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Head Of The Mobile Airport Authority Retiring
By Tiffany Craig Special Assignment Reporter
Published: Fri, February 29, 2008 - 5:21 pm
Last Updated: Friday, February 29, 2008 - 6:11 pm
Last Updated: Friday, February 29, 2008 - 6:11 pm
Tiffany Craig
On Thursday, Reuters released a story claiming that the Air Force changed some of its criteria in the contest a few weeks ago. That change led to a lower score for the Northrop team. Neither side would comment on the change in criteria.
Boeing was originally supposed to assemble the tankers. In 2001, Boeing was chosen to lease tankers to the Air Force. Congress canceled that deal after discovering that the company and the Air Force worked together to jack up the prices. The deal sent two Boeing executives to prison.
The Air Force promised that the current contest would be based on merit and not politics. The losing side is expected to protest the decision. That protest could put the assembly of the new fleet on hold for up to two years. We will have more on this story and local reaction about the annoucement on News 5 and wkrg.com
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The fact is, the European consortium, Airbus did not “beat out” so to speak, the Boeing company.The bid from Boeing was cheaper than the bid from Airbus.
The Boeing 767 tanker is proven tanker.Already in service to a number of companies. Annalist agree, the 767 to be the more efficient aircraft than the Airbus A-330.
Let’s not forget that this is the second largest contract in U.S, military history, given to a French based, Europian consortium with the lessor, unproven, A-330 tanker at a higher cost to U.S. tax payer’s with a token 1500 American jobs and potentially thousands lost, in years to come, in the Seattle, Puget Sound area.