| Actually, in this case, Boeing isn't making the better product. Airbus' design is significantly newer and larger, and their jet is signifcantly more capable. There's no question that if I was buying a small fleet of jets (say, 6 or so) I'd buy the Airbus.
That said, Uncle Sam isn't buying 6 jets. He's buying 179, and the Airbus tanker is huge. It won't fit in our existing KC-10/C-17 hangars, and you can't fit 40 of them on the ramp at our existing tanker bases, like you can the 767.
The original 767 deal was crooked, so they're having to hold this contest to prove that everything's on the up and up. But the fact is, the Air Force really doesn't have any choice but to buy the 767.
Ironically, as far as offloading gas is concerned, neither jet can do the job as efficiently as the KC-135. If we REALLY wanted the best tanker for the money, we'd replace the KC-135 the same way they finally replaced the C-130-- buy buying a brand new version of the same jet. |