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I wrote on Boeing losing a military contract here. Below is a
letter I received regarding the issue.
***********************
Walton T. Koch
Kansas
03 March 2009
Subject: U.S. Air Force announcement on foreign aircraft purchase
Dear Family and Friends,
Well. Here we go again.
The U.S. Taxpayer is again going to subsidize a foreign government and way of life.
The U.S. Air Force in some stroke of genius has decided to procure a
French/German designed and built commercial aircraft and convert it
into an aerial refueling tanker.
I hope the officers responsible for this decision have looked forward
into the future and have tallied up the true cost to you and I, the
taxpayer, over the next 40 or 50 years. After all that’s how long the
current Air Force Tanker has been flying around, and I would fully
expect the KC-45A to be lasting at least that long. (hit "read more").
Did they take into consideration the cost in updates, repairs and
redesigns that will go into these aircraft over the next 40 years. All
being accomplished by French/German Aircraft Workers rather than in
American Plants by American Workers.
Did they take into consideration that all the materials, sheet metal
and stock sizes of parts, the fasteners, nuts, bolts and rivets are all
foreign manufactured and are all metric sizes. Not in inches. That all
the engineering drawings are in first angle projection, not third angle
the way we draw in the United States. All the current Technical
Manuals are in French or German. And must be translated into
English. Is the Air Force planning on buying all new tool kits to
be supplied to all the Air Bases that will be maintaining the KC-45A.
I hope they looked up the maintenance history of the KC-135 aircraft.
And have come up with a dollar figure that was spent in the United
States to maintain this fleet of aircraft over the past 45 years. And
have come up with a dollar figure of how much we will be spending in
France/Germany over the next 45 years to maintain the KC-45A. All
dollars that should be spent here so it goes back in our pockets not
theirs.
What a nation of short sited fools we are. Do we really believe
Northrop-Grumman is building this airplane in Mobile, Alabama. Heck no,
it is being built lock stock and barrel in France/Germany. Then flown
to the United States. There to have a foreign designed and built
refueling system added to the aircraft. Boy that’s a lot of work for
Mobile, Alabama.
I can’t imagine what they are so excited about. Maybe the really think they are going to build an aircraft.
My complaint is not with the aircraft design chosen, my complaint is in
subsidizing the French/German Aerospace Industry instead of the
American Aerospace Industry with our money. I wish I could have had
seven or eight weeks of government subsidized vacation or as the call
it in Europe ‘Holidays’ each year. If the KC-45A aka A330 is such a
great design and so superior to the converted 767 airframe, lets buy
the design and license rights to build it in the United States.
We did with the English Electric ‘Canberra’ in the 1950’s, and are
still doing today with the Hawker (BAE) ‘Harrier’ (AV-8) and ‘Hawk’
(T-45) Trainer. These designs were purchased outright. American workers
were able to earn livable wages paid for with our taxes in the United
States.
Shame on you Northrop-Grumman, you have basically sold your own nation
down the river for whatever minor profit you are going to make selling
Airbus Aircraft as if they were your own. What a shameful act by one of
the oldest most respected Aircraft Corporations in the United States.
Jack Northrop and Leroy Grumman are rolling over in their graves.
This is just one more act of stupidity proffered upon the American
public that is planting the seeds of destruction of the American way of
life.
_____________________
Walton T. Koch
On-Site/Off-Site
Senior Aircraft Program Manager - Retired
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