Bigger Does Not Mean Better with Military Expenditures

[rangerrebew]

Bigger Does Not Mean Better with Military Expenditures
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By Bob Haueter
September 14, 2021
 

Right now, a French aircraft manufacturing company is trying to push aside an American company to pilfer some large military contracts paid for by the American taxpayer. If this company wins, our military will be degraded while we outsource military infrastructure to a company based in a European nation not known for winning wars. This push should be resisted by Republicans and Democrats alike.

The fact is that the French-produced refueling tanker is a big military aircraft with high costs associated that has not proven to be superior to American-made smaller ones. Also, American-made products are usually superior to foreign-produced ones – especially when it comes to military hardware. These two elements of government military procurement are in play in a battle between the French company Airbus and American company Boeing.

Back in the early 2000s, European aircraft maker Airbus bet big. It announced the A380, a massive four engine jet that would be the largest aircraft possible. The goal was to take away the business that was being enjoyed by American competitor Boeing’s successful 747 four engine plane.

https://www.realcleardefense.com/articles/2021/09/14/bigger_does_not_mean_better_with_military_expenditures_794382.html

[Kamaji]

Considering the article that I saw yesterday or the day before discussing how the Chinese were targeting air-to-air refueling tankers, buying an even bigger tanker now would be foolhardy:  bigger tanker, bigger target.

[PeteS in CA]

Last I heard, the Airbus A380 is being (or has been) retired by airlines that bought them after very brief service. In commercial service the A380 has been a white-elephant flop. OTOH, It's only common sense that Airbus would try to sell modified A380s into different roles and could come into competition with Boeing for those slots. Maybe those union morons at Boeing leaving tools and other crap in KC-46 wings and other closed spaces should have foreseen there might be consequences from which their union contracts could not protect them.