Russian company expected to bid on Air Force refueling tanker

[depakid]

Source: CNN

A new twist in the Air Force's 10-year effort to build an aerial refueling tanker may bring a bid from a Russian state-owned aerospace company for the $35 billion tanker contract, according to the company's U.S. attorney.

The company, United Aircraft Corporation will create a joint venture between a still to be announced U.S. contract company and UAC-America, according to John C. Kirkland, a Los Angeles, California-based lawyer representing UAC. Kirkland would not identify the American partner. "The Russians spoke with Hillary Clinton today about it," Kirkland said.

While no mention was made of the tanker bid by either Secretary of State Clinton or Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin when they met Friday, Putin did urge greater access for Russian companies in the U.S. market.

"As far as our economic cooperation is concerned, certainly our major companies are very much interested in such a cooperation and they're expecting us to support them," Putin said to Clinton. "A message should be sent that they are welcome both in the economy of the United States and of Russia." "We would very much like to get into specifics about how to remove barriers and open opportunities," replied Clinton.

Read more: http://edition.cnn.com/2010/US/03/19/us.russia.refueling.tanker/

[LibDemAlways]

1. The government security apparatus is so paranoid that

people holding various government clearances are required to report all "foreign contacts" and to provide detailed information to the government before and after they leave the country - even if it's something as innocuous as a day trip to Niagara Falls. Depending on the clearance, some find themselves hooked up to a polygraph machine for interrogation and have government weenies show up at their neighbors' doors to ask a bunch of intrusive questions.

Projects involving the military generally involve some level of security clearance. Hell would freeze over before the Russians would be allowed to participate in a US military project. Not gonna happen. No way.

[Zorro]

9. I totally agree

There's absolutely no way the tanker contract would be awarded to the Russians.

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

2. anyone but Boeing,

they can't be rewarded for their conduct in this area.

Although I suspect we will wind up with the KC-330 eventually either way, since Boeing's performance on the small fleets of Japanese and Italian 767 tankers does not suggest they will be capable of delivering with any degree of competence or punctuality.

[Regret My New Name]

8. What did Boeing do?

[Angleae]

10. Start with bribing the procurement official for the first contract.

which was annuled and she was sent to prison. The second contract they lost then whined to their politicans who had the contract annuled.

[Regret My New Name]

11. Ahhh, I see...

Sucks for regular workers there though... But ennh... Whatcha gonna do?

[Number_Six]

3. Don't laugh

Think price. Russia can deliver at a price Boeing and the rest can't touch, and DOD's a boner about handing contracts to lowballers.

[RC]

4. Helps prevent WWIII when the 'enemy' is the source of your spares

for the war toys you bought from them. :evilgrin:

[NecklyTyler]

5. If there is enough money involved, the Republicans will be for it

If the Russian lobbyists came across with sufficient bribes, it will not be hard to get several Republican sponsors in Congress

[L. Coyote]

6. How much money can we save if we just quit flying and burning hydrocarbons in the atmosphere?

Maybe we should just STOP!

[Blue_Tires]

7. General Ripper tried to warn us about this a LONG time ago..