Why the fuss about the EADS Boeing tanker order?

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3-07-2008 @ 12:15PM

harry said...

Grant makes valid points but seems to have missed the point that has garnered most of Boeing's ire: the requirements for the tanker seem to have been changed in what can only be compared to a classic "bait and switch" scenario.

Boeing's has released some of their communications with the Air Force and the Air Force's subsequent response. You can read them here:

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/ABPub/2008/03/05/2004263239.pdf

With your engineer's viewpoint it should be plain to see that the Air Force decided to change the rules of the game well after Boeing and Northrup/EADS submitted their proposals.

I certainly don't claim to know how the five criteria were weighted, or if the two criteria mentioned within the Boeing letter were even part of the five criteria mentioned in the original post. However, I think everyone should be at least a little suspicious when last minute changes seem to favor one competitor over another.

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