Gates assured McCain on tanker competition: letter

[maddezmom]

Source: AFP

WASHINGTON (AFP) - US Defense Secretary Robert Gates assured Senator John McCain last year that the tender process for a billion-dollar aircraft tanker contract had been changed in line with his concerns, the Pentagon said Tuesday.

A team that included European aerospace giant EADS won the 35-billion-dollar contract to supply refuelling aircraft on February 29, setting off a storm of protests among supporters of US rival Boeing in the US Congress.

Some Democrats blamed the loss of the contract on McCain, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, because he fought an earlier air force deal to lease tanker planes from Boeing.

That deal collapsed amid an influence peddling scandal that ousted the company's CEO and sent two executives to prison.

McCain has avoided commenting on the tanker contract.



Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080311/pl_afp/usmilitarytankergatesmccain_080311173814

[Parche]

1. F Mccain

If as they say the 767-200 is smaller then the A-330, why didnt they look at the 767-300/400??


And they are building most of the aircraft in France

Do they build the F-16 F-15 B-2 F-18 in France or Europe? NOOOOOOOOOOOO

:grr: :grr:

:hi:

[awoke_in_2003]

3. Well, Boeing lost the contract

because they got "Big Head". Trying to lease aircraft for several times the cost of buying them outright. Like my boss, a retired air force colonel, said- "Boeing needed a smack down to put them back in line".

[Esra Star]

4. Twentieth century thinking is just not relevant anymore.

I think this is a serious wake-up call. Operate in the high-speed
21st century or drift into irrelevance. Simple as that.

[Parche]

7. i understand

But i will never stand for outsourcing our military.............:hi:

[awoke_in_2003]

10. Well, Boeing has been doing

there thing on the assumption that they have no competition. They basically had a monopoly on tanker and cargo planes for years, and acted like it. This is just a little wake up call. The Air Force won't abandon them for long.

[Tempest]

2. McCain's campaign staff was lobbying for Airbus

This reeks of influence peddling.

[lumpy]

9. Bump

x

[fascisthunter]

5. Only Four Replies for This, Yet Look at the Mary Anne Thread

sensational shit really does blind people.

[maddezmom]

6. okay who is MaryAnne

I must've missed it. :)

[fascisthunter]

8. glad ya missed it....

it's more crap people would rather talk about than more serious issues such as this. After all, Americans did elect a bad Hollywood actor.