Top Lawmaker Eyes Subsidy Review on Tanker Deal

[cal04]

Source: Reuters

The head of the U.S. House of Representatives Armed Services Committee is conditionally seeking a review of any illegal subsidies' role in a $35 billion refueling-aircraft contest lost by Boeing Co, a committee aide said on Wednesday.

On February 29, the Air Force picked a team made up of Northrop Grumman Corp and Airbus parent EADS, rather than Chicago-based Boeing, to start building a new fleet of tanker aircraft.

Panel chairman Ike Skelton, a Missouri Democrat, has prepared legislation that would mandate an Air Force review if the World Trade Organization finds fault in a subsidy dispute pitting Boeing against Airbus, its archrival in the commercial aircraft market.

If the WTO rules that an illegal subsidy was given to "any large commercial aircraft manufacturer," Skelton's legislation would require the Air Force look at the potential impact of that subsidy on the tanker program's selection process, the aide said.

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/washington/politics-boeing-eads-tanker.html

[Vincardog]

1. To start with the European plane is too large to land and take off from the majority of Airports

even Military ones. It is less fuel efficient than Boeing's and will cost Millions more in fuel costs alone. But they did give McShame some big money to support them.

[Sodbuster]

2. Does that mean that It is based on the Airbus 380? That is the only plane that

is so big that airports had to be enlarged to handle it. Where did you get your info on the plane type?

[Angleae]

3. Where did he get it, probably from Boeing

[Vincardog]

5. I was watching Communist TV you know PBS sorry no link.

[hack89]

4. Wrong

It is based on the Airbus A330 - which is about the same size as the Boeing 777.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Airbus_A330