Boeing Formally Protests US Air Force Tanker Contract Award

Ron Wanttaja wrote in
:

On Fri, 14 Mar 2008 10:02:24 -0500, Gig 601XL Builder
wrote:

Bertie the Bunyip wrote:


Well, I would assume the military looked at the mission fist, a
fact that's often lost in the shouting and roaring that goes on in
a case like this. Presumably the 'Bus had some advantages in an
actual operational situation. No point buying a machine that's
going to let you down. I don't know that htis had anything to do
with anything for sure, but they don't buy toys like this without
looking into these sorts of things.

Here's where you might be wrong Bertie. The US Military has a long
history of buying hardware for political not strategic or tactical
reasons.

It's called "maintaining the industrial base." My guess is if Boeing
and MacDac were still separate companies and had submitted separate
entries, EADs probably wouldn't have stood a chance. But the military
prefers to keep a bit of competition going, for obvious reasons.

OK, I can buy that. I guess I was just looking at it as I might have done
it!
Just got a new car for Mrs Bunyip and about the only test it didn't go
through before I "approved" it was it's combat capability...



Bertie