Alabama doesn't have much going for it, except safe seafood. I'm sure it's not that, but the cheap labor that's attracting EADS
And there was I thinking that Huntsville has a pretty impressive aerospace industry?
As for cheap labo
ur, hasn't slavery ended in Allybammy yet?
Anyway, I think the conclusion one can reach is that, whilst Americans might prefer a domestic design, if the competitor is superior and offers the possibility of more jobs within the US, they'd be mad to dismiss it.
But of course the bottom-feeding senators and their good ol' boy lobbyists will win the day - to the detriment of the USAF.
I keep harking back to ol' Bubba Boeing's dismal efforts with the KC-767I for Italy. Their KC-X proposal, the 767NoGo, represents even greater technological risk for the customer, particularly the decision to include the 7-late-7 flight deck. But perhaps those enormous winglets might just fix the flutter/buffet/hose stability problems?
Whereas the A330MRTT with its excellent Cobham Mission Equipment AAR kit goes from strength to strength.