TANKER USAF - Appels d'offres

EADS touts tanker's boom, cost per gallon of fuel delivered

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EADS North America's proposed [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] aircraft recently became the only entrant in the Air Force's aerial refueling [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] competition to show it satisfies the Air Force's requirement to offload fuel at 1,200 gallons per minute through its boom, the company said Tuesday.
Two Airbus Military A330 Multi Role Tanker Transports, which are the basis for the KC-45, met the requirement during certification flights for the Royal Australian Air Force, EADS said.
"We aren't just making claims about what the KC-45 can do, we are demonstrating it in the air every day," EADS North America Chairman Ralph D. Crosby, Jr., said during a meeting with reporters at the annual Air Force Association conference outside Washington, D.C., according to the company.
While Boeing has touted the better fuel economy of its smaller 767-based [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] offering, Crosby Tuesday said the KC-45 would actually cost much less per day to operate.
"In any likely Air Force operational scenario, Boeing's concept tanker will cost 15 percent to 44 percent more, measured on the basis of fuel burned per gallon of fuel delivered," Crosby said.
Reuters, meanwhile, [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] Boeing tanker spokesman Bill Barksdale saying his company was focused on discussions with the Air Force.
"We're not trying to sell the plane publicly," he said. "The details belong in the Air Force competition."
That said, Boeing brought its [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] to the event

U.S. Aerospace: Our tanker will save the Air Force billions

The Antonov aerial refueling [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] that U.S. Aerospace has proposed to the U.S. Air Force would save taxpayers billions, a company official said Tuesday.
"It's 20 to 30 million (dollars) cheaper a plane (to buy), but in maintenance and indirect costs it's a savings of billions over the term of the contract and the life of the plane," U.S. Aerospace board member Michael Goldberg told CNBC.
The Air Force rejected U.S. Aerospace's proposal because it arrived five minutes after the bid deadline. But the company has [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] to the U.S. Government Accountability Office and accused the Air Force of deliberately holding up its bid submission.
"USAE had a bonded messenger deliver the bid. He waited 45 minutes for the Air Force to come down. We repeatedly called up there," Goldberg said. "They came down five minutes after the bid time was over and, quite frankly, we believe if we had been an hour early they would have come down 5 minutes later (than the deadline)."
Goldberg also maintained the Antonov tanker is the best on offer and would create 20,000 direct and 30,000 indirect jobs in the U.S.
"We're going to build it here and, as a matter of fact, the Antonov plane has as many U.S. parts as the Boeing plane and the EADS plane," he said.
Responding to questions about his small company's finances, Goldberg said: "The muscle behind the deal is Antonov. They've been building cargo planes for 60 years they sell the most of those in the world. Their plane is far superior in every way, in every theater."
I have a feeling at least one way the plane won't be superior is in meeting the Air Force's 372 mandatory requirements -- if the GAO reinstates the bid, that

SEVRIEN a écrit:Le rapport, qui va être 'disponible' à partir de demain, ne va pas arranger les affaires de Boeing, après les "fuites" d'aujourd'hui. [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir cette image]

U.S. reps. call out Airbus subsidies on eve of Boeing ruling

With a World Trade Organization panel [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] a ruling on U.S. [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] to Boeing Wednesday, more than 80 members of the U.S. House of Representatives signed onto a letter Tuesday commending U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk for his work on a WTO [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] that European governments illegally subsidized Airbus.
"We write to congratulate you on the World Trade Organization's (WTO) ruling on the matter of European government subsidies to the aerospace manufacturer Airbus," they wrote.

"Despite this ruling, European officials have indicated that they will continue to provide launch aid for Airbus' newest jet, the [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien]," they added. "We urge you to continue to work to ensure that European governments come into compliance with WTO rules."

Reps. Rick Larsen, D-Wash., and Don Manzullo, R-Ill., led the group, which includes Reps. Sander Levin, D-Mich., and Dave Camp, R-Mich., who are, respectively, the chairman and ranking member of the House Ways and Means Committee, which has jurisdiction over U.S. trade policy.
"I will keep fighting to bring attention to the illegal subsidies that Airbus has received and help ensure that American workers can compete on a level playing field," Larsen said in a news release.

Here's the full letter.

September 14, 2010

The Honorable Ron Kirk
United States Trade Representative

Dear Ambassador Kirk:

We write to congratulate you on the World Trade Organization's (WTO) ruling on the matter of European government subsidies to the aerospace manufacturer Airbus. This trade enforcement action will help level the playing field for American companies and protect American aerospace workers from unfair competition.

For decades, European governments have provided Airbus with billions of dollars in subsidies, allowing Airbus to undercut its competitors' prices and seize market share. As a result of these subsidies, thousands of American aerospace workers lost good manufacturing jobs.

As you know, in 2004, the Bush Administration, led by U.S. Trade Representative Robert Zoellick, filed a complaint with the WTO alleging that Airbus had received billions in illegal subsidies (later valued in 2006 dollars as worth a staggering $200 billion). On June 30, 2010, the WTO issued a final panel ruling in the case, finding that subsidies granted to Airbus violated international trade law.

Specifically, the WTO concluded that European governments provided a "massive" amount of illegal subsidies for the development of every Airbus aircraft model ever built. The WTO also determined that the $4 billion in "launch aid" for the A380 included "prohibited export subsidies" - an even more egregious form of subsidy. All of these subsidies must be withdrawn.

Despite this ruling, European officials have indicated that they will continue to provide launch aid for Airbus' newest jet, the A350. We urge you to continue to work to ensure that European governments come into compliance with WTO rules.

The implications of this ruling extend beyond the immediate dispute between European governments and the U.S. The market for large commercial aircraft is forecasted to be more than $3 trillion over the next twenty years. American companies can compete against any rival, but not foreign treasuries. The WTO's panel ruling sends a strong message that competitors seeking to enter this market must comply with international trade laws and avoid anti-competitive behavior.

We commend you and the entire team at the Office the U.S. Trade Representative for your dedication to this case.

USA/Tankers - EADS disposé à ajuster son offre

WASHINGTON, 14 septembre (Reuters) - EADS est disposé à ajuster son offre pour le marché des avions ravitailleurs de l'US Air Force si celle-ci demandait une révision finale des propositions, a déclaré mardi Ralph Crosby, président de la filiale nord-américaine.
Les partisans de Boeing au Congrès accusent la société-mère d'Airbus de se préparer à du dumping, avec l'aide de subventions européennes, pour remporter ce contrat de 179 tankers évalué à une cinquantaine de milliards de dollars.
L'Air Force étudie les offres concurrentes d'EADS et de Boeing depuis juillet, dans l'optique d'accorder le contrat à l'automne.
Prié de dire si EADS était disposé à baisser ses prix dans la mesure où le Pentagone est très près de ses sous, Ralph Crosby a répondu: "Nous sommes sur le coup, n'est-ce pas?"
Il a dit à la presse, lors d'une conférence, qu'il restait persuadé que l'appareil élaboré à partir de l'A330 proposé par EADS posait moins de risque que celui de Boeing, inspiré du 767, et représentait une option plus rentable pour l'Air Force.
Il a évoqué le travail effectué par EADS sur des tankers destinés à l'Australie, la Grande-Bretagne et deux autres pays, suivant une conception identique à 95% à celle préparée pour le contrat américain.
Au contaire, a-t-il poursuivi, l'offre de Boeing repose sur un avion ravitailleur sensiblement différent des tankers qu'il a construits pour l'Italie et le Japon.[/color]

KC-X competitor fires back at cost questions

EADS North America's top executive has fired back at perceptions that the company's [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] would be the most expensive tanker to operate in a competition for the US Air Force's KC-X contract that may hinge on cost comparisons.
Three months before the scheduled contract award, EADS NA chairman Ralph Crosby has also carefully corrected a reporter's interpretation that he was complaining about the terms of the USAF's repeat round of the KC-X competition.
"It's only a complaint if I want to change it, and I'm not trying to change anything," Crosby says. "I'm not shooting at the air force [contract terms]. I accept that."
Crosby's real concern is that the company's industrial and political opponents will be allowed to claim that the most expensive aircraft in the competition won the contract if the company's Airbus A330-200-based offering is again selected.

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"I want [the reasons for our victory] to be understood when we win," Crosby says.
In Crosby's view, the KC-45 is more expensive than the rival Boeing [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] only if people incorrectly assess the true operating costs and relative risk of each contractor.
Although the KC-45 is a larger aircraft that burns more fuel, its larger payload volume delivers fuel more efficiently, he argues.
Crosby also describes how the KC-45's greater fuel capacity could be decisive, despite USAF officials having insisted that they are not willing to pay for it.
The offers submitted from both bidders will be adjusted based on a study called the integrated fleet aerial refuelling assessment. The adjusted price will include factors such as greater fuel efficiency at range, Crosby says.
Crosby is more critical about the USAF's decision to not make adjustments based on evaluated risk. He notes that in the previous competition, which the KC-45 won, the USAF added $3 billion to Boeing's submitted price tag for the KC-767 based on concerns about the risk of delays and cost overruns. There is no such mechanism in the current competition to adjust prices, he says.
"How do you measure certainty?" Crosby asks. "That the customer is going to get what he says he needs?"
The A330 multi-role tanker transport, the baseline for the KC-45 design, has demonstrated a 4,550 litres/min (1,200USgal/min) flow rate for its refuelling boom. Crosby notes this achievement is one sign that the KC-45 presents less risk than its competitor.
Crosby also countered questions about the risk of standing up a new final assembly plant in Mobile, Alabama by saying that any delays could be offset by extending the existing A330 tanker modification line in Spain.
"Let's say it takes an extra six months" to stand up the Mobile final assembly line, Crosby says. "We're already doing it in Spain."
Airbus Military has so far secured orders to modify the A330 as a tanker/transport for the air forces of Australia, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and the UK.

Boeing: Our tanker would save enough to buy another fleet

Boeing's proposed [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] aerial refueling [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] would save the U.S. Air Force $11 billion to $36 billion in operating costs over rival EADS North America's [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien], Boeing said Thursday, two days after EADS [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] its plane would save taxpayers billions.
"(B)y choosing the NewGen Tanker over European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company's aircraft, taxpayers could save enough money to buy another fleet of 179 tankers," Boeing tanker spokesman Bill Barksdale [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] on the company's tanker blog Thursday. "At a time when government budgets must shrink to cope with the financial crisis, purchasing a cost-effective tanker is critical to our national and economic security."
Boeing hired consulting firm AeroStrategy to compare the life-cycle cost of a fleet of 179 Boeing 767-200ER aircraft with that for 179 Airbus A330-200s. These are the commercial airliners that are the basis for the Boeing and EADS tankers for the Air Force's 179-tanker KC-X competition.
The [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] looked at the cost of fuel, maintenance, repairs, and spare parts and equipment, AeroStrategy said. It said the Boeing planes would cost 20 percent to 25 percent less, saving $11 to $36 billion, depending on usage rates and fuel prices.

No evidence of Air Force tanker bid misconduct: GAO

(Reuters) - Government auditors on Friday dismissed part of a protest by U.S. Aerospace Inc that alleged misconduct by the Air Force in a projected $50 billion tanker competition, but said they would rule on remaining issues by October 6.

The U.S. Government Accountability Office concluded there was "insufficient support" for U.S. Aerospace's claim that the Air Force may have acted in "bad faith" or intentionally delayed a messenger delivering the bid.
But the agency, which oversees federal contract protests, said it was still reviewing whether the bid was received on time -- or 5 minutes late as the Air Force has said.
The GAO still plans to rule by October 6, a spokesman said.
Southern California-based U.S. Aerospace said in early July it was partnering with Antonov, the state-owned Ukrainian plane builder, to compete against Boeing Co and Airbus parent EADS to build a new generation of aerial refueling planes for the U.S. military.
Michael Goldberg, a former U.S. attorney and one of six directors on the company's board, said he was heartened that the GAO was still reviewing the substance of the protest.
"All the company wants is a fair shake in the bidding process," Goldberg told Reuters in a telephone interview.
Ralph White, who heads GAO's bid protest unit, said the agency found insufficient evidence to back up the company's claims that "Air Force officials may have intentionally delayed the messenger delivering the proposal because of political issues with the company's Ukrainian supplier."
He said a final ruling was still expected by October 6, given the Air Force's request for an expedited handling of the case.
The Air Force referred questions about the ruling to the Pentagon, which said it would be inappropriate to comment until the overall issue had been decided by the GAO.
Goldberg said U.S. Aerospace planned to exhaust its administrative remedies in the case, but could take the case to federal court if the protest was not upheld.
Defense analysts are skeptical about the prospects for the U.S. Aerospace bid, given the size and financial standing of the small company, and say they doubt the U.S. government would ultimately choose a Ukrainian-designed plane as a new tanker.
"I don't think it was truly a serious bid," said Paul Nisbet, analyst at JSA Research.
Goldberg insisted that U.S. Aerospace was a serious contender, and said it planned to bid for other global arms deals, including a New Zealand helicopter competition and an upcoming U.S. Air Force competition for new training aircraft.
Goldberg said U.S. Aerospace was working with Antonov and a Chinese manufacturer to produce lower-cost aerospace products.
"We've not been trying to ballyhoo the stock; we're working the company. It's not for flash; it's for substance," he said.
U.S. Aerospace was in final stages of talking to people who would be hired as senior executives, including some well-known names in the military and aerospace community, and was also exploring acquisitions of smaller defense companies with annual revenues of under $100 million, he said.
On Friday, the company appointed Michael Cabral as president, citing his 30-plus years' experience in the aerospace industry. Earlier this week, U.S. Aerospace sold its machine-tool manufacturing business and said that David Duquette resigned as chief executive.

Prepared for:
The Boeing Company
Seattle, Washington

23 August 2010

La France joue aussi son petit rôle dans la campagne pour les prochaines élections américaines du 2 novembre, celui de voleur d’emplois…

La démocrate Patty Murray, sénatrice de l’Etat de Washington, se targue dans une de ses pubs de campagne, d’avoir sauvegardé des emplois qui « étaient en train de partir pour la France ».

Il s’agit bien sûr de l’énorme contrat de 35 milliards de dollars que se disputent Boeing et EADS pour rééquiper l’armée américaine en avions ravitailleurs.

La sénatrice de l’Etat de Washington, comme tous les élus des « Etats Boeing », s’était beaucoup démenée en 2008 quand le Pentagone avait voulu choisir les avions EADS.

La procédure avait été bloquée, et un nouvel appel d'offres lancé.

Le choix du Pentagone est maintenant attendu mi-novembre, après donc ces élections de mi-mandat.

« Les hommes et les femmes qui défendent notre pays devraient voler à bord d’avions construits en Amérique » martèle Patty Murray, dans ce clip de campagne :

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Boeing est l’un des plus gros contributeurs au trésor de campagne de la sénatrice Murray, bien que la compagnie ait fait aussi quelques infidélités à l’Etat de Washington ces dernières années.

En 2001, Boeing a déménagé son siège de Seattle à Chicago.

L’avionneur américain a réduit aussi à 72 000 le nombre de ses salariés dans l’Etat de Washington, contre 120 000 en 1997.

La commande de son ravitailleur, le KC-767, représenterait un total de 50 000 emplois aux Etats-Unis, dont 11 000 dans l’Etat de Washington, a promis Boeing.

EADS a d’ailleurs assuré que le choix de son appareil, le KC-45, permettrait aussi de créer 48 000 emplois aux Etats-Unis.

Rossi: Air Force shouldn't consider subsidies in tanker contest

The U.S. Air Force should not account in its aerial refueling [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] competition for illegal [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] to plane makers, Republican Senate challenger Dino Rossi said Monday.
WTO panels have ruled that [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] and [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] received illegal subsidies, although initial reports on the still-confidential interim ruling in the Boeing case indicate that the Boeing subsidies were much less than those that went to Airbus.
Asked at a [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] (go to 21:14) with The (Tacoma) News Tribune editorial board whether subsidies should factor in the competition, Rossi initially talked about other issues related to Boeing.
Pressed on the question, he said: "No, not as far as I'm concerned, no."
Incumbent Democratic Sen. Patty Murray jumped at the chance to respond, saying: "I have been briefed on the WTO finding and I can tell you very clearly ... that it shows that there is a strong uneven playing field that we have had to compete in which allows Airbus to sell their airplane platform at a much lower price that we can here. And I think its absolutely critical that the pentagon take that into account when they're awarding the tanker contract."
Murray noted that she planned to propose an amendment this week that would require the Air Force to consider subsidies in the tanker competition. Pentagon and Air Force officials have consistently refused to consider subsidies, noting that the cases are still working their way through the WTO system, which includes an enforcement process.
Murray followed up on Monday's meeting with a news release headlined: "Rossi Says France Should Have Unfair Advantage in Building Tanker for America's Military.
"Instead of standing up for Washington state Boeing workers as Senator Patty Murray has always done, constant candidate Dino Rossi today said that illegal, job-killing WTO subsidies given to Airbus should NOT be taken into account in awarding the next Air Force tanker contract," the release proclaimed.
In the release, Murray said:

Mr. Rossi today said that he thinks that French workers should have an unfair advantage in bidding to build our military's tanker as our state's Boeing workers in Everett. I think he's plain wrong. I know that our workers can compete against anyone on a level playing field – but they have to have that shot. That's what my job is as U.S. Senator – to stand up for our workers and that's what I'll always do.
... Dino Rossi has been touting the endorsement of Senator Jim DeMint who is celebrating the move of Boeing jobs from Everett to South Carolina. Now he's telling our Everett workers they're on their own. He just doesn't get it. I will always fight for our state's workers.

Rossi's campaign didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

SOMMET Un sénateur US critique la Maison blanche sur les tankers

WASHINGTON, 21 septembre (Reuters) - Un sénateur américain du parti républicain a accusé lundi l'administration de Barack Obama de politiser le dossier de l'appel d'offres pour les avions ravitailleurs de l'US Air Force qui met en compétition Boeing et Airbus, la filiale d'EADS.
"La politique ne devrait pas s'immiscer dans cette procédure d'appel d'offres mais c'est ce qui se produit au Pentagone et à la Maison blanche", a affirmé Richard Shelby à l'occasion du Sommet de Washington organisé par Reuters.
"Cette administration est déterminée à allouer ce contrat à Boeing s'il existe un moyen d'y parvenir", a-t-il ajouté.
Le département américain de la Défense a nié toute arrière-pensée politique de la part du gouvernement et réaffirmé sa détermination à garantir une compétition juste et ouverte.
Les tensions s'amplifient autour du dossier très médiatisé des tankers alors que l'US Air Force doit rendre prochainement sa décision en vue de renouveler sa flotte d'avions ravitailleurs, sa troisième tentative en l'espace de neuf ans.
Analystes, responsables politiques et experts du secteur s'attendent à une levée de boucliers quel que soit le nom du vainqueur et un recours officiel du candidat malheureux semble probable avec à la clef une campagne de ses soutiens dans les médias.
Le sénateur Richard Shelby, qui représente l'Etat de l'Alabama où seraient assemblés les appareils en cas de victoire d'EADS, fait valoir que l'armée de l'air américaine a une préférence pour les A330 fabriqués par l'avionneur européen par rapport au 767 de Boeing, plus petit et de plus ancienne conception.
Pourtant il est probable que le constructeur américain sorte victorieux de l'appel d'offres pour des questions de politique, fait valoir le républicain.
John McCain, un autre sénateur républicain, qui a fait échec à un précédent accord entre l'armée de l'air américaine et Boeing, a souligné lors du sommet organisé par Reuters qu'il surveillait de près le déroulement de la procédure mais qu'il n'avait pas d'inquiétudes pour l'instant.
"Nous y sommes très attentifs quasiment quotidiennement mais je n'ai rien vu de déplacé pour le moment", a-t-il dit.

VERDICT ATTENDU À L'AUTOMNE
John McCain a ajouté avoir toute confiance dans le secrétaire à la Défense Robert Gates, le seul membre de l'ancienne administration républicaine à être resté en poste sous la présidence de Barack Obama.
Geoff Morrell, porte-parole du secrétaire à la Défense, a indiqué que l'armée de l'air étudiait toujours les offres qui lui ont été soumises.
"Mais je peux assurer au sénateur Shelby et à tous les autres membres du Congrès que la politique ne s'est certainement pas immiscée dans la procédure d'appel d'offres", a-t-il dit dans un courrier électronique. "Ici au Pentagone, nous nous engageons toujours à une compétition juste et ouverte qui offre le meilleur appareil pour nos avions de combat au meilleur prix pour les contribuables".
EADS avait remporté en février 2008 un appel d'offres pour 179 avions-ravitailleurs mais le Pentagone avait par la suite annulé l'accord à la suite de réclamations de Boeing.
L'armée de l'air devrait rendre sa décision concernant le nouvel appel d'offres cet automne.
Richard Shelby s'est dit sceptique quant au déroulement de la procédure et s'est dit convaincu que les règles du nouvel appel d'offres avaient clairement été modifiées pour favoriser l'appareil de Boeing.
Il a également mis en garde contre les possibles répercussions internationales si la proposition d'EADS n'était pas retenue.
"Il y a des enjeux commerciaux. L'Europe nous achète beaucoup de choses", a-t-il dit.
La sénatrice démocrate Patty Murray, qui représente l'Etat du Wisconsin où Boeing pourrait construire les 767, prévoit d'introduire ce mardi un amendement dans le texte de loi sur le budget 2011 de la Défense qui obligerait le Pentagone à tenir compte d'éventuelles subventions illégales pour le choix du fabricant des tankers.
La sénatrice rappelle que l'Organisation mondiale du Commerce a conclu qu'Airbus avait bénéficié de milliards de dollars d'aides illégales mais l'institution internationale a également estimé que Boeing avait bénéficié de subventions de la part de l'Etat fédéral et de plusieurs Etats américains.

US Senator seeks to bind KC-X decision to illegal subsidies

Illegal subsidies would have to be factored into the US Air Force selection process for the KC-X tanker contract if Congress passes legislation proposed today by a Washington-based lawmaker.
Senator Patty Murray, a Democrat, introduced the proposal as an amendment to the Senate version of the National Defense Authorization Act of 2011.
If passed, the bill would require the USAF to "consider any unfair competitive advantage" in the KC-X acquisition process.
"There is no bigger advantage than launch aid," Murray says.
The proposal seeks to legally combine an ongoing trade dispute between the US and European Union over commercial aircraft subsidies into the lengthy and politically charged competition for the KC-X contract.
In separate rulings since July, the World Trade Organisation has decided that both Airbus and Boeing have benefited from unfair trade practices, although launch aid was singled out in the case against Airbus.
Meanwhile, the USAF is considering bids based on the Boeing KC-767 and EADS North America KC-45, based on the Airbus A330-200, for the tanker contract.
The USAF plans to select a contractor before 1 January to deliver 179 tankers to replace the Boeing KC-135R over the next 15 years.
Department of Defense and USAF officials have been clear that illegal subsidies are not being factored into the evaluation of both bids.
"We believe that the Department of Defense should be allowed to run the fair and open competition to which it is committed," says EADS NA. "We leave it to the department to comment on the extent to which this or any legislation would impact that objective. We remain committed to competing on the merits of our tanker, and in meeting the needs of the warfighter."

Murray, Brownback bill: Factor subsidies into tanker contest

As promised, U.S. Sens. Patty Murray, D-Wash., and Sam Brownback, R-Kan., introduced an amendment Tuesday that would force the U.S. Air Force to account for illegal government in its aerial refueling tanker competition.
"This amendment says that in awarding that tanker contract, the Pentagon must also consider any unfair competitive advantage aerospace companies have, and there is no bigger unfair advantage in the world of international aerospace than launch aid," Murray said, referring to a type of subsidy European governments have given to Airbus programs, including the A330, which is the basis for the EADS North America KC-45 tanker competing against Boeing's NewGen Tanker.
"In July of this year, the World Trade Organization handed down a ruling in a case that the United States brought against the European Union that finally called launch aid what it really is -- a trade distorting, job-killing, unfair advantage," Murray said. While a separate WTO panel found that Boeing also received billions of dollars in illegal subsidies, the amount reportedly found was vastly lower than that given to Airbus, she said.
The Air Force has consistently refused to factor the subsidies into the tanker competition, noting that the WTO process, which includes an enforcement mechanism, has not yet run its course.
Murray said her amendment "makes sure that the U.S. government policy translates to pentagon policy, because the fact is that the U.S. government, through our trade representative, has taken the position that airbus' subsidies are illegal and unfair."
Responding to the measure, EADS North America spokesman Guy Hicks said: "We believe that the Department of Defense should be allowed to run the fair and open competition to which it is committed. We leave it to the department to comment on the extent to which this or any legislation impacts that objective. We remain committed to competing on the merits of our tanker, in meeting the needs of the U.S. warfighter and in supporting 48,000 Americans who are ready to get to work on the KC-45."

Reuters: Boeing will delivery Italian tankers this year

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Boeing has resolved problems with wing pods on aerial refueling [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] for the Italian Air Force and will deliver two planes this year, five years late, Reuters [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] Tuesday.
Boeing will delay delivery of two other tankers for unspecified improvements in their capabilities, Reuters said.

Boeing source reveals specifications for KC-767 NewGen Tanker

[Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] proposed KC-767 NewGen Tanker for the [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] incorporates the wing and fuselage from the 767-200, the cargo door and floor from the 767-300F and the cockpit from the 767-400ER.
The offering, which is currently being evaluated by the [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] along with the [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] North America KC-45 for an initial 179-aircraft requirement, will also feature a new boom. NewGen Tanker programme manager Jean Chamberlin says the new boom will have "a wider envelope than the KC-10 and is fully digitalised". She declines to provide more details for proprietary reasons but says it will "absolutely" be developed in time for first delivery in 2017.
The new boom is the biggest difference between the NewGen Tanker and the four delayed KC-767 tankers that [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] is now preparing to deliver to Italy. "Boeing and the Italian air force will seek to deliver the first two KC-767s by the end of this year," the company says.
Chamberlin, speaking to Flightglobal after addressing employees at a 27 September rally in Everett to promote the NewGen Tanker programme, also confirms that the tanker's cockpit will feature four large [url=http://www.flightglobal.com/landingpage/rockwell collins.html]Rockwell Collins[/url] displays similar to those on the [url=http://www.flightglobal.com/landingpage/787 dreamliner.html]787[/url] and also now installed on the 777 and 767-400ER.

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The latest technologies will also be incorporated at the operator station, where Chamberlin says there will be a "three-dimensional view". She says the NewGen Tanker will also feature a "computer-aided boom that allows you to ensure alignment". It will be able to "refuel any aircraft in the inventory of the US government and many of our foreign allies".
Chamberlin declines to discuss fuselage and wing specifications. But another Boeing source says the NewGen Tanker will have a 159ft (48.5m) wingspan and 156ft fuselage length, matching the footprint of the 767-200. The aircraft will borrow the cargo door and floor rollers from the 767-300F.
The source says Boeing decided against incorporating the fuselage and wing from the larger 767-300 to give the USAF more flexibility in operating into smaller airfields. The company believes the 767-200 is ideal for meeting the service's requirement for "best performance and smallest footprint".
Boeing marketing documents illustrate as an example the tight ramp at [url=http://www.flightglobal.com/landingpage/royal air force.html]Royal Air Force[/url] base Akrotiri in Cyprus, which was used during Operation "Desert Storm". Boeing claims this can accommodate only six [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien]-based KC-45 tankers, or nine KC-767 NewGen Tankers at one time. Although each [url=http://www.flightglobal.com/landingpage/airbus a330.html]A330[/url] can carry more fuel, the total amount of fuel and passengers that can be carried with a mission at Akrotiri is higher with the Boeing solution.
Boeing chief executive Jim Albaugh told the rally the NewGen Tanker will be able to operate into twice as many airfields as the A330. Its claimed superior fuel efficiency will also result in savings that according to Washington Congressmen Norm Dicks will amount to $25 billion to $30 billion over 40 years.
Albaugh says he expects a decision from the USAF, which has been reviewing Boeing's NewGen Tanker proposal since July, in late November or early December. While the initial requirement is only for 179 [url=http://www.flightglobal.com/landingpage/kc-135 stratotanker.html]KC-135[/url] replacements, he estimates Boeing will ultimately produce 400 to 500 NewGen Tankers for the USAF and "air forces around the world".
Chamberlin says Boeing has already begun preparations to ensure it can deliver 18 aircraft in 78 months after the winning bid is selected. She says the manufacturer is "laser-focused for day one" and will be ready to start producing 767-based tankers for the USAF "when the clock starts".
Boeing, which has been promoting its NewGen Tanker through a road show that has seen its demonstrator visit 26 locations since March, estimates a USAF contract will support 11,000 jobs in the state of Washington and generate $693 million in annual economic impact.

EADS reveals its analysis of tanker fuel use; says KC-45 is more efficient than KC-767

• EADS reveals its study–countering two Boeing-commissioned reports–about fuel usage of the KC-45 vs the KC-767;
  
• EADS says it delivers more bang for the buck than Boeing;
  
• Flight Global [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] detailing some of Boeing’s KC-767′s technical specifications;
  
• Boeing is prepared to deliver its first two KC-767s to Italy by year-end, at long last, five years late.
  

After two years and two studies commissioned by Boeing promoting the KC-767 as less costly to taxpayers over a 40-year period, EADS has provided its analysis to us of the operating costs of the EADS/Airbus KC-45 tanker vs. the Boeing KC-767. The EADS analysis rebuts the two studies commissioned by Boeing in support of its tanker bid.
EADS and before it went solo, Northrop Grumman, has largely ignored the Boeing studies other than to generally dismiss the veracity of them. In doing so, both said the USAF would run its own analysis and determine the KC-45 delivered more bang for the buck, which is what happened in the 2008 competition won by Northrop. The KC-45 achieved an IFARA (efficiency) score of 1.9 vs. 1.71 for the KC-767.
But EADS and Northrop missed the point of the Boeing studies, and that was to influence Congress, not the Air Force. EADS finally got it, and released the following data.
EADS’ internal study, based on requirements and criteria in the USAF Request for Proposals, says the KC-45 will use 3% less fuel per gallon of fuel delivered on refueling missions than the KC-767 on 500nm trips and 31% less on 2,500nm trips. Thus, using USAF criteria, EADS says on a 2,500nm mission with 250 sorties, the KC-45 will save about $25.8m in one day alone, based on assumed fuel-per-gallon pricing disclosed by the Department of Defense.
Using USAF Net Present Value criteria in the RFP; 500nm increments for missions, and other factors, EADS ran several different scenarios with variable factors based on RFP criteria and concluded that mission-driven factors—and not solely training scenarios on which Boeing studies are essentially based—means the KC-45 $1.37bn to $16.5bn on an NPV basis over the 40 year life cycle.
This compares with Boeing’s AeroStrategy study that concludes the KC-767 saves taxpayers $11bn-$36bn over the same period, but not on an NPV basis.
EADS uses USAF criteria and the cost to deliver a gallon a fuel as the basis for its study compared with the Boeing approach, using commercial airline fuel consumption data filed with the US government.
The distinction compared with Boeing’s methodology is important, as we will explain.
EADS is up front is admitting that if the tankers were flown only for training purposes or ferry flights, which it characterizes as “Point A to Point B” flying, the KC-767 has the advantage. EADS’ own numbers show this type of flying means the KC-45 will cost $175m to $755m more to fly (on an NPV basis) over 40 years than the KC-767.
But after factoring in actual tanker missions, based on the RFP criteria using 45% of the flying as training and 55% as missions, on a 1,000nm range, the net savings proffered by the KC-45 is $3.6bn over 40 years.
In an interview, EADS made available John Butcher, director of Business Development for Air Force Programs. He has been with EADS North America for 1 ½ years, having retired from the USAF as a tanker pilot and in capabilities-based planning. Also made available: Tom White, Director of the consultant firm Chase Analytical Services (CAS Inc.) White is also retired from the USAF in air mobility and in decisions support. He has consulted to the Air Mobility Command for former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld.
Butcher, the career tanker pilot, says that in practice, only about 25% of the tanker flying he did was for training. Using this figure, and the 1,000nm mission range, the NPV savings over 40 years for the KC-45 is $5.3bn after overcoming a $273.7m deficit for the training and ferry-flight flying.
The likelihood that the USAF will eventually transition to more simulator flying with either the KC-767 or KC-45 probably means actual airplane-training will go down, perhaps dramatically. One scenario run by EADS, based on only 10% training flights and a 2,000nm range reveals the KC-767 still out-performs the KC-45 for these training flights, using $168m less in fuel over 40 years on an NPV basis. But when the missions are factored in, the KC-45 saves $16.7bn in fuel, for a net savings of $16.5bn NPV over 40 years.

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How is this different from the two Boeing studies?
Boeing in the 2008 tanker competition commissioned a study from an obscure company, Conklin de Decker, to conclude that the KC-767 will use $24bn less in fuel over the 40 year life cycle of the KC-X tanker than the KC-45, which is based on the larger Airbus A330-200. Conklin is better known for its work in corporate aviation than commercial aviation. Conklin essentially took data from the US Department of Transportation filed by US airlines on fuel usage for the A330-200 and the 767-200ER (on which the KC-767 is based) and extrapolated the difference and conclusions.
Because Conklin’s participation in commercial aviation was tenuous, the conclusions were subject to criticism from a number of corners, including this one. We’ve been involved in commercial aviation since 1979 and had never heard of Conklin. The more commonly used commercial aviation consultants are Avitas Aviation, Aviation Specialists, BACK Information, Ascend and Airclaims, among others.
Earlier this month, Boeing released a second study it commissioned, this one by the consulting firm AeroStrategy. Unlike Conklin de Decker, AeroStrategy is a widely known firm that instantly lends a level a credibility to the report that Conklin lacked. AeroStrategy analyzed 10 scenarios to conclude that the KC-767 would save the USAF $11bn-$36bn over the 40-year life cycle assumed in the RFP.
EADS immediately criticized the report as comparing commercial apples to military oranges. In a short, EADS internal study is direct about what it sees to be flaws in the AeroStrategy and Conklin studies.
“Both studies are simple analyses of the fuel burn rates of the two commercial aircraft and neither assigns, or measures, any value for the fuel burned; the aircraft are simply being flown from Point A to Point B without consideration of passengers transported or cargo delivered,” EADS says.
“For the purposes of this military procurement, the issue of operational cost is much more complex than simply measuring fuel burn associated with the two alternative commercial platforms. Under the Boeing studies, no consideration is made for the operational military benefit of the fuel burned by either aircraft. In effect, measuring fuel burn without consideration to military utility is not meaningful.”
EADS continues:
“For example: Assume there are two competing tanker aircraft; one called Aircraft A, and one called Aircraft B. Aircraft A burns 20% less fuel than Aircraft B when they each fly 1500 miles out and back. But Aircraft A can deliver only 70% of the total amount of fuel to a specific point 1500 miles away, when compared with Aircraft B. When you have a firm military requirement to deliver one million pounds of fuel 1500 nautical miles away, you simply cannot afford to ignore the mission outcome: delivery of fuel at range. In effect, measuring fuel burn costs without consideration of fuel delivered at range is a meaningless or worse, misleading, evaluation metric for this competition.”
“A lot has been said about the operating costs for respective offerings,” Butcher says. “Ultimately the job is with the USAF to make determinations of their intimate knowledge of operations and the business of the future. We are looking at the issue of cost efficiency through the lens of the USAF. It is easy to look at it through the lens of commercial aviation or skewed operations. We are using USAF algorithms for the most efficient use of the information rather than a specific outcome.”
“Most [of the arguments out there] have been centered on how much fuel is burned for one airplane vs. the other,” White said. “We went back and looked at how the USAF looks at this, vs commercial data and flying airplane from Point A to Point B. They are commercial airliners, not tankers, with no mission effect, just point A to point B, and no mission analysis.
“We went to RFP and used the measure the air force looks at for efficiency,” White said.
“Boeing assumes all the complexity away. It assumes a certain number of hours per year and that their aircraft will beat ours. All they do is come up with average hourly fuel rate and come up with a number. The truth is, the Air Force will use the tanker for a variety of missions and some may be straight hourly/cost mission, such as training missions, and for this, a smaller/lighter aircraft will be more efficient,” White acknowledged.
But EADS says the RFP will analyze theatre of operations from 500nm to 2,500nm in 500nm increments. The Air Force calculates a fuel offload at range vs. fuel consumed for an efficiency factor.
“When you do that, the farther away, the more efficient we get” Butcher said.
In the Pacific theatre, this is important because one of the presumed foes—China—is developing anti-access strategies to deny access to US aircraft carriers and even forward-area bases, such as Guam. Such would require refueling tankers to transit from much farther away.
In the Afghan theatre, this is important because direct flights from air bases are often restricted due to air space denials by unfriendly governments. EADS argues the larger fuel capacity of the KC-45 means fewer airplanes are needed than would be the case with the KC-767 to refuel airplanes at or near the front.
“We used the numbers the Air Force gave in RFP because that’s what Air Force said we have to meet,” Butcher said about the EADS charts and analysis.
“The RFP is what it is,” said Jamie Darcy, the tanker spokesman for EADS. “We’re not putting out these numbers to influence USAF; the reason Boeing is is clearly laying the groundwork to question the Air Force’s decision-making and question their decision making authority. That is a strategy designed to set an environment, in case [the Air Force] chooses the KC-45, Boeing will question the judgment of the Air Force.”

GAO denies U.S. Aerospace's protest of tanker bid rejection

U.S. Aerospace and Ukrainian partner Antonov will not get to bid on the U.S. Air Force's $35 billion aerial refueling [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] contract.
The U.S. Government Accountability Office Wednesday [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] U.S. Aerospace's [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] of the Air Force's rejection of the bid for arriving five minutes after the deadline.
"This legal decision by GAO's attorneys concludes that the U.S. Aerospace proposal to build the KC-X tanker was received after the deadline for the receipt of proposals," Ralph White, the GAO's managing associate general counsel for procurement Law, said in a statement. "Consequently the Air Force acted appropriately in rejecting the proposal."
Responding in a statement to the decision, U.S. Aerospace Director Michael Goldberg said: "While we are disappointed with the outcome, we are pleased that the GAO determined that there is no evidence of any bias against working with international partners in bidding for U.S. military projects.
"This bid was only the first step in effectuating our ongoing long-term business strategy," Goldberg added. "Merely submitting our joint bid and participating in the process has created a sea change in how the global aerospace industry views globalization and working together with leading aircraft manufacturers around the world. We look forward to continuing to bid on major U.S. military projects, and to supplying cost effective, high quality aircraft alternatives for commercial airlines and freight companies seeking to purchase, replace or upgrade their fleets."
The decision leaves Boeing's [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] and EADS North America's [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] tanker as the two contestants.
U.S. Aerospace said in its protest that its representative was at the appropriate Air Force base a half an hour before the deadline of 2 p.m. on July 9 but was delayed, perhaps intentionally, from delivering it to the right office on time.
In the decision, GAO Acting General Counsel Lynn Gibson rejected U.S. Aerospace's challenge of the 2:05 receipt time, saying the messenger didn't dispute it at the time and that other evidence supports it as when the Air Force contracting officer's representative received got the bid.
In rejecting U.S. Aerospace's contention of delay and misdirection, Gibson wrote that the company did not show the alleged misdirection and/or delays were the paramount cause of the late delivery.
"(U.S. Aerospace's) own actions significantly contributed to the late submission of its proposal," Gibson wrote, adding the messenger went to a gate not designated for use by non-military visitors, arrived there less than an hour before proposals were due, did not obtain advance approval for entry and failed to previously ascertain the location of and directions to the building designated for proposal submission.
Finally, Gibson rejected U.S. Aerospace's contention that the Air Force actually was in control of the proposal before the messenger handed it over to the contracting officer's representative. The ruling notes that the messenger was in physical possession of the bid until giving it to the representative.

Air Force chief ambiguous on tanker selection timing

The Hill, a specialty publication reporting on matters of “the Hill,” aka Congress, [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] that the chief of the US Air Force won’t confirm selection of the winner for the KC-X program will be selected this year.
Heidi Wood, the aerospace analyst at Morgan Stanley, concluded some time ago that the selection would slip to 2011. There have been [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] at this.
Also while we were on holiday: the Government Accountability Office rejected that final elements of the protest by US Aerospace for its late filing of a bid. We don’t think this silly proposal wouldn’t have gained traction even if the filing had been on time. This leaves Boeing and EADS as the only bidders for the KC-X.
[Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] to a piece we did for Armed Forces Journal magazine’s October issue.

U.S. Aerospace bows out of tanker fight

U.S. Aerospace will not continue to fight the U.S. Air Force's dismissal of its bid in the KC-X aerial refueling [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] competition, the company announced Wednesday.
"America's service men and women have been forced to wait too long for new tankers," company Chief Executive Officer Jim Worsham said in a news release. "We feel a deep responsibility for their safety and ability to fulfill the important missions our nation calls upon them to perform, they must always remain our top priority."
U.S. Aerospace had partnered with Ukraine's Antonov on a proposed tanker. Earlier this month, the U.S. Government Accountability Office [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] the Air Force's rejection of U.S. Aerospace's offer because it arrived 5 minutes after the bid deadline.
In Wednesday's statement, U.S. Aerospace said its lawyers believe there are "substantial legal grounds to proceed in court," but it has opted not to do so.
The company said it "intends to continue to bid on projects for the U.S. Department of Defense, and looks forward to actively pursuing both military and commercial opportunities beneficial to U.S. Aerospace, Inc. and its strategic international partners."

9 Secrets of the Tanker WarBy Rebecca Grant

September 2010

Jeannot a écrit:C'est vrai que c'est un titre un peu raccoleur mais le doucument n'en reste pas moins assez intéressant.