Talk about a mis-timed announcement. This is BAE UK and the British government twisting the knife they just stuck in our backs....read it here....
Samlesbury, UK – BAE Systems has formally opened a new state-of-the-art titanium machining facility at its Samlesbury site in Lancashire. The robotic facility will be used to manufacture detail and assembly components of the Aft Fuselage, Vertical Tail and Horizontal Tail for the F-35 Lightning II combat aircraft, further reinforcing BAE Systems’ key role in the world’s largest defence programme.What an arrogant bunch of bastards these guys are. First you reduce your buy to less than that of Tier 2 partners and then you brag about your share of the work??????
Congratulations, you just guaranteed Boeing a win in the Tanker contract.
I don't understand the relationship you are suggesting between the announcement and the tanker contract. Can you please explain?
ReplyDeleteMost likely anti-everyone who isn't American stupidity. Face it, Boeing was ALWAYS going to get the contract.
ReplyDeleteUmmm BAE isn't the one who reduced the order, the govt. is. And the workshare is something that the UK govt. hase already paid for (which is what made it a tier 1 partner in the first place, not the number of jets ordered).
ReplyDeleteOh and the bold statement is pretty factual, a lot of the knowledge going into the B version came from BAE, the company with more STOVL knowledge than any other on the planet.
Finally BAE has nothing to do with the Tanker competition, that is EADS. The UK govt. won't exactly get masses from it either since the main EADS nations are France, Germany and Spain. But hey if you feel that a non-related statement by a non-related company should affect the outcome of a $35billion contract then it isn't really a logical argument you're after is it...
...Raw emotion and anger may work on the battlefield, but the people making procurement decisions need to keep a slightly more level head and buy the right equipment, not just choose the company that has been the best lapdog, be that Boeing or EADS USA.
Also funny to note that you seem to love BAE USA, but hate BAE UK. Perhaps you need to take a frank look and decide whether xenophobia is playing any part in what you're saying.
The JSF programme was explicitly designed to be completely different to all previous collaborative programmes EXACTLY because of order changes in the future. Workshare is therefore based on the cash you throw into the pot at the beginning, in the UK's case, roughly £2 billion plus as Grim says, lots of expertise in stress testing composite structures and STVOL.
ReplyDeleteIts the £2b that means we are a Tier 1 partner and we could order precisely zero aircraft and still be so.
On the other hand, I do agree with the sentiment and can see that industrial participation coming under pressure