Boeing Chief Executive James McNerney said he is worried that European defense giant EADS will enjoy an advantage in the upcoming tanker competition because of its exemptions from US laws on export controls. Speaking with The Seattle Times, McNerney said that the problem with the tanker competition is not the oft-cited subsidies EADS gets from European nations, but rather the export controls and business transparency regulations that have a major impact Boeing but not on the Europeans. “The only think that we ask for is that we play by the same rules,” McNerney said.
As Air Force leaders consider concepts of operations for Collaborative Combat Aircraft, sustainment in the field—and easing that support by using standard parts and limiting variants—should be a key consideration, according to a new study from AFA's Mitchell Institute of Aerospace Studies.