Analysis of A400M potential

Defense Procurement has this item looking at the possibilities of Airbus selling the A400M to other markets, including the USA.

Labor at Boeing and Airbus

The Everett Herald has a series of stories today about labor relations at Boeing and Airbus. The links are below. Note: The Herald’s website is one of the clunkiest in CyberUniverse, so don’t be surprised if it is frustratingly slow.

Boeing and its unions already in negotiating stance. Be sure to watch the video on this link, and then click the link within the story for the second video.

Unions at Boeing and Airbus have much in common.

Machinists and rocky and rich history.

Washington State still ranks high in union strength.

Separately, there is this report:

Boeing pays well among firms getting tax breaks.

Boeing’s 737 ramp up shows confidence in economy, ‘skyline’ and the unions

The announcement last week that Boeing once again is planning to ramp up production of its venerable 737 line show confidence on a number of levels:

• The global economy continues to recover;
• The strength of the backlog, aka “skyline,’ is strong;
• The efficiency of the Lean production line only gets better; and
• The confidence in the labor unions (notably IAM 751) appears to be gaining strength compared with the depths of anger following the 2008 57-day strike and the October 2009 decision to put the second assembly line for the 787 in Charleston (SC).

KC-767 cost advantage over KC-45

Boeing has released the results of a study it commissioned on the life-cycle cost advantage of the KC-767 vs. the KC-45, this time using a firm we’ve actually heard of and greatly respect: AeroStrategy.

AeroStrategy analyzed 10 scenarios, fuel price escalation, maintenance, and a variety of other factors to conclude that over the life of the program, the KC-767 will cost $11bn-$36bn less than a fleet of KC-45s.

‘You can’t kick ass without tanker gas’

Here is an interesting British perspective on aerial refueling tankers, via the UK’s Defense Management Journal.