There is a pretty simple reason why Boeing didn’t get the $40 billion contract to build a new fleet of refueling tankers.  BOEING SUCKS.  Even the Commander of the Air Force’s Mobility Command, Gen. Arthur J Lichte, stated that the winning design was better overall.

More passengers, more cargo, more fuel to offload, more patients that we can carry, more availability, more flexibility and more dependability.

Why Boeing can’t understand that, is somewhat beyond the scope of my understanding.  After their mismanagement of the last tanker deal, where people went to jail, I don’t see why the Air Force would trust them again on the same product line.  Instead the Air Force picked a EADS/Northrop Grumman partnership proposal to build the new fleet of tankers.  Some however believe that there is an issue with EADS being a French based company, America would be exporting jobs to the French - along with what politicians call our National Security.

So, when politicians this week started attacking the decision by the Air Force as “exporting jobs” from Americans, my response: if Boeing can’t produce within cost and within quality why the hell not export some jobs.  The simple logic is, if Boeing is going to produce crap it’s not going to produce at all.

I say good going to the Air Force for finally bypassing America’s military industrial complex, where most projects are either behind schedule, over cost, or crappy - and most of the time all three put together. While it’s sad that we have to turn to Europeans to build our country’s airplanes, maybe it will give our companies the needed kick in the pants to get their act together.

As for the politicians, well, how many more reminders do we need that they are complete idiots?

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