Saturday, March 20, 2010

Say WHAT!?!

A Russian company said Friday it plans to enter a bid to build a new aerial refueling tanker for the U.S. Air Force, adding yet another twist to the long-running saga of the Pentagon's attempts to award one its biggest and most controversial weapons contracts.

United Aircraft, a holding company for several Russian aerospace firms, is expected to announce Monday a joint venture with an American defense contractor, according to John Kirkland, a Los Angeles-based lawyer representing the group. Kirkland would not name the U.S. contractor, saying only that it is "not one of the three or four major defense companies." United Aircraft's biggest shareholder is the Russian government, Kirkland said.

The announcement of the Russians' entry into the contest comes 11 days after Northrop Grumman dropped out of bidding for the $40 billion contract. Northrop had partnered with Airbus parent European Aeronautic Defence and Space (EADS) to compete against Chicago-based Boeing. But Northrop said it felt that the competition favored Boeing's smaller 767 aircraft. 
I'd laugh at the very idea, except for this lil bit o' politically-correct bullshit:
Bryan G. Whitman, a Pentagon spokesman, said the Defense Department "remains committed to a fair and open competition and welcomes proposals from all qualified offerers."
He said the Pentagon is considering the request from EADS to extend the due date for proposals. 
The very idea that USAF would fly Russian tankers is beyond ludicrous.  It's just frickin' silly.  As is the idea we would outsource the manufacture of mission critical airframes to any foreign supplier, including EADS.

6 comments:

  1. What worries me is this: Obama and his cronies hate America, of that I'm convinced. So why wouldn't they push to buy a tanker made elsewhere?

    A bit far reaching, I realize, but not beyond the realm of possibility.

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  2. Egad. Just siply egad. I'm speechless.

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  3. OK. Wait a minute.
    What's this whole Obama bullshit that was all about "BUY AMERICAN" ... are you kidding me with this article?

    I thought Canadian politics sucked ass but American's is just plain 'o mucked up.

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  4. Dear SecDef,
    Shit and fall back in it.
    And my Navy is now a Global force for good?
    Damn, Buck, We are getting up there, ain't we?

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  5. I'm all for competition, but this is truly is beyond ludicrous. It is telling of ObozO and his crowd, of course.

    Heck, maybe we ought to buy missle guidance systems from North Korea...and Humvee armor from Iran.

    On the bright side, these things usually take a long time to play out, and maybe we will not have a subversive running the show before it's too late to nix any possible deal.

    I'll tell you man...I know Airmen do as ordered, but I'd be afraid to climb into anything built by a Russian.

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  6. BR sez: A bit far reaching, I realize, but not beyond the realm of possibility.

    Let us PRAY it's beyond the realm, eh? Otherwise there would be a full-scale General's revolt.

    Moogie: Yup.

    KC: There's rhetoric and then there's reality. The two never meet in Obama-World.

    Glenn: I like the mod I saw in Lex's comments: "A Global Force for good times!"

    ...I'd be afraid to climb into anything built by a Russian.

    I hear THAT. I had to fly from Hong Kong to Beijing via Air China in the way-back... when their fleet was about half Ilyushins and half Boeing. I PRAYED we got a Boeing for that flight and The Deity At Hand smiled upon us: we did.

    And this tanker procurement has been going on for TEN frickin' years already... we can't stand any more delays.

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Just be polite... that's all I ask.