“ROME, July 09, 2001—Alenia Aerospazio and Aeronavali, both Finmeccanica companies, have signed a memorandum of agreement with The Boeing Company to become partners in the development, production and support of a tanker/transport version of the Boeing 767 commercial aircraft.”

Why is the above partnership with an Italian company somehow different that what Northrop Grumman are doing with EADS?

“This was not a close outcome in any sense of the term,” said Loren Thompson of the Lexington Institute in Arlington, Va. “Northrop won decisively and completely.”

Okay, why are we getting this story backed up with facts and another story from people with ties to the competition?

Yes, mcjams66 does work for the Boeing company but that is not the issue.If this contract were going to a company such as Lockheed for example,with a comparable plane at a competitive price, as a Boeing employee I’d be disappointed about the loss but by no means would I be at all angry.
This is about 30-40k American jobs lost to the lessor of aircraft at a outragesly higher cost.That’s our tax dollars headed to France…
The 767 is by far better suited, proven/tested as a tanker, more reliable, more efficiant and once again cheaper than its rival Airbus A-330 and ready to roll out its Everett Wa doors in the pre-excisting factory not a potential factory .
I just hope people do their own homework on this issue and not be glamorized by a measly couple thousand jobs because they’re in their home town.I reloctaed to the Pacific Northwest like many other who work for the Boeing company.
This contract is a travesty and America needs to phone, email, write, their congress and tell them so

The announcement provoked fury among U.S. politicians, who objected to the military deal being awarded to an overseas contractor.

“We should have an American tanker built by an American company with American workers,” said Rep. Todd Tiahrt, R-Kan., who represents the district in Wichita where Boeing would have done much of the tanker work. Tiahrt said he will try to reverse the decision.

Officials with the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, which represents Boeing workers, on Monday called for Congress to pass legislation barring the Pentagon from awarding contracts to foreign companies that receive “anticompetitive” subsidies. The U.S. Trade Representative has filed a complaint against the European Union with the World Trade Organization charging the EU with providing unfair subsidies to Airbus for large civil aircraft.

“By awarding this contract to EADS, the Department of Defense is gutting our domestic manufacturing industry and outsourcing 44,000 good-paying manufacturing jobs, forcing the United States to also become increasingly dependent on those abroad for our most basic military materials,” said Richard Michalski, the union’s general vice president

scubadude I guess you did not read what was said by Senator Richard Shelby on the floor today about the contract.  Please read that story and tell me if your opinion changes?

I do not work for boeing. My concern is the 30,000 American jobs that will be lost if the French Airbus get this contract. The air force general who stated that American jobs were not part of the decision process should be removed from duty.
Where is the 30 billion in tax dollars supposed to be generated?
This is not a done deal, true Americans will fight to keep all the jobs in America. Not just create a few in Mobile!

mcjams66 do you work for Boeing?  sounds like you really wanted this to go to Seattle not Mobile.  Guess you will not be applying for any of those new jobs here?

EADS, European Aeronautic Defense and Space.The European consortium, based in France, also known as The Airbus Company.A rival of American based, predominately operated Boeing company.Who with it’s proven tanker version of the 767, as opposed to the Airbus A-330, that’s never been a tanker, underbid the Airbuss plane.Inrterestingly enough, annilist agree the Boeing 767 to be the more efficient, quaility, aircraft with a production line in the U.S., employing thousands of workers and with thousands of more jobs to gain with this potentialy lost order.
So, where are the advantages of the A-330?What could possibly be the reasoning in this unpatriotic purchase?
Tell, me it’s not a political “pay back”.This stinks to hi heavens.