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Airbus delivers initial two H135 helicopters to NASA
The initial pair of helicopters will be joined by a third example that is scheduled for delivery early next year, says Airbus on 1 October. Airbus announced its deal to deliver NASA three examples of the H135 in January. (www.flightglobal.com) More...
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Was there no US company that could provide for this need? Why are we spending NASA money (US tax payer money) on foreign aircraft? I fail to see how security helos would require something special that US manufacturers couldn't supply. Has our helicopter industry fallen THAT behind or were the offerings from US companies having a too-bloated price? What's next? Buying Hondas for our police car fleets?
Well, these are built in Mississippi. So there is that.
There IS that, but the profits are going overseas to our single largest aerospace competitor. There are probably parts sourced here in the US too but it doesn't make up for the fact that we're losing face and money kept in the family by not buying American with American tax payer dollars...
Agreed. Local police here are on BMW motorcycles...of course, no one seems to remember to buy American.
Airbus and Boeing parts are soured from all over the world Airbus buy from the US and Boeing buys from Europe so it's pretty much stays quo.
Definitely true, I just feel there is still some money/profit lost in the US by going with Airbus as opposed to a US company. That being said, I also understand the need for American companies to not assume they will be given all of the domestic contracts because at that point they'd decrease their competitiveness and increase their prices. I still root for America though and hate to see these kinds of purchases being made with an overseas entity. We need to take care of America first, no one else is going to do that for us.
You need to keep in mind that aircraft parts made in the US give work to US citizens and profits to US companies manufacturing those parts which will be used not only in the US but around the world and it also goes both ways with parts manufactured outside the US being used around the world as well as the US. The days of "Made in the US/UK/Canada etc being solely manufactured in those countries is a thing of the past.
I understand that, but the overall profit of the sale of the aircraft as a whole is still going to European pockets or they wouldn't be doing the sale. That means that less money is going back into the American economy unless a super-stringent analysis is done proving that more parts and more part profits are made in the US from the Airbus aircraft than the Boeing aircraft - which could very well be the case - but unless that is known, we have to assume that SOME money was lost from the American economy by going with Airbus.
Unfortunately for you nothing will change and I do not think it should as I expect it all balances out. The same parts manufacturing applies to many things and do you this every part of Harley Davidson is made in the US? I can assure it is not with some HD's assembled outside of the US too.
I think we could debate this forever so you now have the opportunity for the last word. Have a great day.
I think we could debate this forever so you now have the opportunity for the last word. Have a great day.
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and I like this, too. They might have gone to the Bell 429 but this has a conventional tail rotor.