Pelosi to USAF: Build Your Damn Planes in the U.S.

[ensho]

http://allspinzone.com/wp/2008/03/03/pelosi-to-usaf-build-your-damn-planes-in-the-us/


-snip-

The decision by the Air Force to purchase European built aircraft was a major blow to a major employer in the Northwest U.S. - Boeing. And while I don’t necessarily concur with continually dumping taxpayer money into a bottomless hole of military spending, if the money is going to be spent (and can be justified by age of the current fleet or whatever), then the money needs to be spent in a U.S. manufacturing environment.

I’m not saying that Airbus couldn’t build a plant here in the U.S. to do just that - and in such a case, certainly, the plant would be employing American workers. I hope - I just hope - that’s the reason behind Nancy Pelosi’s decision today for congressional review of the Air Force’s procurement decision:

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“The Air Force’s decision to award the contract for a much-needed modernization of the nation’s aerial tanker fleet to Northrop Grumman and Airbus raises serious questions that Congress must examine thoroughly:

* What are the national security implications of using an aircraft supplied by a foreign firm for this essential mission?
* Were the risks associated with choosing a conceptual design over a proven capability properly assessed?
* Was sufficient consideration given to the impact of the contract award on jobs in America and on our technological base?

“Given the ramifications of this decision for the United States, the Air Force must explain to Congress how it meets the long-term needs of our military and the American people.”
---

$35 billion isn’t chump change. As the Speaker notes, the Air Force has chosen a conceptual design rather than off-the-shelf technology from an American company. Given the money pit that Iraq has become, I’d rather see $40 billion spent on the aircraft from a unionized U.S. company, creating (and saving) good jobs, than sending another $35 billion of taxpayer money offshore.

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like they will pay any attention to her

I'm for banning all military spending until we are debt free. like that will ever happen too.

[Mountainman]

1. Well the P-51 Mustang had a Roll Royce Merlin engine. The Harrier was a British idea.

We have always bought foreign aircraft or components and built them here. Nothing new.

[NoodleBoy]

3. well, the circumstances the P-51 were built under were pretty desperate

and I seem to be thinking that the engines were built by American manufacturers using British designs, but I'm probably wrong.

Anyway, I still think the P-38 was a better aircraft. The P-51 was useful, however, when what was needed was quality-- not superb-- aircraft that could be built at a breakneck speed.

[Mountainman]

6. The Mustang was built for the British but was underpowered and use for

ground support until the Rolls engine was added. (It originally had an Allison engine with no turbo charger.) That enabled it to escort bombers the whole way to the target and back. It outlasted the P-38 and was used in the Korean war. It was finally replace by jets in the early 50's though was still being used by reserve units along with the P-47. The engines were built in the US but designed in Europe.

[Kolesar]

8. This episode of Wings on the Discovery Channel is brought to you by Cialis

Did it get the range because it could fly higher with the turbocharger?

[Mountainman]

11. No, they dumped a load of Cialis in the tank and it was ready when ever the time was right.

It could get up and perform and kept it's mates happy. It could stay up too. Of course if it stayed up too long it could have caused problems which needed looking into by a professional.

[Kolesar]

18. Why do you think they called it "Mustang"?

[Finishline42]

14. North American was the builder

They designed and built without Pentagon input. Long range and durable. The P-38 was mainly Pacific theater and I think, because of having 2 engines, difficult at times to handle.

The P-51's are still around, typically used in air racing.

[Orsino]

29. Yeah. There's no emergency requiring outsourcing. n/t

[guitar man]

15. Rolls Royce Merlins

Built in the US under license by the Packard Auto Company once they got tooled up...

http://www.aviation-history.com/engines/merlin.htm

[SpiralHawk]

2. Republicons send our jobs and money overseas

and trash our once-vaunted military.

Why do republicons hate America?

[spanone]

4. nancy is worried about all the wrong things

[Ordr]

5. "nancy is worried about all the wrong things"

She's right about this one, though.

[FastHorizon]

12. ?

Why shouldn't she be worried about outsourcing our defense?

[Squatch]

7. The new PRESIDENTIAL helicopter is being built by Augusta Westland

with Lockheed Martin as the US subcontractor.

[BearSquirrel2]

9. No real security concerns with Europe ...

I'm not overly concerned about our shared security with Europe. It's all the switches and microprocessors made in China that really makes me shiver.

[originalpckelly]

10. They will be built in the USA.

Airbus, IIRC, is opening a plant here.

[KamaAina]

16. Mobile, Ala., to be precise -- but...

...that's only the assembly plant.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/03/AR2008030303194.html

Northrop Grumman and EADS argue that their tanker, the KC-45, is not a foreign aircraft, as Boeing and critics suggest. Northrop officials said 60 percent of the material and labor on the KC-45 will come from U.S. suppliers, which exceeds the Pentagon's requirement that at least 50 percent of it be made or bought in this country.

By assembling the plane at a plant in Mobile, Ala., they said, EADS will gain a foothold in the United States much as foreign automakers Honda and Toyota did.

The new KC-45 tanker is modeled on the Airbus A330, which EADS makes in Toulouse, France, and sells commercially. The plane's wings come from Britain. Germany makes the fuselage, and France builds part of it too. The tail is from Spain, and the General Electric engines are made in Cincinnati. The hose, drone and boom that will enable the tanker to refuel other planes in midair will be made in Bridgeport, W.Va. All of the parts will be shipped to Mobile for assembly.

[fascisthunter]

13. Nancy... nobody takes you serious anymore

not impressed

[natrat]

17. she doesnt take herself seriously-good pr

[0rganism]

19. It's a start.

She could really work the point by insisting that, at the very least, all this excessive military spending should damn well be going to American companies employing American workers, or local workers in the case of foreign occupations. I guess that rules out Halliburton/KBR, huh?

And while we're on the topic of military spending, I don't suppose adequately funding the VA could be part of the equation. I recently got called by a volunteer asking for tax-deductible donations to VA hospitals. I pledged $15, but that's fucking shameful, I shouldn't have to do that, and I can't believe we've reached that point. The bumper sticker about "a great day when the pentagon has to have a bake sale to buy a bomber" had it all wrong: they'll have bake sales to fund veterans' programs and put the bombers on a 60-year mortgage plan for the next 3 generations to deal with.

There should be a constitutional amendment to disallow any further elective military deployments until we've finished paying for the previous ones.

[Jeff In Milwaukee]

20. Sorry. We don't build things here anymore...

We just do people's nails and give dancing lessons.

Full Disclosure: I swiped that line from Elizabeth Edwards

[mzmolly]

21. Downright scandalous.

GRR!

[Aristus]

22. The targeting computer on the M1-series tanks is Japanese made.

The two light machine guns, the co-axial and the loader's gun, are made in Belgium, and the main gun is the 120mm smooth-bore Rheinmetall gun designed and manufactured in Germany. And the much-vaunted laminated ceramic-comp Chobham armor suite protecting the hull and turret is designed by the British.

Having said all that, the USAF really should have contracted Boeing for the planes.

[The Backlash Cometh]

23. Well, F**k, yeah.

Lady Pelosi got one right.

[KaptBunnyPants]

24. Duh. For martial socialism to work, you have to spend the money in your own country.

I'm sure Europe will enjoy the bloated unnecessary profits associated with US weapons manufacturing though.

[Romulox]

25. Umm, isn't the Democratic Party the party of "free trade"???

It would be protectionist:scared: to build the plane here!

Plus, there's no difference between "made in the usa" and "assembled in the usa". :sarcasm:

[PsN2Wind]

26. For sure, if anyone is going to be profiteering during this war

It should be a good ol' USofA company. After all people are dying so Boeing can increase their profits.

[DCKit]

27. Perhaps Boeing missed a few protection payments?

You can't expect to keep doing business without greasing the right(s) palms.

[ensho]

28. I thought the same thing - what did they do to piss off the neo cons

nt

[Kansas Wyatt]

30. Taxpayers should demand foreign military personnel to replace

Those who want to send jobs overseas.

If that won't do, then we need to start slashing defense spending, starting with the jobs of all those who chose to ship jobs overseas. Eliminate their benefits as well. No more free rides, while biting the hand that feeds them.