The World Trade Organization on Friday turned over—to US and European diplomats—its decision in a five-year-old case that pitted French-based Airbus against US-based Boeing and spilled over into the US Air Force’s KC-X tanker program. The US had complained that European governments provided subsidies to Airbus, giving it an unfair advantage in the world aviation market, and, according to US Rep. Norm Dicks (D-Wash.), the WTO has agreed. In a Sept. 4 statement, Dicks said, “The ruling is encouraging, noting that all Airbus aircraft have received illegal subsidies and that these have caused material harm to Boeing.” Continue
The rate of building B-21 bombers would speed up if the fiscal 2026 defense budget passes. But it remains unclear how much capacity would be added, and whether the Air Force would simply build the bombers faster, or buy more.
