Thursday, February 3, 2011

Time Nears for Final Tanker Decision

Sean McCormack, Real American Tankers wrote:  On Monday, members of Boeing’s tanker team met with U.S. Air Force officials at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio to discuss our interim evaluation. This was our last opportunity to receive feedback from the Air Force on our proposal before the end of the tanker competition.

Based on this feedback, we’re now making final adjustments to our bid, which we’ll submit to the Air Force no later than Feb. 11. Our best-and-final offer will combine decades of tanker experience, the best aerial refueling technology and a proven Boeing airframe to best fulfill the Air Force’s requirements.

As the competition comes down to the wire, our tanker team is focused on one thing – providing the Air Force with the most capable tanker at the lowest cost to taxpayers.

In related news, the World Trade Organization, or WTO, this week issued a confidential final decision regarding the European Union’s complaint against alleged U.S. government subsidies to Boeing. Based on news reports, the ruling confirmed what we’ve known all along – the support Boeing has received pales in comparison to Airbus’ $20 billion in illegal subsidies, enough money for Airbus to develop nearly its entire lineup of commercial airplanes. These illegal subsidies have distorted competition in the aerospace industry for decades and eliminated tens of thousands of good-paying U.S. jobs. Airbus should finance airplanes the same way Boeing does – with its own money.

These subsidies also are tipping the scales unfairly in the Air Force tanker contest as the competitor’s airplane – the A330 – has received more than $5 billion in illegal subsidies from European governments while Boeing paid 100 percent for the development of the 767 aircraft. In a blog posting earlier this week, defense analyst Loren Thompson wrote, “The A330 being offered in the tanker competition wouldn’t even exist had it not been for a 40-year pattern of receiving illegal launch aid.”

While we work toward submitting our final proposal, please visit TheRealAmericanTankers.com to tell your elected officials that the Boeing NewGen Tanker is the right plane for American warfighters, taxpayers and workers.

We’ll keep you updated as we enter the home stretch of the competition, and thanks again for your continued support!

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