Another whittlin’!

by reader ilsm

All the news on disappearing ‘equity’ and dissolving networth brought to mind I should bring some good news from the US Air Force whittlin’ scene to Angry Bear readers.

A few weeks ago Boeing told the Air Force that they would not compete against the monster Airbus with their KC 135 replacement Boeing 767 because they would need a year or so to develop a Boeing 777 or 747 proposal. In effect Boeing said: if you want to replace the underused KC-10 fleet instead of replacing the workhorse, 500 airplane KC 135 fleet we need enough time to send in a proposal for a tanker version of one of our (Boeing) much too big airplanes.

Boeing should have publicized (outside the defense trades) the time and effort already spent on certifying the KC 767 to fly in commercial airspace, which is years ahead of the Northrop Airbus candidate which Northrop sold as coming online in 18 months after award. No one picked up that the Air Force was engaged in buying the aerospace version of French CDO’s.

DoD was caught buying a different airplane than specified and one that is not needed, that Boeing showed this and that GAO agreed shows that something is going right inside the Beltway. Good news!

Good thing because when all the socialisation of risk in the financials is paid for there won’t be enough money left in the kids’ earning power to do whittlin like has been done the past 7 years.

I am thinking I won’t have much to write in the next few years.

Air Force decided to suspend the contracting plan for the replacement tanker until the next administration comes on board. In essence the thing is cancelled. Right on!

An end to some whittlin’?
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by ilsm