Sending Tax Dollars to France- The Airbus Tanker Deal

Last week, the US Air Force awarded a huge contract to Northrop-Grumman/EADS (Airbus) to build a new generation of tanker aircraft to replace the KC-135.

Yes, Northrop is a US company, but the aircraft that the new tanker will be built on is the Airbus 330- a FRENCH aircraft.

What has bothered me most about this deal is not that the new tanker is built on the 330. The 330 is a good aircraft. What bothers me is that my tax dollars are going to a country that has not been the most "cooperative" in the past. What bothers me is that the contract could have gone to an AMERICAN company- Boeing. Boeing did have a lower bid. What happened to AMERICAN jobs? Yes, I know that Northrop says that EADS will be assembling the aircraft (or at least part of it) here, but why not have the entire aircraft built in Wichita and Seattle? What happened to the idea that we did not want critical military equipment built overseas in case of War?

It is of course ironic that we are letting France build US Military Aircraft when France has denied US Military Aircraft access to their airspace.

Now the EU says they will open their defense contracts to US Companies-- OVER THE OBJECTION OF FRANCE!!!! Anyone want to bet how "fair" the selection process will be to Boeing?

Sending Tax Dollars to France- The Airbus Tanker Deal