TANKER USAF - Appels d'offres

EADS confiant pour remporter le méga-contrat américain

EADS affirme avoir constitué une équipe de fournisseurs pour le méga-contrat des ravitailleurs de l'armée américaine et ne finalement pas avoir besoin d'un gros partenaire. Concernant l'A350, l'avionneur pourrait bénéficier de prêts remboursables européens.
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En lice pour remporter le méga-contrat des avions ravitailleurs de l'armée américaine, EADS a annoncé mercredi avoir trouver ses fournisseurs aux Etats-Unis. «Nous avons à présent une équipe complète de partenaires», a indiqué Louis Gallois, le dirigeant du groupe européen, «mais nous ne donnons pas leurs noms car nous ne voulons pas les mettre sous pression».
EADS a [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] lancé par l'armée américaine pour lequel l'avionneur Boeing est le favori. Le contrat, estimé à 35 milliards de dollars, porte sur la fourniture de 179 avions ravitailleurs. Louis Gallois, qui a réaffirmé qu'EADS avait «le meilleur avion», a souligné «la nervosité de Boeing» et «ses attaques quotidiennes» dans la presse contre EADS, ajoutant: «si nous n'avions aucune chance (de gagner) pourquoi nous attaqueraient-ils ?»
Louis Gallois a également déclaré qu'EADS n'avait finalement «pas besoin d'un autre partenaire important comme Northrop Grumann». Le [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien]. «Nous trouvons des fournisseurs spécifiques pour les équipements particulièrement sensibles» a-t-il déclaré.
Des prêts remboursables pour l'A350

Par ailleurs, le dirigeant d'EADS a affirmé disposer bientôt des fonds pour construire le nouveau long courrier A350 XWB. «Nous sommes en train de nous accorder sur des prêts remboursables avec différents pays européens», a assuré Louis Gallois.
En mars, l'Organisation mondiale du commerce (OMC) avait jugé «illégales» des aides publiques versées à Airbus par la France, l'Allemagne, l'Espagne et la Grande-Bretagne pour un montant de 205 milliards de dollars (167,6 milliards d'euros) en vingt ans. La semaine dernière, ces subventions ont fait [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien]visant à interdire «tout avantage concurrentiel injuste»
Mais les «prêts remboursables ne sont pas considérés comme illégaux, a affirmé Louis Gallois, ils sont acceptables s'ils sont accordées sous certaines conditions».

USA/Ravitailleurs-Boeing n'a pas pour seul but d'être moins cher

Boeing (BA.N: [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien]) devrait participer à l'appel d'offres concernant les avions ravitailleurs de l'armée de l'air américaine, mais son but n'est pas simplement d'être moins cher qu'EADS (EAD.PA: [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien]), lequel pourrait être avantagé en raison des subventions publiques qu'il reçoit, a déclaré jeudi le directeur général de Boeing.
"Cela peut être une situation dangereuse pour Boeing. Nous devons faire une offre responsable", a déclaré James McNerney lors d'une réunion avec les analystes diffusée sur le web.
"Airbus pourrait emporter la chose sur le prix", a-t-il ajouté.
Boeing et Airbus/EADS ont jusqu'au 9 juillet pour soumettre leurs offres. Il s'agit de remplacer la flotte vieillissante de ravitailleurs KC-135 de l'US Air Force par 179 nouveaux appareils.
Le mois dernier, la Chambre des représentants a voté une loi soutenue par Boeing qui obligerait à prendre en compte les subventions illégales dans la compétition.
Par ailleurs, Boeing n'a pas encore décidé s'il allait équiper son 737 avec un nouveau moteur ou le remplacer par un nouvel appareil, a indiqué James McNerney.
Si Boeing peut concevoir un avion pour 2020, l'ancien modèle pourrai être remplacé, a-t-il indiqué. S'il faut attendre 2025 pour produire un nouvel avion, alors la solution penche du côté de la conception d'un nouveau moteur, a-t-il ajouté.

WTO vote watered down, meaningless

We’ve gotten a hold of the US House amendment that was approved in the matter of the WTO subsidy issue in the KC-X competition–which Boeing and its supporters touted as a key victory to ensure the subsidies found by the WTO to be illegal and which would be considered in the evaluation if the Senate goes along–and the final version, which as adopted is meaningless pulp.
The adopted language is far different than what was initially proposed.
Here is what Boeing supporters in the House suggested: [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien].
Here is what what actually adopted: [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien].
The Original Amendment was a clear violation of the WTO rules, which provide that no complaining government can impose self-help prior to completion of the entire WTO process, including the issuance of the Final Report (which has been done in the US vs Airbus case), appeals (not done) and WTO authorization for sanctions (not done).
We are told by a source familiar with the situation that the USTR counsel even told the House that the Original Amendment violated WTO rules, hence leading to a complete rewrite of the Approved Amendment.
The Approved Amendment’s language is so vague, and without legally supported definitions in procurement processes, that the Defense Department wouldn’t be able to figure out what the House bill means; “unfair competition” is undefined; and DOD almost certainly doesn’t have the expertise to figure out any “unfair” competitive cost anyway and its influence, if any, on the EADS pricing. It took the WTO years to sort this out.
(We will note once again that all the launch aid has been repaid with interest and Airbus is now paying royalties on the airplanes. How does the USAF figure this in? Over what program life time would the launch aid be amortized? The break-even point? The current outstanding orders? The forecast of orders for the next xx years? The problems with this concept are legion.)
In other words, the Approved Amendment is meaningless. No wonder it passed the House 410-8, including EADS supporters.
Action now moves over to the Senate, where Sen. Sam Brownback (R-Boeing/KS) is offering an amendment. This is virtually identical to the Original Amendment offered in the House, and would therefore also violate WTO rules. This bill is here: [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien].
“It’s not only illegal self help in violation of part 23, it’s also totally premature, as the only enforceable WTO rulings there today or will be for some time to come are against Boeing (FSC rulings),” a lawyer familiar with WTO rules tells us. “Appeals that will follow release of DS316 (the US vs Airbus case) suspend any legal effect of the judgment.”
Although the WTO’s Final Report has been issued, the public release of the document referred to in the preceding paragraph isn’t expected until the end of this month or early July.
The WTO’s Interim Report on the EU vs. Boeing is expected to be issued at the end of this month. As with the Airbus Interim Report, it will not be a public document, it’s not to be released except to the trade representatives and lawyers on both side and it will instantly become fodder for leaks on both sides.
Boeing is already downplaying the violations it expects to be found guilty of and Airbus is already spinning that Boeing will be found more guilty than it was.
What’s next?
As noted, action moves to the Senate, where political machinations will be in full swing. If the Brownback bill gets adopted in its present form, or in any form that is different from the House Amendment, the two versions have to be reconciled.
If an Amendment on this issue is included in the Defense Appropriations act, the Act itself must pass White House scrutiny. Issues unrelated to the tanker have been included in the House version that may prompt Defense Secretary Robert Gates to urge a presidential veto of the entire bill. (The dual source engine for the F-35 fighter is included; we haven’t heard if Boeing will be successful in getting more production included for the C-17, but Gates wants this and the F-35 dual sourcing vetoed if they are, and this means vetoing the entire appropriations bill, including the KC-X amendment.)
If a KC-X provision does survive that somehow directly relates to the WTO, then EADS has recourse.
“There is always recourse,” a person familiar with the situation tells us. “But I do not believe this provision will stick, even if it is a benign reporting requirement. Ultimately, the contract decision will happen before this becomes law anyway. Also, I believe DS353 (EU vs Boeing] will be issued sooner rather than later — well before the bill would make it into law and assuming this weak reporting amendment stays in the bill.”

NYT: Keep WTO out of tanker contest

While acknowledging the legitimacy of concerns about illegal [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] impacting the Air Force's aerial refueling [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] competition, The New York Times Sunday [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] that the Pentagon should keep subsidies out of the contest.
The House of Representatives voted last month to require the Pentagon to look at illegal subsidies governments have given bidders in tanker competition, and Boeing backers have submitted a companion measure in the Senate. The World Trade Organization ruled earlier this year that European nations illegally subsidized Airbus programs, including the A330, which is the basis for the EADS North America tanker competing against Boeing's bid.
"Boeing and its allies have reasonable concerns that subsidies will give an unfair price advantage to EADS," The New York Times wrote.
But, it added: "The W.T.O. rules include their own enforcement mechanisms to make offending members end illegal subsidies. Instead of involving the Pentagon in American trade policy, it would be best to let the W.T.O. process run its separate course. Congress's proposed remedy, meanwhile, would entangle the tanker bidding in years of additional legal complications."
The Times noted that a European counter-claim about U.S. aid to Boeing is still pending. It said a subsidy penalty would probably bump EADS out of the bidding, leaving the Air Force with just one option.
"That is not the best way to get the best possible jet for taxpayers' money," The Times wrote. "And it would almost certainly invite retaliation by European governments, which buy a lot of technology from American defense contractors."

Boeing has demonstrated the next-generation boom technology included in its offering for the US Air Force's KC-X tanker competition, and says it is on track to meet the 9 July deadline for bids.

"We have a great deal of confidence in that technology," says Boeing Defense, Space and Security chief executive Dennis Muilenburg. "We demonstrated the capabilities. It is a next-generation boom with fly-by-wire and it is ready for the tanker schedule."
Muilenburg declines to reveal more details about the company's 767-based NewGen Tanker, but says the offering includes "technological insertions from other programmes", such as the 787 cockpit.
Boeing is also drawing on lessons learned from the tankers it has developed for Japan and Italy, says Muilenburg.
Japan has taken delivery of its four 767-based tankers, and its feedback has been "positive", he adds.

Italy's acquisition of four KC-767s has been delayed from an original scheduled delivery in 2007, but Muilenburg expects the nation to receive its first example soon.

"We are ramping up the technical development work. The next step of the process is the tender for acceptance, that's the formal process of accepting the aircraft into the fleet. We are entering that process this summer," he says. "I see that programme now moving along in a positive manner."
Japan and Italy's tanker acquisitions have given Boeing confidence in the USAF KC-X competition, adds Muilenburg.

"Certainly, we have a lot of lessons learned and a lot of risk reduction that has been accomplished for both of those and all of that is being rolled into our US tankers competition," he says.
"The fact that we do have 767-based tankers that have been delivered and are now in operation, including those in Japan, gives us confidence in the underlying platform. And we're adding capabilities that are required, that are unique for the US competition."

Gates 'disappointed' by efforts to keep US partners from EADS

U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates is "disappointed" at politicians' attempts to discourage U.S. firms from joining EADS' aerial refueling [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] bid, he told reporters in London on Wednesday.
"We want a fair and open competition for the tanker. And frankly efforts to discourage U.S .companies from participating in the competition do not help us," Gates said, according to an Agence France Presse [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien]. "So I was very disappointed to hear some of the comments that were made."
One notable example came from U.S. Rep. Norm Dicks, D-Wash., who chairs the House Defense Appropriations subcommittee. Dicks [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] in April saying he would prefer that U.S. companies not partner with EADS on a tanker bid.
EADS executives have recently declined to name certain U.S. partners in its bid for fear they could come under political pressure, although the company did have representatives from several named partners at its [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] in April.

Jun. 11--Alabama is still in the running to become the home of a new generation refueling tanker for the U.S. Air Force -- an economic development that could bring more than 2,000 direct jobs and another 4,000 to 5,000 indirect jobs to the state.

That's the message of Sean O'Keefe, chief executive officer of EADS North America.

The company plans to bid next month on the $35 billion project. O'Keefe and EADS North America Vice President Guy Hicks met with the Montgomery Advertiser editorial board this week to discuss the company's chances of landing the huge project.

O'Keefe clearly is enthusiastic about those chances, as well as enthusiastic about his company's partnership with Alabama in seeking the project. He praised Alabama for having "far and away the most progressive economic development model of any state in the South."

Many observers thought that Alabama had lost any real chance to benefit from the project when Northrop Grumman, EADS' partner in seeking the tanker contract, dropped out of the running. But EADS then decided to pursue the contract in its own.

If EADS is successful, Alabama actually may get more jobs than it would have when the company was partnered with Northrop Grumman. In addition to jobs in a proposed assembly plant in Mobile, EADS plans to locate its program management team in Mobile, which would bring an additional 200 positions to the community.

Up until now, this on-again, off-again contracting process has been a disaster. The Pentagon's decision last year to rebid the tanker contract marks the third bidding process in nine years for aerial refueling tankers -- and each time the process crashed, the amount of time that the Air Force had to continue to use its aging tanker fleet stretched even farther into the future.

The first round of bidding collapsed amid corruption charges involving the Boeing Co. The second round, which was on track to go the Northrop-EADS, was delayed until the Obama administration took office, despite the fact that the bidding process is not supposed to be affected by who is in the White House.
After the new administration took office, the Pentagon rewrote the rules in ways that apparently favored Boeing, prompting Northrop's withdrawal.

But O'Keefe said EADS feels it still will be competitive under the new contracting rules, which emphasize cost.
There are two reasons for Alabamians to pull for EADS. The first, of course, is that the state would receive a tremendous economic boost. The second reason is that the Air Force is far more likely to get a much better refueling aircraft. Based on earlier contract proposals, the EADS aircraft would have a larger capacity, greater range and the ability to spend much more time aloft. The Air Force also would be more likely to get the aircraft on time. Boeing has had problems with on-time delivery of airplanes in recent years.

"Obviously we want it built in Alabama, but Gov. Riley has said all along that the most important thing is that we provide our fighters with the best equipment and the best aircraft there is," said a spokesman for the governor. "He believes strongly that the best aircraft is the aircraft that EADS wants to build here in Alabama."

In the end, what matters most is for the Air Force to get the best tanker and for the U.S. taxpayers to get a fair deal. Maybe this time, those factors will outweigh political considerations.



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Copyright (c) 2010, Montgomery Advertiser, Ala.

Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.

Air Force delaying tanker contract award to late November

The Air Force has pushed back its expected aerial refueling [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] award date from early fall to mid November, the service's top uniformed acquisition official told reporters Friday.
"Planning figures lead us to" anticipate an award in the "mid-November time frame," Lt. Gen. Mark Shackelford said in a briefing, according to a Defense News [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien].
The news comes after Pentagon and Air Force officials insisted their [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] to give EADS North America an extra 60 days to write their tanker bid would not delay the awarding of the $35 billion contract.
In April, the Air Force changed the tanker request's stated "contract award date" of Aug. 16, 2010 to a "contract start date" of Nov. 12. But officials [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] this was not a delay, saying the date always was supposed to be a start date, not an award date, and that it was only intended to give companies a date to use in writing their bids.
Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., was angry with the delay, saying in a statement:

It's now clear that the Pentagon is playing games. Just last month, after delaying this contract to allow an illegally subsidized foreign competitor to bid, the Pentagon assured us that the extra time would not delay the contract. But as we have found out today, those promises were all smoke and mirrors.
The truth is that the Pentagon's plans to bend over backwards for Airbus will mean another delay at the expense of our men and women in uniform, American workers, and our economy.
It's time for the Pentagon to come clean. It's time for them to admit to the fact that by making concession after concession to a company that has had ample time to bid they are slowing this process down. It's time to stop changing the rules for a company that refuses to play by them. American workers and our service members deserve better than the runaround.

EADS: RAAF tanker progress shows maturity of U.S. offering
The fourth of five Airbus A330s set for delivery to the Royal Australian Air Force as multi role [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] transports has arrived in Australia for military conversion, EADS North America [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] Thursday.
"This latest milestone underscores the maturity of EADS North America's [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] tanker offering, which is based on the A330 MRTT already selected by Australia, the United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates," EADS North America said, adding that it also shows EADS' ability to do military conversion in customer countries. EADS North America plans to assemble its KC-45 tanker at a new plant in Mobile, Ala.

US company parnters with Antonov in surprise KC-X bid

A new US company has entered the race for the US Air Force KC-X contract with a bid based on Ukrainian-built [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] series airlifters.
A 1 July regulatory filing by the publicly-traded US Aerospace Inc. confirms the firm intends to bid in response to the [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] request for proposals for KC-X.
The filing document says US Aerospace will submit three models of Antonov aircraft - An-124-KC, An-122-KC and An-112-KC - before the KC-X bidding deadline on 9 July. The aircraft will be assembled in the US, but built in the Ukraine.
"We believe that we will be able to offer a superior aircraft at a significantly lower price than other potential bidders," the company says in the 8-K filing to the US Securities and Exchange Commission.
The US Aerospace/Antonov adds a dramatic new twist in the already heated competition between the [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] NewGen Tanker and [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] North America KC-45.
[Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] transports have been leased heavily by the USAF over the past decade to relieve demand on the strategic airlift fleet.
Little is known about the other two Antonov models listed by US Aerospace in the 8-K form. The An-122 is reportedly a two-engine version of the An-124. Meanwhile, an online Wikipedia entry on the An-12 turboprop cites a book reference to a concept for the An-112, which is described as a jet-powered, swept-wing variant of the Soviet Union's 1950s-era response to the Lockheed C-130.
The KC-X bid by US Aerospace is part of a broader strategic cooperation agreement signed with Antonov, according to the 8-K filing.
The agreement also includes bidding for other projects with Antonov aircraft to the Department of Defense, USAF and "licensed US defense contractors". The pact also covers the "sale of Antonov aircraft, products and services in the United States", the 8-K form says.
Antonov is responsible for design, construction and manufacture of aircraft under the agreement.
"We will be responsible for coordinating the bidding process, negotiating and contracting with customers, and coordinating with defense subcontractors for specialized systems," the filing document says.

Ravitailleurs: Airbus a trouvé un accord avec des groupes américains
AIX-EN-PROVENCE — L'avionneur européen Airbus va présenter dans les temps une offre avec des partenaires américains pour le gros contrat des avions ravitailleurs aux Etats-Unis, a assuré samedi Louis Gallois, le président d'EADS, maison mère du constructeur.
Airbus a trouvé un accord avec "200 entreprises américaines" dans le cadre de son dossier, qu'il va présenter à temps, a indiqué M. Gallois à la presse en marge des Rencontres économiques d'Aix-en-Provence.
Le Pentagone devrait se prononcer à l'automne sur le méga contrat des ravitailleurs, estimé à environ 35 milliards de dollars, qui a connu de multiples rebondissements depuis sept ans.
Airbus et son éternel rival Boeing doivent finaliser leurs propositions d'ici au 9 juillet.
"Je crois que la nervosité que manifeste Boeing dans cette affaire et la campagne de propagande qu'il a menée depuis trois ou quatre jours montre qu'ils craignent que nous ayons une offre compétitive sur le tanker", a commenté M. Gallois.

US Aerospace explains Antonov bid for KC-X
Chuck Arnold extended his layover at JFK airport this evening to answer phone calls, including one from me. Arnold, senior advisor to the board of directors of sudden KC-X competitor US Aerospace, Inc., was halfway home to Los Angeles. He had flown in from meetings at Antonov headquarters in Kiev, Ukraine.

It was 11pm in Kiev last night when Arnold says he sealed the deal. Tiny US Aerospace would offer Antonov aircraft for KC-X, facing off against Boeing and EADS for a roughly $35 billion tanker contract. Arnold didn't get to sleep until a few hours later. First, he had to call the Pentagon to inform a wide range of military officials that a Ukrainian-built aircraft would enter the KC-X competition. He was honest - if diplomatic - about their reactions.

"Everyone's been rather reserved on this," Arnold says. "They haven't had time to think about this."

Tell me about it. I've been covering the KC-X contract war for nearly a decade, and I've seen a lot of strange things. But a surprise bid by a small American firm offering a non-existent Ukrainian transport with no announced supply chain to the US Air Force one week before the deadline for proposals? Well, that tops them all.

Arnold has been traveling for most of the day and missed the storm of coverage that erupted after the story broke, which included aerospace analyst Richard Aboulafia's verdict that the Antonov-based KC-X proposal is "[Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien]" and a "[Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien]". But Arnold is at least not unaware of the apparent absurdity of the situation.

"Most of the first responses I get are like yours," he says, adding with mock disbelief: "'Are you offering a Ukrainian manufacturer for the KC-X tanker project?'"

The answer to that posed question from Arnold is a definitive yes. It's still unclear how seriously we should take this bid. It's the kind of story that makes me worry I'm falling for this year's most belated April Fool's joke. After speaking with Arnold for 25 minutes, he gave the impression of not only sincerity, but also a surprising -- and arguably unjustified -- confidence for his team's chances. He patiently answered some of the many questions his announcement raises, so I'll try to now put his responses into the public record. I didn't tape-record the phone interview. I wasn't expecting a return phone call at 5:30pm on the eve of a holiday weekend. But I'll do my best to paraphrase the conversation based on my notes.

Please click on the jump to read the paraphrased Q and A with Arnold:


Question: You're offering three different aircraft: the An-124, An-122 and An-112. I know what the An-124 is, but can you tell me what are the An-122 and An-112?

Answer: The An-112 is a design that will be an adaptation of one of Antonov's existing models. That is the design that will provide an aircraft that should fill all of the requirements for KC-X and could be the lowest bid provided in the competition. In the second half of the program, the US Air Force is looking for more requirements. We believe that's where the An-122 and An-124 will offer an advantage.

Question: By saying "the second half of the program", you're referring to KC-Y?

Answer: Yes.

Question: Can you go back to the An-112 and explain what that aircraft is? There is a reference on Wikipedia that refers to the An-112 as a jet-powered, swept-wing adaptation of the An-12. Is that true?

Answer: We will be able to release details about the An-112 after we get the performance specifications on Monday. It's close to what you are describing. It's not quite that, but it's close to that. I want to emphasize that the An-112 we feel will be the number one aircraft in the competition.

Question: Where will you source the refueling equipment?

Answer: Refueling parts are components that are very sensitive, and they will be among the equipment that is sourced in the United States and subassembled here.

Question: What engines are you offering?

Answer: US Aerospace is looking at both Pratt & Whitney enginers, either those or General Electrics. We'll also make that decision on Monday. We're leaning towards GE.

Question: Can you explain how you're going to put together a responsive bid in a week to a KC-X request for proposals that includes 372 mandatory requirements and 93 non-mandatory specifications?

Answer: This is something that would take Boeing 50 to 100 people for three months. We've been working on this since November last year. But you're right. This next week will be really busy. All of us will be working on this day and night.

Question: Can you go back to the refuelling issue and discuss where you're getting the boom? The refueling boom is [nearly] unqiue to the US Air Force and there's only so many sources of supply. You can find probe-and-drogue systems all over the world, but there's only a few places you can source refueling booms. So how will you do that?

Answer: The boom is one of the few pieces that will have to be done here in the US. When we submit the bid we'll have that specification there. We have to make a decision between three suppliers. We feel comfortable that we can provide a boom that meets the specifications. I can't say more because we haven't finished final negotiations on the specifications.

Question: Where would US Aerospace place final assembly if you win the contract?

Answer: We're looking at the Southeast right now. We've talked to a few states down there and received a good response. It will be Southeast or Midwest. We will be making that decision also this week. These will be busy days.

AIX-EN-PROVENCE —
L'avionneur européen Airbus va présenter dans les temps une offre avec des partenaires américains pour le gros contrat des avions ravitailleurs aux Etats-Unis, a assuré samedi Louis Gallois, le président d'EADS, maison mère du constructeur.Airbus a trouvé un accord avec "200 entreprises américaines" dans le cadre de son dossier, qu'il va présenter à temps, a indiqué M. Gallois à la presse en marge des Rencontres économiques d'Aix-en-Provence.

Le Pentagone devrait se prononcer à l'automne sur le méga contrat des ravitailleurs, estimé à environ 35 milliards de dollars, qui a connu de multiples rebondissements depuis sept ans.

Airbus et son éternel rival Boeing doivent finaliser leurs propositions d'ici au 9 juillet.

"Je crois que la nervosité que manifeste Boeing dans cette affaire et la campagne de propagande qu'il a menée depuis trois ou quatre jours montre qu'ils craignent que nous ayons une offre compétitive sur le tanker",
a commenté M. Gallois.

Ukraine's Antonov partnering on Air Force tanker bid

Ukrainian plane maker [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] has signed a deal to partner with American aerospace and defense contractor U.S. Aerospace, Inc. on a bid for the Air Force's KC-X aerial refueling [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] contract, [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] announced Tuesday.
The announcement comes just over three months after a [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] (soon [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien]) that Russian government-owned United Aircraft Corp. would offer the Air Force a tanker version of its Ilyushin Il-96.
Antonov and U.S. Aerospace will propose three tanker models: The AN-124-KC, AN-122-KC and AN-112-KC, according to a news release. Antonov would build the airframes in Ukraine and send them to an American U.S. Aerospace facility for final assembly.
"Antonov's participation in the U.S. Air Force tanker bid with U.S. Aerospace, Inc. is an historic opportunity for Antonov to showcase its premier design, engineering and manufacturing capabilities to the world," Antonov President and General Designer Dmytro Kiva said in the release. "We are extremely pleased to have entered into this agreement with U.S. Aerospace, Inc., and are looking forward to the long-term mutual benefits of our partnership."
U.S. Aerospace Chairman Jerrold S. Pressman said: "We are honored to be partnering with the world's premier designer and manufacturer of large transport aircraft. ... Together we can deliver the U.S. Air Force a superior tanker at the most competitive price."
So far, the tanker competition has been between Boeing's 767-based [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] and EADS North America's Airbus A330-based [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien].
The Antonov-U.S. Aerospace offering theoretically could beat out Boeing and EADS by offering a lower-priced tanker that meets the Air Force's 372 requirements. Reuters [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] John Kirkland, a Los Angeles-based lawyer for U.S. Aerospace, saying the team would offer the Pentagon a "dramatically" lower price for a plane that, unlike its rivals, has a rear cargo door and can land on dirt runways, and has a more stable airframe. Kirkland also was working on the theoretical United Aircraft bid.
U.S. Aerospace has asked the Pentagon for a 60-day extension from Friday's bid deadline to prepare its proposal, Kirkland told Reuters.
That's the same amount that the Pentagon [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] EADS to prepare its own bid after Northrop Grumman, EADS' former lead tanker partner, [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] of the competition. But a further delay is unlikely, given that the Pentagon is under pressure to get the bid awarded and (unlike with Northrop's pullout) there's no new circumstance to explain why Antonov and U.S. Aerospace couldn't have been ready by now.
Kirkland told Reuters the team would submit a bid even if the Pentagon rejected their request.
Reuters also reported on U.S. Aerospace's tenuous cash situation and quoted aerospace analyst Richard Aboulafia, of the Teal Group, calling the new bid "a complete waste of time."

Politicians again press Gates on subsidies in tanker fight

A group of Boeing-friendly senators has sent Defense Secretary Robert Gates yet another letter trying to tie illegal [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] into the Air Force's aerial refueling [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] competition.
Politicians have been pressing Gates on the issue ever since a World Trade Organization released a preliminary ruling last year that European Union nations illegally subsidized Airbus programs, including the A330, which is the basis for the EADS North America [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] competing against Boeing's 767-based [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien]. The WTO finally [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] publicly June 30.
"The WTO ruling on illegal subsidies to Airbus is a landmark decision," wrote Sens. Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., Sam Brownback and Pat Roberts, R-Kan., Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., Kit Bond, R-Mo., Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., and Roland Burris, D-Ill.

How the United States reacts to the WTO ruling will determine if this country will continue to have a robust and vibrant aerospace industrial base in the future. We look forward to hearing from you on how you will take this final ruling into consideration during the KC-X tanker competition.

The lack of a final, public ruling has been one reason Pentagon officials have given for not considering the ruling in the tanker process. They have also noted that appeals are likely (which would delay final WTO adoption of the decision) and that a European counter-claim about U.S. aid to Boeing is still pending.
The Boeing backers' focus on the issue reflects fears that EADS could undercut Boeing on price, despite having a larger, more-expensive airplane.
Here's the full text:

Dear Secretary Gates:
On June 30, The World Trade Organization (WTO) issued its final ruling on the U.S. trade case against illegal European government subsidies to Airbus. The WTO has confirmed the claims of both President Bush and President Obama and found that Airbus has for decades been the beneficiary of billions of dollars in illegal subsidies and that these subsidies have caused serious damage to America's aerospace industry, workers, and economy. The cumulative market value of the subsidies provided to Airbus over the last 40 years approaches $200 billion in today's dollars. This is unacceptable and clearly provides a competitive advantage to Airbus in the competition for the KC-X Aerial Refueling Tanker competition.
The WTO found Launch Aid for every Airbus program illegal and damaging. Findings included five billion dollars in Launch Aid provided for development of the A330/340 airframe. As you know, the A330 is the selected platform for Airbus' aerial refueling tanker. Without these subsidies, Airbus could never have developed and built the A330 and would not have a platform to use in the KC-X competition. The WTO also found the government funding of Airbus infrastructure and research and development programs to be illegal.
Having relied on these illegal subsidies to increase market share in the global commercial aerospace market, Airbus now appears intent to use subsidized aircraft and the treasuries of European countries to significantly increase its presence in the U.S. defense market. While we urge you to move forward on the KC-X tanker competition without delay, the Department of Defense must provide a level playing field for all competitors and factor these subsidies into the airplane cost.
The WTO ruling on illegal subsidies to Airbus is a landmark decision. How the United States reacts to the WTO ruling will determine if this country will continue to have a robust and vibrant aerospace industrial base in the future. We look forward to hearing from you on how you will take this final ruling into consideration during the KC-X tanker competition. Our workers are the best in the world, and forcing them to compete against European treasuries is unfair. We want to hear from you on how you intend take the WTO final ruling into consideration and bring fairness into this competition

L'américain Rockwell Collins est l'un des deux partenaires clés recrutés aux Etats-Unis par EADS pour élaborer son offre sur le contrat géant des avions ravitailleurs de l'Armée américaine, selon AeroDefenseNews.

La maison mère d'Airbus aura "deux partenaires clés pour les parties du dossier dites 'classifiées'. L'un des deux devrait être, selon nos informations, Rockwell Collins", écrit la publication spécialisée parue jeudi 8 juillet.

Après le retrait de son ancien allié américain Northrop Grumman, EADS concourt seul face à Boeing pour être maître
d'œuvre de ce contrat de 35 milliards d'euros pour le remplacement des ravitailleurs de l'Armée de l'air américaine.

Mais il a besoin de partenaires américains pour lui fournir certaines pièces de l'appareil sensibles en matière de sécurité nationale.

Jusque-là, EADS s'est toujours refusé à donner le nom de ses partenaires.

"Nous ne donnons pas leurs noms car nous ne voulons pas les mettre sous pression" aux Etats-Unis, expliquait le président exécutif Louis Gallois début juin.

Fournisseur d'équipements de communication et d'avionique, Rockwell Collins emploie environ 20.000 personnes et a réalisé un chiffre d'affaires de 4,47 milliards de dollars en 2009.

EADS et Boeing doivent finaliser leurs propositions d'ici vendredi.

(Challenges.fr, avec AFP)

Ravitailleurs : Airbus a déposé son offre

Allié à l’américain Rockwell Collins, EADS a déposé son offre pour fournir 170 avions ravitailleurs à l’US Air Force pour une valeur de 35 milliards de dollars. Boeing est à nouveau en lice avec une version militaire du B 767.

A nouveau face à face. Et, cela, pour la troisième fois depuis 2001. Airbus et Boeing ont déposé leurs propositions rivales auprès du Pentagone pour décrocher la première tranche du fabuleux contrat de renouvellement de la flotte d’avions ravitailleurs américains. [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien]sur un total de plus de 400 appareils en échange d’un chèque de plus de 100 milliards de dollars.
Comme en 2003 et en 2008, les deux constructeurs aéronautiques rivaux ont livré des cartons entiers de documents – 8800 pages pour EADS – aux responsables de la base aérienne Wright-Patterson de l’US Air Force à Daytona dans l’Ohio. Le Pentagone a en principe 60 jours pour rendre son verdict mais il avait informé les deux groupes que la décision finale serait repoussée au 12 novembre soit après les élections de mi-mandat au Congrès américain. Contrairement à certaines rumeurs, il n’y a pas eu de troisième dépôt d’offre venant de l’Ukrainien Antonov, ce qui laisse le champ libre à une ultime bataille entre Airbus et Boeing, chacun ayant remporté une fois ce contrat par le passé avant qu’il ne soit annulé. En mars dernier, EADS avait été contraint de jeter l’éponge après l’abandon pour cause de «compétition biaisée» en faveur de Boeing de la part de son allié américain Northrop Grumman.

Plusieurs grands noms de l’industrie américaine
Convaincu que son offre et son avion sont les meilleurs et face à l’engagement du Pentagone d’ouvrir une compétition «juste et transparente», Louis Gallois, président d’EADS, a décidé en avril de concourir à nouveau. EADS se lance avec son A330 MRTT (Multi Role Tanker Transport) dérivé de la version civile du long courrier A330. Cet appareil a déjà réalisé avec succès de nombreux vols d’essais – on devrait le voir à nouveau dans le ciel du salon de Farnborough qui ouvre ses portes le 18 juillet – et a remporté toutes les compétitions dans le monde notamment en Grande-Bretagne et en Australie. Canberra attend la première livraison d’ici à la fin de l’année. Face à lui, un dérivé militaire du B 767, un avion de papier qui n’existe pas encore. [/b]

En matière d’emplois et de partenariats industriels locaux, EADS a reformulé des engagements précis. Il a communiqué la liste de ses 200 alliés américains dont quelques partenaires clefs pour la militarisation de l’avion. Parmi eux, le premier sera Rockwell Collins, un spécialiste de l’avionique et de l’électronique embarquée, comme l’a indiqué la lettre AeroDefenseNews. Ce groupe de 4,5 milliards de dollars de chiffre d’affaires, est un partenaire de longue date de… Boeing et de son B 767 ! Rockwell Collins fournit notamment l’avionique et le radar météo du B 767-200. Mais c’est aussi un expert en électronique embarquée militaire, des équipements sensibles qui sont déjà à bord du C-130, l’avion de transport de troupes et de matériel de Lockheed ainsi que du ravitailleur KC-135 de Boeing. D’autres grands noms de l’industrie américaine ont accepté de s’engager derrière EADS dont le Pentagone a accepté qu’il soit maître d’œuvre (prime contractor) du projet: General Electric, Honetwell, Hamilton Sundstrand ou encore Goodrich.

Projet d’usine d’assemblage en Alabama
Si son offre est retenue, EADS s’est engagé à construire une usine d’assemblage pour son tanker à Mobile en Alabama, ce qui créerait plus de 1000 emplois localement. Au total, Airbus estime que son projet entrainera la création de 48.000 emplois directs et indirects avec la sous-traitance aux Etats-Unis.
EADS a-t-il une chance de l’emporter et de réaliser la percée américaine qu’il attend depuis si longtemps ? Beaucoup en doute. Le Pentagone a changé la plupart des 400 critères d’évaluation en faveur d’un avion plus petit que le B 767. Et si l’écart de prix est supérieur à 1%, il achètera l’appareil le moins cher; si l’écart est inférieur à 1%, les critères techniques prendront le dessus, notamment le coût d’exploitation.

USA/ravitailleurs: Airbus associé à plus de 200 partenaires américains



NEW YORK, 8 juil 2010 (AFP)L'avionneur européen Airbus part sans partenaire stratégique dans la course au contrat à 40 milliards de dollars pour renouveler la flotte d'avions ravitailleurs de l'armée de l'air américaine, mais revendique plus de 200 partenaires américains pour appuyer son projet.

The contents in this photo could be worth $35 billion

[Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien]

Teasing reporters assembled for a press conference/lunch, EADS North America piled 17 binders full of the company's 8,000-page proposal for the KC-X contract on the table behind my chair. Most annoyingly, the binders were taped shut. A spokesman thumbed through one of the apparently least sensitive binders (way too briskly, I might add) in my presence just to confirm they were real.

A different set of the same binders -- as well as a six CD-ROM package -- were delivered by EADS vice president Jim Hvizd to the KC-X source selection committee at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, this morning. For those keeping score, EADS delivered their proposal one day earlier than Boeing.

Perhaps a Hawker Beechcraft King Air wasn't available, or EADS didn't worry about playing any "buy American cards" with the choice of chartered aircraft. But give them points for style. It was the very Italian-made Piaggio Aero P180 Avanti that for EADS delivered a cargo potentially worth a $35 billion contract

EADS submits its tanker bid a day early
EADS North America is submitting its Air Force aerial refueling [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] bid Thursday -- a day before the bid deadline, according to company officials.
"We actually sent this thing two different ways to be sure, ... one by van one by aircraft," EADS North America Chairman Ralph Crosby said at a news conference in Washington, D.C. Thursday.
Noting that the bid topped 8,800 pages and weighs 440 pounds, he said: "We almost had to get a bigger airplane."
The Pentagon [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] the $35 billion contract in November.
"This is a big deal," Crosby said. "It is the definitive acquisition for the remainder of the century, as far as I'm able to tell."
EADS' Airbus A330-based [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] tanker is bigger, uses more fuel and will require more modifications to runways and hangars than Boeing's [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] offering.
But Crosby noted that the assessment also includes an evaluation of the number of planes that would be needed in the most-intense day of war fighting. He also asserted that his company's risk (a factor in pricing) is less than Boeing's because its existing A330 MRTT for the Royal Australian Air Force is closer to its KC-45 tanker than Boeing's existing 767-based tankers are to NewGen.
"The fact that this KC-45 is in most regards identical to the aircraft, of which two are flying, that we've developed for the Royal Australian Air Force I think is a fact that gives us confidence in what we're offering," Crosby said. "We frankly don't know what the other folks are going to offer. We know they don't have anything flying that represents what they're going to offer."
EADS also gains efficiency from the fact that Airbus is building significantly more A330s than Boeing is 767s, EADS North America CEO Sean O'Keefe said. Even though EADS would build a new A330 assembly line in Mobile, Ala., that plant will use existing technology and methods, he added.
Crosby noted that the Mobile line also would create commercial A330 Freighters, saying the potential freighter market is three times the number of tankers the plant would churn out.
"If you add on top of that the very unfortunate circumstances that relate to the oil spill and the Gulf region and what it means for Mobile and the whole coast … having this kind of economic magnet seems to me in political and economic terms to take on much greater proportion," Crosby said.
Asked about Boeing supporters' [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] to penalize the EADS bid based on a recent WTO [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] that European governments illegally [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] Airbus programs, including the A330, Crosby noted that Pentagon officials have repeatedly refused to do so.
"We find ourselves in the odd position of defending what the administration said they were going to do," he said, "while other people who seem not to have much confidence in their own ability to win based on the criteria established keep throwing extraneous issues into the legislative process."
Airbus America's Chairman Allan McArtor insisted WTO rules did not allow the Pentagon to take action based on the ruling outside the WTO process. McArtor also noted that the ruling wouldn't be final until the WTO adopted it, which wouldn't happen until after appeals.
Crosby said congressional passage and a presidential signature of a requirement to consider the ruling were far from a sure thing and noted that a European counter-claim on U.S. subsidies to Boeing is still pending.
"The central issue in this competition, quite frankly, is how do you get the best system for the U.S. war fighter. And we've spent all of our time talking about a bunch of crap which has no relevance to the fact of whether you're going to get airplanes that can fly for 50 years and adapt themselves to a changing environment with a substantially greater capability," Crosby said. "Wasting a lot of time trying to derail a process because somebody's worried that their airplane is inferior is a major distraction."
Boeing tanker Bill Barksdale said his company planned to submit its tanker bid at about 9 a.m., Eastern time, Friday.
Responding to EADS' comments that it had a plane nearly identical to the KC-45 it would offer to the Air Force, Barksdale said: "I'm not aware of an airplane in the world that has those 372 (Air Force tanker) requirements met."
Referring to 767-based tankers Boeing has delivered to the Japanese military, he said: "We're the only ones in this competition who have delivered an airplane to an operational squadron that is based on the same platform that we're offering in this competition."
Barksdale said the NewGen Tanker will respond better to pilots in and near combat, have the best flight displays in the world, save $10 billion in fuel costs alone over the life of the fleet than the KC-45, and that "the 767 is 15 to 20 percent less costly to maintain than the A330."
As for the subsidy issue, Barksdale said: "They're offering an Airbus A330 in this competition and, in that ruling, that was one of those planes listed as getting illegal subsidies. From our perspective you have to consider that and you have to realize that for us to compete on a level playing field, which is everything in this, this is an issue that has to be considered."
Meanwhile, both EADS and Boeing supporters have tanker rallies planned.
Boeing workers and Washington state politicians will gather at 10:30 a.m. Friday, at the Everett Machinists Hall, 8729 Airport Road, in Everett.
EADS North America Chairman Ralph Crosby and Alabama Governor Bob Riley are scheduled to headline a rally to celebrate the relocation of the EADS North America KC-45 Aerial Refueling Tanker Team to Mobile at 11 a.m. Monday at the Mobile Convention Center. EADS would assemble its tanker in Mobile