EADS ["Airbus"] Goes After US Defense Market

[Kellanved]

Following a corruption scandal that led Boeing to lose a $23 billion contract to build tanker jets for the US Air Force, its European competitor EADS has its best chance ever of cracking the US market. To win the deal and other chunks of the $400 billion US defense market, the European company is putting on an American face.

Sammy Pence's ad would please a lot of Americans. He stands in front of a helicopter painted in red, white and blue and he's wearing a Stetson. Pence once served in the Marines, he has a ranch where he raises cattle and he hails from Texas. It wouldn't be hard to imagine him as one of the people who just helped George W. Bush score his second term in the White House.

Problem is, Pence is the poster boy for a foreign company that, in competing for lucrative American defense contracts, is pitting itself directly against American companies that have been carefully promoted by the Bush administration. Neither Boeing, General Dynamics nor Lockheed Martin organized the patriotic advertising campaign. Pence works and promotes the Franco-German aerospace giant EADS.

The Europeans are currently in the process of a complete image make-over in the United States. EADS is trying to endear itself with the political elite in Washington in order to secure a chunk of the close to $400 billion a year the Pentagon and Congress allocate for national defense. And it's staging a massive lobbying campaign to achieve that goal.
...
http://service.spiegel.de/cache/international/0,1518,328687,00.html

[candy]

1. Not exactly news,but I would prefer the government kept the----

business here.......Go Boeing!

[Kellanved]

2. well, it is not like Boeing has " kept the business here"

While EADS has signaled that they would be willing to move some production stateside, Boeing is busy moving to South Africa and Japan.

Also, competition might be good for Boeing. With the defense contracts to rely on, Boeing apparently has no problem with making badly outdated planes; falling behind in the civilian business.

The 7E7 might be a move to end that , but frankly, the plane's specs make it appear like an A320 copycat.

[candy]

3. The 777 is the nicest plane I have ever flown on. I have been on Airbus --

twice and hated them,especially the ventilation. Hotter than hell!

[Florida_Geek]

5. I love the new Airbuses

Joysticks are the only way to fly.

[candy]

6. Nice! I was on older ones. n/t

[Florida_Geek]

7. Northwest has the 319 and 320s with joysticks and I talked

a pilot into allowing me into the cockpit on the ground and he showed off his baby I really loved the cockpit.

[Kellanved]

8. Sorry, but I had the Boeing adventure a month ago

A Jumbo, to be exact. Not for me, thanks. These things look archaic.
I have turned into a pretty frequent flyer and I have learned to hate Boeings, especially the noise and the turbulences (Airbusses fly far "softer"). The interior is pretty much the Airline's business to design.

I have to wonder about the temperature - it is a lot harder to keep a plane warm, than cold - I don't think that the model had anything to do with it; probably the staff wanted it to be warm. :shrug:


On the pure technical side of things, Boeings just suck; more maintainance, more accidents, more fuel, no "one for all" cockpit (and thus higher pilot training costs),...
Although I have to admit, I've never been on a 777 - these are indeed rumored to be almost an Airbus. But the thing about the Airbusses is, that they have a jet for every purpose, while the 777 is one-of-a-kind. For the lines it is far cheaper to operate a fleet of Airbusses.

[fortyfeetunder]

9. In defense of Boeing --

Boenig planes in more accidents...if you took a tally of all the commercial large jets flying -- most of them are Boeing aircraft. Airbus may be predominant in sales now, but they have a few years yet before they predominate in all the aircraft flying.

[Kellanved]

10. that is actually not true

It is a faa "per million flights statistic".
One might argue that the statistic includes some very old model Boeings though. But for instance the A320 has done more flights than the 747, yet had less than a tenth of the accidents.

And of course, the 777's record is still spotless.

[candy]

4. Dup-sorry