Word: aircrafting
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...company Northrop Grumman, based its decision on its claim that the competition had been rigged in favor of archrival Boeing - an accusation that spurred charges of unabashed American protectionism in Europe. Now, with both sides digging in their heels, what began as a transatlantic flap over the refueling-aircraft business is starting to sound like a full-blown trade...
...think the attitude of the American government on the refueling-aircraft issue is a grave infraction of the rules of fair competition between our economies," French Prime Minister François Fillon said Wednesday, March 10, during a visit to Berlin, where members of the German government echoed his belief that the Pentagon was going to award the contract to Boeing no matter which company had the better bid. "The American government, I'll say here and now, forced EADS to quit the competition." (See pictures of the aircraft NASA, Boeing and the U.S. Air Force are teaming...
...cries of foul from the French? EADS initially lost the refueling-aircraft bid in 2003 - only to see the decision overturned on evidence that Boeing hadn't played fairly in winning it. Then in 2005, EADS sought to improve its chances of success by allying itself with American partner Northrop Grumman in a new pitch. The pair won the next round of bidding, but that decision sparked a chorus of complaints from U.S. legislators about American contracts (and tax dollars) going to a European business - and it was later overturned in an appeal filed by Boeing. The Pentagon reopened...
...defense officials have defended their contract specifications, saying that the bidding process aimed to get the best aircraft at the lowest price. However, Commander Darryn James, a Pentagon spokesman, told Reuters, "We are disappointed that Northrop is not competing." He added that neither the decision by EADS and Northrop Grumman to drop out of the competition nor the fallout from it changes "the Defense Department's commitment to transatlantic defense ties." (Read "For the Arms Industry, India Is a Hot Market...
...that China's official defense budget figures shouldn't be taken at face value, and that actual spending could be two or three times higher than what is reported. China is engaged in a significant number of expensive military equipment development programs, including likely efforts to develop its first aircraft carrier. Those all make it difficult to curtail spending, says Andrei Chang, Hong Kong-based editor-in-chief of Kanwa Defense Review Monthly. "There are very ambitious military plans for the Chinese," he says. "This is the reason it's impossible to have an increase...