Bush to Outsouce Airforce?

Apparently Airbus has won the contract to build the new generation of Air Force tankers.

While I believe in a gl0bal economy,lets be blunt. The US taxpayer will be subsdizing a competitor in one of the few industires not already off shored. AND a vital defence industry at that!

Does this make sense? Are we so integrated with the EU that Airbus can be thpought of as part of "our" economy?

Maybe it would help to take this picture and turn it upside down. Some years ago the EU decided to create ITS own tactical fighter rather than buy an American plane. Obvioulsy this is the right of Europe. BUT, as the world flattens, the difference in self interest between first world economies is supposedly leveling out. If it makes sense for Europe to keep its public dollars kin France why is it not eactly as reasonable for the US to do the same? Shouod a pre-requisit to this sort of thing be the willingness f the foreign entity to forego any self interest on the part of its own

One thing that would help a lot would be to tell us how much technology is being shared. If a European comoany is allowed to compete equally with an American conmpany, is their technology and their own investment equally available to Americans and Europeans?

How far can such outsourcing go? Would we allow China to build our next subs if they can do it cheaper than we can? Where does one draw the border between we and they when it comes to national self interest?

Finally, this may be a huge test for McCain. He (rightly) protested the granting of the tanker contract as a sweatheart deal. Now he will be forced to ask which ocmes first, national security or saving a buck!

Here is the article:

Bloomberg.com: U.S.: "Northrop Beats Boeing for $35 Billion Tanker Program (Update4)

By Tony Capaccio and Edmond Lococo
Feb. 29 (Bloomberg) -- Northrop Grumman Corp., the third- largest U.S. defense contractor, won a U.S. Air Force program valued at as much as $35 billion to build 179 aerial refueling tankers, breaking Boeing Co.'s half-century hold on the business.
Northrop and partner European Aeronautic Defence & Space Co. won an initial contract of $1.5 billion for development and design of four test aircraft and five options valued at $10.6 billion to build 64 aircraft, the Air Force said in a statement today. Boeing was the unanimous pick to win in a Bloomberg News analyst survey this month.
The new aircraft will replace Boeing-built KC-135 tankers flown by the Air Force since 1956. If all contract options are fully funded, the tanker program would become the largest Pentagon project since 2001 when Lockheed Martin Corp. won the contract to build the Joint Strike Fighter. EADS promised to build an assembly plant in Mobile, Alabama, for the tankers and freighter aircraft if its team won the contract."

Here is the beginning of my post. And here is the rest of it.