Tiahrt Praised Planemaker's Jobs Six Years Ago

US Representative Todd Tiahrt has represented the 4th District of Kansas in Congress since 1995. He's slamming the decision by the US Air Force to award the KC-X contract for the next-generation aerial refueling tanker to Northrop Grumman and EADS. His position is popular with Boeing employees and US unions, but is being characterized as a misinformation campaign by Airbus officials.

Six years ago, Tiahrt praised a decision by Airbus North America to open an engineering office in Wichita. Now, 200 Airbus employees there are taking exception to Tiahrt's anti-Airbus tirades.

In a recent speech before a crowd of Boeing supporters, Tiahrt made reference to EADS's recent attempt to sell military helicopters in Iran, and allegations of insider trading and illegal government subsidies, in arguing that the bid from Northrop Grumman and EADS should have been disallowed.

Airbus North America chairman Allan McArtor told the Wichita Eagle that Tiahrt has "...gone beyond a chance of misinterpretation or misunderstanding of the Air Force selection process," and is engaging in an "intentional misinformation campaign."

Specifically, Tiahrt says the KC-45A tanker was chosen through a flawed process, can operate from fewer bases, is less survivable and less fuel-efficient than Boeing smaller plane, which would be based on the 767 airliner.

McArtor notes that the selection process drew compliments from Boeing... until Boeing lost. He calls Tiahrt's other assertions "patently wrong."

On his "Tanker Blog," Tiahrt asserts "An American tanker should be built by an American company with American workers." McArtor counters that "I don't find Alabamans any less American than Kansans."

Tiahrt was employed by Boeing for 14 years before he ran for Congress.

FMI: www.airbus.com, http://tiahrt.house.gov/