T minus 11 months until China

[A330US]

they should run a RJ
and have a KC-10 right behind it.

 

[700UW]

That will soon be foreign made KC-30.

 

[MOC A320]

That will soon be foreign made KC-30.

Not payed off to get the contract just a better product.

 

[MOC A320]

It's been kind of quiet lately about the aircraft search to fly the PHL-PEK route beginning in less than a year.....

Any updates??

we're going to use A340 that wee looked at about 4 months ago.

 

[whatkindoffreshhell]

How many times does the "RJ-to-China" post have to be recycled before it is not funny?

Same goes for the "dumb SandCastle people" line....

 

[ClueByFour]

That will soon be foreign made KC-30.

Wrong. It will be assembled in Mobile, Alabama (which, while foreign to many, is technically still a part of the United States). It's going to be comprised of about %60 US content. That's roughly on par with what Boeing would have had with a 777 tanker.

 

[700UW]

Wrong the first planes will be made totally in France by Airbus, not in the US.

And Boeing never offered the 777 as a tanker, that would have been the 767 which two were delivered to other countries this past quarter.

Drawing on suppliers in the United States and other allied nations, final assembly of the first KC-30 Tanker platform -- an A330-200 commercial airliner derivative -- will be performed at the state-of-the-art final assembly line in Toulouse, France. If selected by the U.S. Air Force, the KC-30 Tanker will ultimately be built at a new final assembly and modification center in Mobile, Alabama. This center would directly employ more than 1,000 aerospace engineers and technicians at rate production.

Keyword: Ultimately

The fact that the Air Force gave Boeing the highest possible rating in mission capability and cited the KC-767 Advanced Tanker as having three times more strengths than the Northrop-EADS tanker in this most important category further highlights the inconsistencies in the selection process," said Mark McGraw, vice president and program manager for Boeing Tanker Programs. "As for protecting flight crews on the most dangerous missions, the Air Force evaluated Boeing's tanker as much more survivable than the Northrop-EADS tanker."

On Feb. 29, the Air Force selected Northrop/EADS' Airbus A330 derivative over Boeing's KC-767. Boeing subsequently asked the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to review the decision, citing numerous irregularities and a flawed process that included making unstated changes to the bid requirements during the competition that provided Northrop/EADS with an unfair competitive advantage.

"Despite the changes made in favor of the KC-30 in the area of mission capability, the evaluation was clear in its assessment," McGraw said. "The Air Force identified 98 strengths and only one weakness with the KC-767, while they pinpointed 30 strengths and five weaknesses for the KC-30, including four weaknesses in aerial refueling."

The Air Force gave Boeing high marks in aerial refueling. Evaluators cited the ability of the KC-767 to refuel the V-22 Osprey, which the KC-30 was evaluated as not being able to do. They cited the KC-767's better maneuverability while flying heavily loaded into a refueling zone, and they said its refueling flight deck displays and communications systems were better than the KC-30's. Evaluators also found three weaknesses in Northrop/EADS' boom design and an additional weakness in their ability to be a receiver due to the lighting of their receptacle.

In contrast, the Air Force said the KC-767 met or exceeded all key performance parameters in the mission capability requirements evaluation. Among some of the other key strengths: aeromedical evacuation, enhanced navigation system, better use of airport ramp space, better cockpit displays and communications systems, and more likely to integrate into operational use faster with new equipment and future growth.

"Also of significant concern for us is the fact that the Air Force settled for a plane that is ultimately less survivable for flight crews performing their vital missions in war zones," McGraw said. "In providing technology and features that can keep the airplane more survivable for the men and women flying them, the Air Force determined that the KC-30 is less survivable than the KC-767." The Air Force found that in the critical area of combat survivability, the Boeing tanker had nearly five times as many strengths as Northrop's. The Air Force said Boeing's strengths totaled 24 and gave just five for Northrop-EADS.

"The superiority of the KC-767 in the critical area of survivability compared with the corresponding 'weakness' of the Northrop/EADS plane should give warfighters and American taxpayers alike cause for concern as the GAO continues their review," McGraw added

And check this out.

Taiwan probes alleged kickbacks in CAL-Airbus deal

Wonder what Doogie got?

And another:

Harper reviews Airbus scandal

And Another:

Insider trading scandal shakes Airbus

 

[NAPAUS]

So does anybody have an credible info on this topic or is it more of the typical same US joksters... Is US really going to fly it? If they don't have a "real " airplane the award should be given to another carrier. Moderator are you awake?????

 

[safety stud]

So does anybody have an credible info on this topic or is it more of the typical same US joksters... Is US really going to fly it? If they don't have a "real " airplane the award should be given to another carrier. Moderator are you awake?????

Get a grip napa, if we can't laugh at the mis-management of this company, we would probably go crazy...

Just my opinion...

 

[westcoastflyer]

Here is some credible info. US Airways is in the process of acquiring 2 used A330-200 aircraft from Swiss Airlines. These will be used to fly the PHL-China service. It was determined to be way too expensive to acquire, train for, and maintain only a few A340's. The A330 will be limiting to carrying a maximum of about 179 passengers westbound, due to range limitations of this aircraft.

 

[dariencc]

Wrong the first planes will be made totally in France by Airbus, not in the US.

And Boeing never offered the 777 as a tanker, that would have been the 767 which two were delivered to other countries this past quarter.

And check this out.

Taiwan probes alleged kickbacks in CAL-Airbus deal

Wonder what Doogie got?

And another:

Harper reviews Airbus scandal

And Another:

Insider trading scandal shakes Airbus

During a break from your other important duties, you have thankfully straightened out the rest of the world on yet another topic. The links to stories of past Airbus scandals are clearly more relevant to this issue than the public corruption case involving Boeing, the US Air Force, and the KC767 tanker. This news will no doubt be of great comfort to ex-Boeing CEO Phil Condit, whose replacement was largely due to these events.



Ex-Pentagon procurement executive gets jail time
By George Cahlink gcahlink@govexec.com October 1, 2004

Darleen Druyun, former No. 2 acquisition executive for the Air Force, was sentenced to nine months in prison on Friday for negotiating a job with Boeing at the same time she was involved in contracts with the company, the nation's second-largest Defense contractor.

Druyun, 56, will serve nine months at a minimum security prison and another seven months at a halfway house or on home detention. She also was fined $5,000 and ordered to perform 150 hours of community service. Sentencing guidelines could have required Druyun to serve up to 16 months in prison.

Federal District Court Judge T.S. Ellis called the "stain of this offense very severe," particularly while the nation was at war. Ellis agreed to allow Druyun to serve her sentence in South Carolina, where she plans to retire with her husband.

As part of the plea agreement, Druyun admitted that she did "favor the Boeing Company in certain negotiations as the result of her employment negotiations and other favors provided by Boeing to the defendant." Previously, Druyun had admitted to negotiating a post-government job with Boeing, but steadfastly maintained that she had never favored them at the negotiating table.

Prosecutors said Druyun admitted to favoring the defense contractor after failing a lie detector test this summer. She also confessed to altering a personal journal to make it appear that there were no conflicts with Boeing.

Druyun's plea agreement outlined four specific contract negotiations where she favored Boeing:

* Druyun agreed to a higher price than appropriate for a proposed deal to lease 100 tanker planes from Boeing, which she called "a parting gift" to her future employer. She also shared a competitor's proprietary data with Boeing.

* In 2002, Druyun awarded $100 million to Boeing as part of a restructuring of the NATO Airborne Warning and Control System contract. She said the payment could have been lower, but she favored Boeing because her daughter and son-in-law worked there and she was considering work there as well.

* In 2001, Druyun oversaw a $4 billion award to Boeing to modernize the avionics on C-130 J aircraft. She admitted she favored Boeing over four competitors because the company had given her son-in-law a job.

* In 2000, Druyun agreed to pay $412 million to Boeing as a settlement over a clause in a C-17 aircraft contract. She admitted to favoring the payment because her son-in-law was seeking a job with Boeing.

Officials with the watchdog group Project for Government Oversight lauded the conviction.

"The Druyun case is offering an unusual view of just how cozy the Pentagon and defense contractors have become," said POGO Senior Defense Investigator Eric Miller. "Her supplemental plea filed with the federal court on Friday details an even sleazier story than we could have imagined."

"The Pentagon has been saying Ms. Druyun was a tough negotiator," Miller continued. "Ironically, while she was working for the Air Force, as we initially suspected, she was actually negotiating on behalf of Boeing."

The Defense Department and Air Force already are investigating several deals Druyun brokered, including the AWACS settlement, and lawmakers have put the tanker lease deal on hold. Druyun's admission is likely to lead to sweeping reviews of other Boeing contracts she oversaw over about a decade as one of the service's top weapon buyers.



Here's a nice link on the conviction of Boeing CFO Michael Sears in this case:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/artic...-2004Nov15.html

 

[Edward]

People the topic is What aircraft to China. Stay on the topic or do NOT post.

 

[Pacemaker]

People the topic is What aircraft to China. Stay on the topic or do NOT post.

OK, here's the deal: 11 months in this environment is a long time. At current fuel prices an eternity. There's a good chance the China service will be overtaken by unforseen, but not unexpected, events.

 

[yvrusfa]

Here is some credible info. US Airways is in the process of acquiring 2 used A330-200 aircraft from Swiss Airlines. These will be used to fly the PHL-China service. It was determined to be way too expensive to acquire, train for, and maintain only a few A340's. The A330 will be limiting to carrying a maximum of about 179 passengers westbound, due to range limitations of this aircraft.

Folks..Westcoastflyer is spot on with his info, it jibes with what my knowledge is as well.

The 340 situation with fuel prices and a lack of newer, lower cycle, good quality 340's on the market have made it difficult.
You can find older A342's and A343's ( aka...DOGS) around to buy but they are not any more suitable for the mission than a low density 332 in terms of range and with a high fule burn penalty with 4 engines.

These Swiss a/c are quite nice actually. My understanding is they are the low density seating config. with 12 sleeper f/c/ 42 biz and 142 economy seats. All we would have to do is remove a few coach rows ( 8 pax per row) to get to the 179/180 pax number. Plus, we could really offer a very nice premium service and a ton of premium seats for max comfort.

Anyway, that is the scoop as I understand it. Eventually we may switch to 340's on the route if some good a/c become aailable to fill in until the 350's arrive in 2014 or so.

 

[RowUnderDCA]

http://www.seatguru.com/airlines/Swiss_Air...-200_3class.php