23 January 2010

Europe Shows Its Incompetency Again

The battle royal that is raging at EADS and its troubled military program is sadly yet another example of how Europe has shown itself to be inept in Airframe manufacturing.

The current battle has EADS saying that its A400M customers are responsible for the additional payments required to bring the project under control. He had some uncharacteristically unkind words to describe the political quango that runs the program.

One only has to look at recent years for programs that were viable yet bit the dust.
Fokker
BAe/Avro
Saab

At present Airbus is looking a lot shakier than it did this time last year. It has at least 3 programs that are under threat. The A380 is undergoing yet another rationalization in order to get its Jumbo on track. No one is buying the A340. The A400M is 3 years late. The A350 is facing a cash shortfall.

By now you would think that Europe had got it right... not so.

Oh well - when will they ever learn....

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