ziz

Boeing Threatens to Pull Out of $35 Billion Air Force Competition

Meanwhile what is the news on the 787 Dreamliner ? What is the news on the upcoming wages settlement ?

Boeing are juggling with several balls and the tanker may just be a straw that breaks their back - perhaps forces within the company are suggesting a pull back and then finding some agreeable joint manufacturing deal on the booms etc., ?

Once they get the 787 fix and resolve the weight problems on the stretched versions they have to get those planes out the door, lickety split before cancellations / conversions accumulate.

The tempo of aerial bombing in Iraq and especially Afghanistan has stepped up enormously in the last month and places major reliance on French NATO assistance.

There are major problems with the 42 year old Tri-stars and VC-10's of the RAF and the Air Force need a fix on those KC-135's - PDQ.

Recent changes in the top command may have resulted in a more "robust" attitude to replacement.