Until the World Trade Organization completes work on the Boeing-Airbus dispute—expected within four months—and releases it publicly, we may not have a full accounting. We reported earlier that US Rep. Norm Dicks (D-Wash.) says the WTO’s interim report sides with the US and Boeing, saying European Union subsidies to Airbus provided the French company with an unfair advantage. Other long-time Boeing supporters, like Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) (statement) and Rep. Todd Tiahrt (R-Kan.) (statement), who both issued statements Sept. 4, agreed with that interpretation. However, Sen. Richard Shelby (R-Ala.), who favors the KC-X tanker being offered by Northrop Grumman-EADS (parent of Airbus), issued a Sept. 10 statement that refutes that claim. Shelby wrote to US Trade Representative Ron Kirk that “many press reports are not accurately describing the complete results of the report.” Continue
As the threat of Iranian-made drones grew, the Air Force rushed last year to equip F-15E Strike Eagles in the Middle East with a cheap, cost-effective way of defeating them. The service fielded the new capability in roughly a week.
