New USAF Tanker...Surprise!! Surprise!!!

[Chris Trott]

...I don't think anyone on this side of the pond.. outside the U.S. for that matter, is surprised by the 'final' outcome.

Actually, inside the US, a lot of people thought EADS was going to win because the politico's wanted to seem less "imperialist" (as the talking heads put it). If you read much of the aviation media, they seem to be the most surprised.

[cstorey]

I rather suspect that Tonks knows just fractionally more about all this than Trott does!!

[Chris Trott]

Chris, he may know more about the ins-and-outs of the MRTT and I won't dispute that, but I'm stating what's on the public record - the first KC-767's been delivered to the Italians as of the end of last month. All 4 KC-767's were delivered to Japan by the end of 2009. The KC-767 was launched in 2002 and the KC-45/A330 MRTT was launched in 2004. There's not much to "dispute" on that. That the KC-45 hasn't been delivered to the RAAF is also public record and that there is a delay to delivery of the first aircraft due to the incident is also public record.

One's perceptions can (and are) skewed with the passage of time. For example, I didn't even realize that all 4 KC-767J's had been delivered by the end of 2009. I could've sworn that I'd seen an article about the last KC-767J being delivered in December 2010, not 2009, but I went and checked the dates before I posted the response to Tonks. Additionally, the fact about changes ordered by the Italians are available on public forums as is the information on the wing flutter and when they resolved it.

Time moves along at a pace faster than most of us realize. That's why I try to check multiple sources because I get when things happened wrong way too often when I don't.

[DaveB]

Hi Chris

I love your tenacity What you didn't quote was the rest of that sentence. I guess you have to be on this side of the pond (or outside the U.S.) NOT to be surprised by the outcome While the public response from EADS might be one thing.. I'm certain the private respose varied greatly. It's called 'Politics'

ATB
DaveB

[Techy111]

Betcha BP don't get a look in with supplying the fuel

Tony

Back to work

[Chris Trott]

Hi Chris

I love your tenacity What you didn't quote was the rest of that sentence. I guess you have to be on this side of the pond (or outside the U.S.) NOT to be surprised by the outcome While the public response from EADS might be one thing.. I'm certain the private respose varied greatly. It's called 'Politics'

ATB
DaveB

Well, reading the Australian and British "aviation experts" on Flight Global and Defense Daily, it seems that even overseas many of the people supposedly "in the know" about this were caught by surprise.

I think after Monday when they release the full decision (by law the USAF has to "debrief" both Boeing and EADS in detail on the decision before they can release the full scoring) we'll get a better idea of why Boeing won, but like I said, after Boeing got spanked by the GAO for the CSAR-X, it's kinda "shoe on the other foot" for them now with the KC-X because the exact reason the GAO invalidated their win for the CSAR-X was why they invalidated EADS's win for the KC-X.

[airboatr]

V

Betcha BP don't get a look in with supplying the fuel

Tony

Back to work

Lmao

Uh, that would be noooo......

[Chris Trott]

The way it's going, it's gonna be some small-time firm that'll get the fuel contract because the USAF's full-bore on "biofuels" now.