Boeing attempted to buy out Yeovil recently
 

Anyone heard about this?

Boeing?s bid for Westland rejected by Italian owner | The Sunday Times

Cheers

which has an:
:hmm:

Westland or the entire Agusta Westland?..

Boeing attempted to buy out Yeovil recently
 

That could only be good news for the UK.......

Whilst AW are a vast improvement on AH on many levels, the UK taxpayer has been held to ransom over jobs in key SW constituencies, to sell a product that doesn't fit the spec, far too many times.

AW have made some good aircraft, but Boeing have a better record of building a good product, and more importantly, reading the customer requirements rather than fumbling around the current production line for something that may suffice.

AW
 

To be fair to AW - They have also produced a market leader in the guise of the 139 and were the first rotary OEM to pursue the 'family' of types?

Just a ploy to ensure they get the Apache upgrade deal?

Uhm, lets not forget the UH-1B (and variants), UH-1H (and variants), UH-1N (and variants), UH-1Y, Bell 204, Bell 205, Bell 212, Bell 412, Bell 214B and Bell 214ST.

Bell very successfully built an enormous selection of military and commercial helicopters from one model, being mass produced by many other manufacturers, including Agusta.

I have never understood why Bell sold their share of the 139, which I would agree is one of the best helicopters ever produced. :)

Like I said - they have built some good aircraft. However, for every Prince in the AW fleet, there are a fair number of frogs.....

.....And let's see.How many successful types have Boeing built...Chinook,CH-46.....errrr that's it!

And Apache (not the WAH-64). Perhaps you should compare sales of the CH47 with the Lynx, SuperLynx, A109, AW139 & EH101 (combined).

How many times has Boeing dug MoD out of the deep poo, without any means of claiming payment, on contracts which for they were not the prime? Puma Nav Update and Sea King ASaC, to name but two of Westland's interventions.

How many times has Westland, in whatever guise, been criticised by Boards of Inquiry or the AAIB for poor Quality Control, or by the RAF Inspectorate of Flight Safety for being an unsuitable Design Authority?

you get my vote Tuc.

And mine also.

You might want to consider the V-22 in that list of products?

Of course, Agusta also builds CH-47's under licence to this day - if you don't have CH-47's, then you certainly want them. The CH-47 is the most versatile and useable large helicopter ever produced.


If the UK Government hadn't consistently bailed Westland out, they would have disappeared 30 years or more ago.

Doubt Boeing would be around in helicopters if it wasn't for the DoD over the last 30 years.

I would have to agree with you Never Fretter, but Boeing has produced a helicopter with continuous performance and capability improvements that remains unmatched by anything else in the World. They have also made significant sales to foreign military operators and that continues to this day - the CH-47 is a helicopter that most military operators in the world aspire to acquire because of it's immense operational flexibility.

Westland unquestionably wouldn't be in business if it weren't for the MoD, and the generousity of the UK taxpayer!

Govt support for Westland:

SO MUCH DAMAGED CAUSED - look at what Govt 'help' did for our amazing car industry.

It's done similar job on our beautiful aircraft industry.
Killed the UK as the main jet airline manufacturer from Comet to VC10

Look at Islander and Shorts being 'helped to death' by pro twin legislation against cessna caravan and PC12

So many firms killed, not least several helicopter manufacturers.


It's a dead end way to achieve success.

Closed shop, work to rule, establishment stitch-up (Westland), regulatory bias, subsidy, insincere specification.

BMW engines are quite reliable - would you 'risk your life' over the North Sea at the reliability level of a 2 year old 3 Series? Of course you would...
Reliability evolved through market insistence - not regulatory mandate.

Look at how successful Range Rover, Mini, Rolls Royce are now that they have escaped the National Interest curse

Maybe Westlands superb talent might have been unleashed to pass the untimate test - that of the free market.


There is a synical and incorrect assumption that the private field lacks the talent - as judged by arrogant narrow minded self satisfied civil servants and regulators.

Lockheed martin might be a better fit
 

Sikorsky's new owners would be a better bet , there is a long history of collaboration between the 2 companies. When I was there in late 70's i would say 100% of my time was booked to MOD contracts ( Mainly R and D ). Westland has never been able to support itself without major government cash injections. I am sure even with newer owners the cash will still keep flowing or they will go the way of Bristol , Fairey and Saunders Roe.

The story has now gone full circle!

Finmeccanica CEO says Westland Helicopters not for sale | Reuters

Guess it will be sold by New Year then. :E