.


(EDITOR’S NOTE: “The purpose of the hearing is to have the Air Force explain their decision on the tanker aircraft, as well as to address Congressional concerns,” a spokesman for subcommittee Chairman John P. Murtha told Bloomberg News.) (ends)


Boeing Requests Immediate KC-X Tanker Briefing


(Source: Boeing Co.; issued March 4, 2008)



ST. LOUIS --- The Boeing Company today made public a request for an immediate debriefing from U.S. Air Force officials on the KC-X tanker competition.

As of today, the company has yet to receive a briefing on why it was not selected for the KC-X program, a decision the Air Force announced February 29. The Air Force has indicated that the briefing would occur on or after March 12, a delay the company says is inconsistent with well-established procurement practices.

"A delay of this length in the formal debriefing is unusual," said Mark McGraw, vice president - 767 tanker programs. "Consistent with past practice and recent experience, we would expect this briefing to occur within days, not weeks, of the selection announcement. Given that we are already seeing press reports containing detailed competitive information, we feel that our request is more than fair and reasonable."

Boeing viewed the tanker competition as a priority and an opportunity to give the Air Force the best tanker to meet its requirements. The company based its proposal on the stated criteria in the Air Force's Request For Proposal (RFP), the formal document that defined the requirements for the air tanker system.

"We bid aggressively with specific focus on providing operational tanker capability at low risk and the lowest total life cycle cost," said McGraw. "For instance, based on values disclosed in the Air Force press conference and press release, the Boeing bid, comprising development and all production airplane costs, would appear to be less than the competitor. In addition, because of the lower fuel burn of the 767, we can only assume our offering was more cost effective from a life cycle standpoint.

"Initial reports have also indicated that we were judged the higher risk offering. Boeing is a single, integrated company with its assets, people and technology under its own management control -- with 75 years of unmatched experience building tankers. Northrop and EADS are two companies that will be working together for the first time on a tanker, on an airplane they've never built before, under multiple management structures, across cultural, language and geographic divides. We do not understand how Boeing could be determined the higher risk offering.

"Initial reports also indicate there may well have been factors beyond those stated in the RFP, or weighted differently than we understood they would be, used to make the decision. It's important for us to understand how the Air Force reached their conclusion. The questions we are asking, as well as others being raised about this decision, can best be answered with a timely debrief indicating how our proposal was graded against the stated requirements of the RFP," said McGraw. (ends)


Kansas, Washington State Delegations Ask Secretary Gates to Debrief Boeing This Week


(Source: jointly issued by members of Congress; issued March 3, 2008)



WASHINGTON --- A bipartisan delegation of senators from Kansas and Washington state today called on Defense Secretary Robert Gates to ensure that the Air Force debriefs Boeing on the justification for the tanker contract decision this week.

In statements to both Boeing and the media, the Air Force has said that they won't debrief Boeing until March 12th. The bipartisan delegation called for immediate answers to the Air Force's decision to award a $40 billion contract to the European company Airbus.

The full text of the bi-partisan letter follows:


March 3, 2008

-- The Honorable Robert M. Gates
Secretary of Defense
1000 Defense Pentagon
Washington, DC 20301-1000
-- The Honorable Michael W. Wynne
Secretary of the Air Force
1670 Air Force Pentagon
Washington, DC 20330-1670

Dear Secretary Gates and Secretary Wynne:

We write today to request your assistance in having the Air Force debrief the Boeing Company by the end of this week on their tanker decision. It is our understanding that Members of Congress and the public will not be able to access the details of the Air Force's decision until the bidders have been debriefed.

While we appreciate the attention and resources the Air Force has recently invested in the critical issue of the tanker decision, this report needs to be debriefed so the bidders, and in turn Congress and the public, can fully understand the rational for the decision

The Air Force made their decision, now it must start the debriefing process. If the Air Force was prepared to make the decision, then they should be able to begin the debriefing process immediately. Our understanding was that the Air Force initially planned to debrief bidders within four days of the decision; now the Air Force says it intends to wait until March 12th - nearly two weeks after the Air Force's announcement.

We appreciate your immediate attention to this matter and again request that the Air Force debrief Boeing by the end of the week.

Sincerely,

Senators Patty Murray (D-WA), Sam Brownback (R-KS), Pat Roberts (R-KS), Maria Cantwell (D-WA), and Representatives Norm Dicks (D-WA 6th), Todd Tiahrt (R-KS 4th), Adam Smith (D-WA 9th), Rick Larsen (D-WA 2nd), and Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA 5th).

-ends-

[Pedro Gilberto]

Ainda vai dar muito pano pra manga essa disputa.....

Boeing se reorganiza depois de derrota para Airbus

Terça, 11 de Março de 2008, 7h48
Fonte: The New York Times

David Herszenhorn e Jeff Bailey

Poucas horas depois que a Força Aérea dos Estados Unidos anunciou o vencedor de um contrato de US$ 35 bilhões para a aquisição de aviões de reabastecimento aéreo, em 29 de fevereiro, um avião da Airbus decolou de Getafe, na Espanha, e ascendeu a uma altitude de 8,1 mil m para um encontro com um caça português F-16.

Em seguida, nos céus ao sul de Madri, os aviões se aproximaram gradativamente, até que uma mangueira equipada com asas se estendeu da traseira do grande Airbus e conectou os dois aparelhos. Pela primeira vez, o sistema de bombeamento transferiu combustível a outro avião, um total de 7,6 mil litros, em diversas conexões.

A tecnologia de transferência de combustível entre aviões em vôo pode não ser um grande avanço - de fato, o sistema está em uso há mais de 50 anos -, mas ajudou a matriz da Airbus e sua parceria, a Northrop Grumman, a demonstrar a competência técnica da parceria.

Ávida por ingressar no mercado norte-americano de defesa, a European Aeronautic Defense and Space (EADS), proprietária da Airbus, tomou diversas medidas ousadas, nenhuma das quais possivelmente mais dramática do que construir o sistema de transferência de combustível, seguindo os padrões mais avançados, sem que uma encomenda existisse -um investimento de US$ 100 milhões.

Como resultado, a Boeing, orgulho do setor aerospacial dos Estados Unidos, foi derrotada em seu próprio terreno na disputa por um contrato que pode vir a ser um dos maiores em aquisições militares de todos os tempos.

Agora, o debate sobre o impacto da decisão quanto ao nível de emprego norte-americano está varrendo Washington e Seattle (que abriga fábricas da Boeing). No entanto, a natureza cada vez mais globalizada da construção de aviões de grande porte faz com que reduzir o debate a uma disputa entre Europa e América seja simplificação exagerada do problema.

Na sexta-feira, a Boeing foi informada detalhadamente pelo Pentágono quanto aos motivos de sua derrota na concorrência. Agora, tem até quarta-feira para decidir se apresenta apelo formal.

A empresa e seus aliados em Washington já expuseram diversos argumentos, entre os quais a perda de grande número de empregos norte-americanos devido à transferência de produção para o exterior, e o fato de que contratos militares sensíveis não deveriam ser concedidos a uma empresa estrangeira.

Mas caso a Boeing tente reverter a decisão, pode se ver em posição difícil e sofrer acusações de retardar ainda mais a aquisição de equipamentos criticamente necessários em tempo de guerra.

A empresa também pode ser obrigada a encarar novamente o escândalo de corrupção que veio à tona em 2004 e resultou em cancelamento de um contrato de US$ 20 bilhões sob o qual a companhia arrendaria aviões-tanque à Força Aérea. Dois executivos da companhia terminaram na cadeia como resultado, e o presidente-executivo do grupo se viu forçado a renunciar.

A EADS e a Northrop Grumman propuseram um avião-tanque que seria produzido com base em jatos Airbus 330 reestruturados, e ofereceria mais capacidade de combustível que a proposta rival, um Boeing 767 modificado. Além disso, o projeto dos parceiros também ofereceria mais flexibilidade, porque os aparelhos poderiam ser usados no transporte de carga, soldados, refugiados e assistência humanitária.

A Boeing era vista como franca favorita para obter o contrato, por ter sido a primeira empresa a produzir aviões-tanque de grande porte, e prometeu um novo sistema de reabastecimento, mas não construiu um protótipo. Um analista que acompanhou a disputa disse que a Boeing se comportou de modo arrogante, e ofereceu um plano que, na opinião dos oficiais da Força Aérea, colocaria apenas 13 aparelhos em operação em 2013, ante 49 para a equipe da EADS.

O revés sofrido pela Boeing gerou furor protecionista no Congresso. E os pré-candidatos democratas à presidência, senadores Hillary Clinton e Barack Obama, declararam em campanha que a perda de empregos na Boeing refletia outras decisões políticas do governo Bush, que resultaram na transferência de empregos para o exterior.

Mas a retórica exacerbada pode vir a parecer nacionalista em excesso, ou até mesmo hipócrita, quando as implicações reais em termos de empregos e segurança nacional se tornarem mais claras. A Boeing, por exemplo, produziria boa parte do avião no exterior, e alguns especialistas dizem que as alegações quanto à perda de empregos diante de um concorrente estrangeiro parecem exageradas.

Mas por enquanto os discursos nacionalistas e pró-Boeing não mostram sinal de descanso.

"Temos de realmente fazer com que este país desperte", disse a senadora Patty Murray, democrata de Washington, Estado em que a Boeing é responsável por grande número de empregos. "Corremos o risco de perder uma importante porção do nosso setor aerospacial para os europeus, e de maneira irreversível".

A Força Aérea, por sua parte, continua a alegar que simplesmente escolheu o melhor avião. Sue Payton, secretária assistente da Força Aérea, declarou em audiência no Congresso, na semana passada, que "a Northrop Grumman mostrou o melhor trabalho".

Payton também discordou das alegações de que a Força Aérea teria manipulado o processo em benefício da Airbus. Ela disse que a equipe envolvida no projeto seguiu cuidadosamente as leis de concorrência, entre as quais a lei que dispõe preferência para produtos norte-americanos, nos termos da qual, ela apontou, certos países, entre os quais os aliados dos Estados Unidos na Europa Ocidental, recebem tratamento igual ao conferido a grupos norte-americanos.

"Eu vejo a Northrop Grumman como empresa norte-americana", afirmou Payton. "A General Electric, que tem fábricas em Ohio e na Carolina do Norte, é uma empresa norte-americana. Mas não foi isso que determinou a decisão".

"Vocês dizem que desejam concorrência justa e aberta, nos termos da lei", ela disse ao Congresso. "Nós cumprimos essas leis".

Tradução: Paulo Eduardo Migliacci ME

http://br.invertia.com/noticias/noticia ... T_70672331

[]´s

[Pedro Gilberto]

Aviões de abastecimento aéreo: Boeing apresenta queixa a Tribunal de Contas

WASHINGTON, 10 Mar 2008 (AFP) - O gigante americano da aeronáutica Boeing vai prestar queixa ao Tribunal de Contas dos Estados Unidos contra a decisão do Pentágono de conceder à dupla EADS/Northrop o megacontrato dos novos aviões de abastecimento aéreo, revela um comunicado publicado nesta segunda-feira.

"A companhia Boeing vai apresentar na terça-feira uma ação formal pedindo ao Tribunal de Contas (Government Accountability Office, GAO) a revisão da decisão da Força Aérea Americana de conceder um contrato ao grupo Northrop Grumman e European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company (EADS) para a compra de aviões de abastecimento aéreo", anunciou a Boeing em comunicado.

O Pentágono selecionou o grupo europeu EADS, empresa mãe da Airbus, e sua sócia americana Northrop Grumman, como fornecedores num contrato de 35 bilhões de dólares para renovar sua frota de aviões de abastecimento aéreo.

A empresa vai fornecer 179 aparelhos à Força Aérea Americana.

Trata-se de um dos maiores contratos propostos pelas forças armadas americanas nos últimos anos, que coloca o vencedor em posição privilegiada para futuras encomendas: os aviões de abastecimento em vôo são o primeiro setor de um mercado com valor total estimado em 200 bilhões de dólares nos próximos 30 anos.

O contrato inicial para o novo aparelho, chamado de KC-45, é de 1,5 bilhão de dólares para o desenvolvimento de quatro aviões de testes, revelou a Força Aérea.

Os primeiros KC-45A entrarão em serviço em 2013, segundo o Wall Street Journal.

http://economia.uol.com.br/ultnot/afp/2 ... 58530.jhtm

[]´s

[talharim]

É a mesma arrogância e prepotência que a Embraer cometeu no finado FX.

Choradeira desmedida deveriam ser mais humildes e adotar o boa e infalível política de parceria e não a política de enfiar goela abaixo.

[alcmartin]

É o mundo globalizado...com umas pitadas de politica, fundos de campanha e lá no finalzinho, tecnologia...

[soultrain]

Atenção que esta decisão permite outra doutrina à USAF, é uma mudança grande, talvez tenha sido o pormenor que levou à decisão. Estamos a falar de uma concorrência entre o KX 45 que é um A-330 200, com as asas do A-340, segundo percebi:

* Crew: 3: Pilot, Copilot, and 1 AAR boom operator
* Capacity: 226 troops
* Length: 58.78 m (192 ft 11 in)
* Wingspan: 60.28 m (197 ft 10 in)
* Height: 17.40 m (57 ft 1 in)
* Wing area: 361.6 m²* (3892 ft²*)
* Empty weight: 120,500 kg* (265,657 lb*)
* Max takeoff weight: 230,000 kg* (507,063 lb*)
* Powerplant: 2× General Electric CF6-80E1A4B turbofans*, 316 kN (72,000 lbf) each
* Maximum Fuel Load: 180,000lb

Performance

* Maximum speed: 880 km/h* (475 knots, 547 mph*)
* Cruise speed: 860 km/h* (464 knots, 534 mph*)
* Range: 12,500 km* (6,750 nm, 7,770 mi*)
* Service ceiling: 12,500 m* (41,000 ft*)
* Rate of climb: m/s (ft/min)

E o 767-200:

* Crew: 2 pilots, 1 boom operator
* Length: 159 ft 2 in (48.5 m)
* Wingspan: 156 ft 1 in (47.6 m)
* Height: 52 ft (15.8 m)
* Empty weight: 181,610 lb (82,377 kg)
* Max takeoff weight: 395,000 lb (186,880 kg)
* Powerplant: 2× GE CF6-80C2 turbofan, 60,200 lbf (268 kN) each
* Maximum Fuel Load: 160,660 lb

Performance

* Maximum speed: Mach 0.86 (570 mph, 915 km/h)
* Cruise speed: Mach 0.80 (530 mph, 851 km/h)
* Service ceiling 40,100 ft (12,200 m)

[soultrain]

http://www.northropgrumman.com/kc45/

[P44]

RAF Signs Deal for A330 Aircraft as Future Tankers


(Source: UK Ministry of Defence; issued March 27, 2008)





Like the US Air Force, the Royal Air Force has chosen the Airbus A330 as its future tanker aircraft. (AirTanker artist’s view)

A fleet of new Airbus A330-200s will replace the RAF's TriStar and VC-10 aircraft under a £13 billion PFI deal signed today with AirTanker Ltd, announced Baroness Taylor, the Minister for Defence Equipment and Support.

The aircraft - which will be owned by AirTanker under the terms of the deal, although they will fly in RAF 'colours' - will undertake air to air refueling and passenger air transport tasks. The aircraft are expected to enter service around 2011, to serve for three decades.

The deal is good news for British jobs: up to 600 are expected to be created by AirTanker Ltd, and the deal will safeguard up to 3,000 jobs directly at British sites, with thousands more sustained indirectly.

Minister for Defence Equipment and Support, Baroness Taylor, said:

"This deal represents great news for the Royal Air Force and great news for British industry and jobs. The A330s will provide a state-of-the-art air to air tanker and passenger aircraft supporting operations around the world and delivering British forces to operational theatres.

"Achieving a satisfactory outcome to this complex, high value, PFI deal has been challenging, particularly given the factors currently affecting the financial markets. I congratulate all those involved in securing this cost effective deal."

Commenting on the announcement, Phil Blundell, CEO of AirTanker, said:

"This is a major step forward for the MOD and AirTanker. The FSTA programme provides the MoD and RAF with state-of-the-art transport and refuelling equipment, which represents a step-change in performance. The Airbus A330 FSTA fleet will deliver unrivalled levels of capability, reliability, flexibility and economy to the UK armed forces. We are looking forward hugely to working with the MOD to put in place the new fleet and service."

Air Chief Marshal Sir Glenn Torpy, Chief of the Air Staff said:

"This is a very welcome announcement. Air-to-Air Refuelling and Strategic airlift are fundamental to the UK's expeditionary capability and the Future Tanker is a crucial element of that capability. The A330-200 is an extremely versatile aircraft, which is ideally suited to our requirements, and I look forward both to the aircraft's introduction in 2011, and the significant private investment in the infrastructure at RAF Brize Norton. Overall, this is excellent news for the RAF and for the UK's Armed Forces."

Since June 2007, the Department has been working with AirTanker to raise the necessary private sector funding. Despite the current turbulence in the world's financial markets, AirTanker has successfully secured the necessary funding.


BACKGROUND NOTES:
-- AirTanker Ltd was selected as Preferred Bidder through competition and its shareholders consist of Cobham, EADS, Rolls-Royce, VT and Thales.

-- FSTA is a project to assess the feasibility of a PFI solution to replace the RAF's Fleet of VC10 and TriStar aircraft.

-- AirTankers service solution is based on provision of Airbus A330-200 aircraft plus associated training, infrastructure, and through-life maintenance support.


FSTA facts:
The FSTA fleet will customarily carry a minimum of 80 tonnes (100,000 litres) of aviation fuel per aircraft.

The total fuel dispensing rate from the aircraft is approximately 5,000 litres/min or about 80 litres per second. The wing pods alone refuel twice as fast as a F1 pit stop.

A Mini Cooper would be filled in less than 2 seconds. Using all three refuelling points, you could fill 125 Mini Coopers a minute - more than 2 a second. (ends)


AirTanker Signs 27 Year Air-to-Air Refuelling and Air Transport Contract with U.K. Ministry of Defence


(Source: AirTanker; issued March 27, 2008)



LONDON --- AirTanker and its Shareholders (Cobham, EADS, Rolls-Royce, Thales UK and VT Group) have today signed a 27-year contract with the UK Ministry of Defence for the provision of an advanced Air to Air Refuelling and Air Transport capability for the Royal Air Force.

The AirTanker consortium will be providing a fleet of 14 new tanker aircraft based on the Airbus A330-200 - powered by Rolls-Royce Trent engines – which will come into service from 2011, replacing the existing fleet of VC-10 and Tristar aircraft.

The Future Strategic Tanker Aircraft contract also includes the provision of all necessary infrastructure, including a state of the art 2-bay hangar, training, maintenance, flight operations, fleet management and ground services to enable worldwide Air-to-Air Refuelling and Air Transport missions. The infrastructure building programme at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire will commence in May 2008.

The programme as a whole is expected to sustain directly up to 3,000 long-term jobs. The final stage in the process of preparing for contract closure was a financing competition conducted over the last six months by the AirTanker consortium; the sum raised was approximately £2.5 billion.

Confirmation of the contract award was made by Minister for Defence Equipment and Support Baroness Taylor in letters to the appropriate figures in Parliament. Commenting on the announcement, the Minister said:

"This deal represents great news for the Royal Air Force and great news for British industry and jobs. The A330s will provide a state-of-the-art Air To Air tanker and passenger aircraft supporting air operations around the world and delivering British forces to operational theatres. Achieving a satisfactory outcome to this complex, high value, PFI deal has been challenging, particularly given the factors currently affecting the financial markets. I congratulate all those involved in securing this cost effective deal.”

Commenting on the announcement, Phil Blundell, CEO of AirTanker, said:

“This is a major step forward for the MOD and AirTanker. The FSTA programme provides the MoD and RAF with state-of-the-art transport and refuelling equipment, which represents a step-change in performance. The Airbus A330 FSTA fleet will deliver unrivalled levels of capability, reliability, flexibility and economy to the UK armed forces. We are looking forward hugely to working with the MOD to put in place the new fleet and service.”

The A330 tanker derivative is the most capable tanker offered internationally and has now won the five most recent tanker procurement contracts including the Australian, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabian and US air forces. It will provide a quantum leap in reliability, performance and economy to the RAF with around twice the refuelling capability of the current VC-10s, and will be able to offload 60 tonnes of fuel at 1,000 miles from base, whilst remaining 2 hours on station. The A330 FSTA delivers substantial operational enhancements through its own fuel efficiency.

The fuel necessary for refuelling operations, as well as for the A330 FSTA itself, will be carried in the same tanks as fitted to the standard Airbus A330 airliner, leaving the cabin free for transporting up to 290 personnel, and the cargo holds free to carry equipment and supplies up to a maximum total payload of 44 tonnes. With no reconfiguration required (other than for specialist medical evacuations) the tanker can be assigned quickly to a wider range of missions than the existing fleet, significantly enhancing fleet productivity. A number of the aircraft will be operated on the civil register flying commercial Air Transport tasks when not subject to operational requirements, thereby enabling greater productivity for the fleet. Within the PFI agreement, the MoD will only pay for the service once it is available and then only for the capacity that it uses, subject to agreed minimum usage levels.

The Military Transport Aircraft Division of EADS will be responsible for designing, developing and converting the tankers, and for delivering them to AirTanker, fully certified and with all the required military modifications. The project will be supported by the 5 Shareholders with the equipment and services needed in the conversion programme and through-life support supplied by Cobham (refuelling equipment and aircraft conversion), EADS (A330 FSTA support services), Rolls-Royce (engines), Thales UK (avionics, simulators and training services) and VT Group (infrastructure and facilities management). This work will be done in close partnership with the RAF.


BACKGROUND NOTES:

The Future Strategic Tanker Aircraft (FSTA) programme is a 27-year MoD Private Finance Initiative contract to provide air refuelling and air transport services to the RAF. The programme will replace the RAF’s current fleet of 19 VC-10 and 9 TriStar aircraft. The A300-200 aircraft will be owned and supported by AirTanker while the service will be staffed by a mixture of service and civilian personnel.

AirTanker has five Shareholders – Cobham, EADS, Rolls-Royce, Thales UK and VT Group plc.

AirTanker will provide a fleet of Airbus A330 FSTA aircraft, each powered by two Rolls-Royce Trent 700 engines, to meet the UK FSTA requirement. Approximately 50% of the basic aircraft and 100% of its conversion work for 12 of the FSTA fleet will be carried out in the UK (the first two aircraft will be converted at EADS CASA facilities in Madrid). AirTanker will create and sustain high-value high-quality UK jobs. It will directly sustain up to 3000 jobs and indirectly sustain up to a further 4500 jobs. Principal work locations are Brize Norton (construction of facilities and service delivery), Airbus UK at Broughton and Filton (wing manufacture), Cobham at Wimborne (refuelling equipment) and Bournemouth (aircraft conversion), Rolls-Royce at Derby (engine assembly) and Bristol (project management) and Thales UK at Crawley (mission simulators, defensive aids), Raynes Park (avionics) and Wells (mission planning systems).

Conversion is straightforward and low-risk, and follows the similar A330-200 MRTT tanker programme for the Royal Australian Air Force, three years in advance of the FSTA project and currently in the final stages of flight tests before delivery next year.

-ends-

[soultrain]

http://www.americasnewtanker.com/

[A-29]

News You Need To See On Northrop Grumman's Tanker


(Source: Northrop Grumman; issued June 10, 2008)



Today in The Hill, Senators Richard Shelby and Jeff Sessions and Representative Jo Bonner criticize efforts by Boeing's backers in Congress who are mischaracterizing Northrop Grumman's Air Force contract to build America's next generation of aerial refueling tankers.

Shelby, Sessions and Bonner write "several congressional members have attempted to overturn this decision by waging a public relations campaign based on misinformation and rhetoric. We find this approach both unfortunate and a disservice to our men and women in uniform."

The lawmakers note that the Air Force, "in a full and open competition, determined that the KC-45 was superior to the KC-767 in four of the five categories considered. The KC-45 is newer, larger and can carry more fuel, pallets and troops. Its technology is more advanced, 15 years newer, and it is more versatile and capable than the KC-767. The United Kingdom, Australia, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates also selected the newer, more capable tanker over the KC-767 in the past four international tanker competitions, leaving no doubt about (which is) the best."

After pointing out that members of Congress have threatened to kill the contract even if Boeing's protest to the Government Accountability Office is rejected, the lawmakers ask why their colleagues didn't raise concerns about the contract during the bidding process.

And while the lawmakers also have claimed that the Air Force did not take into account issues like jobs when considering the contract – even though the deal will support 48,000 American jobs, with work for 230 suppliers in
49 states – they point out that "in short, the Air Force did exactly as it was instructed to do by Congress, to include Boeing's congressional supporters, who raised no concerns at the time."

They also note problems posed by the protectionist stance raised by Boeing's backers.

"We also agree with Defense Secretary Robert Gates that changing the law now based on protectionist sentiment should be approached with caution,"
the lawmakers write. "The global environment in which we live makes it virtually impossible for any major military product to be 100 percent American-made - especially when we're seeking the best. Moreover, U.S. firms supply billions of dollars worth of American-made equipment to foreign countries."

"Our colleagues clearly are not considering the very real and significant threat of economic retaliation posed if we develop a newly protectionist sentiment," the lawmakers write. "And certainly, we should not retroactively apply these potential new laws to defense procurements that have already been decided."

"We also need to remember the consequences of our colleagues' argument that they would rather have the Air Force procure a more expensive, antiquated plane that clearly does not meet the needs of our armed forces nearly as well as the KC-45, simply because the winning tanker does not meet their definition of American-made," they add. "As a reminder, Mobile, Ala., where the KC-45 will be assembled, is in America."

"Just because you do not like the outcome does not mean the rules should be changed when the game is over," the lawmakers warn.

[Alitson]

Vai dizer que não seria a cara da FAB!!!!!!!!!

Pena o "SERIA"...




Abraços....

[Carlos Lima]

Vai dizer que não seria a cara da FAB!!!!!!!!!

Pena o "SERIA"...




Abraços....

Hehehehehe... breve breve nas Falklands perto de você

Enquanto isso:

Sonho meu... sonho meu...

[]s
CB_Lima

[A-29]

Olha, a parte do reabastecedor eu nem acho impossível. Só precisa de uns A-330 usados pra converter. E nem sairia tão caro, já que à princípio não precisaríamos do complexo sistema de lança. E ainda posso chutar que o custo de operação de um A-330 é menor que dos nossos KC-137.

Mas agora os caças....... Só em sonho mesmo.

[Bolovo]

A-330MMRT e uns Typhoons........ que SONHO, heim?