Wall Street Journal Says Trans Atlantic Defense Deal Falters

The Wall Street Journal has weighed on the KC-X Tanker bid process, in an article entitled “Trans Atlantic Defense Deal Falters.” The article notes:

The decision by Northrop Grumman Corp. and its European partner this week to drop out of a $40 billion competition to build aerial-refueling tankers for the Air Force is the latest example of how trans-Atlantic defense ventures have faltered.

Many observers view the size of the tanker deal, and the prominent role played by Northrop partner European Aeronautic Defence & Space Co., as the most significant instance of how trans-Atlantic partnerships can get tripped up.

Noorthrop billboard in Alabama in 2008 advertised a future tanker plant, but the company quit the project.

“There’s no doubt that this outcome will reinforce the long-held understanding in Europe that the U.S. defense market is highly protected,” said Alex Nicholl, a specialist on European defense companies at the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies.

“This is not the first time that the rules of a U.S. competition have been rewritten to suit the American competitor. No doubt it won’t be the last.”

Read the entire article at theJournal.