Firm that would have built million dollar Air Force planes in Mobile echoes decision of it's business partner
(MOBILE, Ala.) - "This has been a phenomenal effort and I just want to say. thank you."
EADS North American chairman Ralph Crosby says after Northrop Grumman pulled out of the Air Force tanker competition Monday his company doesn't have any other options.
"So as a consequence, we are compelled to accept their decision and I just don't see an opportunity in the next 63 days, that's when the RFP has to be responded to, to offer any other alternative."
Tuesday, Crosby, without fanfare, sat down with local media to offer his thanks to those who tried so hard to bring the tanker to Mobile. It soon became obvious, he shares in the frustration and disappointment.
"This is the first time that I know, I've been in the aerospace industry for 30 years," he says. "Never have I seen a situation where the United States deliberately chose a capability that is less than what's out there, either with our allies or our enemies. So it turns out that the UK, Australia and the United Arab Emirates are going to be flying more capable tankers than the United States will."
Those are the countries using the plane that would have been assembled in Mobile.
"Boeing knows as of 4 p.m. Monday it's in line for a sole source award," he says. "This government doesn't know how to manage sole source awards."
The hope of building a tanker may be gone, but there is something that remains. Airbus, the plane that would have been used in this project, has an engineering office at Brookley Field.
"What I'd be willing to say is that Mobile, today, has a distinct advantage as a potential location for future EADS activities."
