Airbus Tanker loses boom during refueling

[CMC Airboss]

This may be the worst possible timing for an Airbus A330 tanker to lose it's boom and damage the receiving F-16.  With the US Air Force just weeks away from a decision in the tanker competition, there must be a lot of frantic activity in the Airbus camp for a fix.

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSN2011829420110120?feedType=RSS&feedName=industrialsSector&rpc=43

[MiloMorai]

It didn't loose its boom. It lost one of the stabilizing fins. 

[Babalonian]

I'm very Boeing > Airbus to the core, so I was hoping they were going to get the contract anyways.  Hopefuly more people are starting to see things my way and that contract for Boeing is in the bag!    Then again, AB's PR and sales departments have a good reputation for pulling things out of it's posterior that make pilots and engineers go and executives/generals go , so I'm still .

[RufusLeaking]

If it ain't Boeing, it ain't going.

<------ See the avatar.  The most beautiful plane in the world.

[RTHolmes]

... lose it's boom and damage the receiving F-16.

what article did you read to find this?

[xNOVAx]

My dad flies for the airlines and never once thought it would be a good idea to fly an Airbus.. He's a Boeing guy through and through and I have to agree by default, BUT,

I really hope America figures out that they should fly American planes in the American military.. That is all..  

[Babalonian]

what article did you read to find this?

It's just making the rounds in the media right now, happened down under on Wendsday and the RAAF is just reporting it this morning (their time).

http://blog.seattlepi.com/aerospace/archives/236424.asp?from=blog_last3

[LLogann]

AWESOME!   

If it ain't Boeing, it ain't going.

[Babalonian]

Hmmm, apparently this isn't the first F-16 to attract disintegrating tanker parts either, happened in 2006 with a F-16C and KC-10 (MD):  http://www.f-16.net/news_article1722.html

Where's the AB PR to praise this as an intended feature?  Any second now....

[RTHolmes]

Hmmm, apparently this isn't the first F-16 to attract disintegrating KC-10 tanker parts either:  http://www.f-16.net/news_article1722.html

Where's the McDonnell Douglas PR to praise this as an intended feature?  Any second now....

fixed ...

[Babalonian]

fixed ...

too slow shmo,   noticed the "american incident" a blogger linked was dated back to 2006 and some warning lights and old memory cells fired off in the ol' head so I read through the whole article again quickly.  Stuff happens when it was made in 1977 and gets manhandled almost thirty years later.  Wish we could say the same about AB products getting operated normaly before their delivery date or less than a year after it (oh yes, I'm going there). 

[RTHolmes]

operated normally? you (and a coupla others here) appear to have much more info about the incident to hand than the news agencies have been given by the RAAF. didnt realise there were so many spooks on this forum 

[Reschke]

My dad flies for the airlines and never once thought it would be a good idea to fly an Airbus.. He's a Boeing guy through and through and I have to agree by default, BUT,

I really hope America figures out that they should fly American planes in the American military.. That is all.. 

Not to be a wet blanket on you there bud....BUT the tanker being proposed by Northrop Grumman/EADS will be built in the USA and will be having an estimated job impact for several thousand workers in the Southern and Midwestern US for suppliers and contractors putting people to work...unlike Boeings deal which honestly is already a done deal since they whined and complained enough a couple of years ago to have the contract re-worked TWICE in their favor.

I have nothing against Boeing or people from this BBS that work for them...what I can't stand is the whiny butt politicians that start screwing it all up for EVERYONE!

[flight17]

Not to be a wet blanket on you there bud....BUT the tanker being proposed by Northrop Grumman/EADS will be built in the USA and will be having an estimated job impact for several thousand workers in the Southern and Midwestern US for suppliers and contractors putting people to work...unlike Boeings deal which honestly is already a done deal since they whined and complained enough a couple of years ago to have the contract re-worked TWICE in their favor.

I have nothing against Boeing or people from this BBS that work for them...what I can't stand is the whiny butt politicians that start screwing it all up for EVERYONE!

i guess that airbus bait was just too irresistable to pass up on.

lets see.
1st- Its not BUILT here,  only assembled. big difference as they were to arrive as pre-built assemblies from europe.
2nd- They said they were going to build a plant to assemble the frieghter here as well and that never happened and production is now being done in Germany.
3rd- thousands of jobs...   ya, jobs that will be moved here from Europe. really helping us out. Boeing has published very detailed numbers of how many jobs will be made should the 767 be chosen. in the range of 10-20k NEW jobs to support the full scale production (i havent added up the exact numbers but it looks to be in that range).  not only would Boeing be able to create that amount of jobs, but they would be able to save another 10-20k (if not more) jobs that will be lost when the 767 ends production.
4th- Boeing didnt have the contract reworked, Airbus did. They had it reworked to allow them to win with the larger aircraft for the last RFP and they got caught. They threatened to not submit their bid if their demands in changes werent made. Even the airforce said the KC-767 was the best canidate of the two and had the least amount of cons. IIRC there was only 7 cons total for the 767 compared to over 30 for the A330 while the 767 had more bonus abilities than the A330.

in short, previously Boeing had a contract to provide 100 767's as refuelers. 20 were to be bought and the other 80 to be leased. The gov didnt like that and they switched it to something like 80 bought and 20 leased. Then Boeing gave some chick a job from the gov and the contract was pulled.


Boeing has been doing this for over 50 years. Airbus? they havent even been a company that long. Never heard of a piece falling off of a Boeing Boom

[curry1]

Airbus tanker just got its  to that f-16