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| Europe | |
| US to Norway: No Joint Strike Fighter contract means "less contact" | |
| 2007-12-27 | |
| The shopping process around Norway's choice of replacement for its aging F-16s has generated much controversy, and last week the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company (EADS) withdrew their Eurofighter from the competition saying in irritation that Norwegian authorities cleared favored the American Lockheed Martin Joint Strike Fighter (JSF). Now US ambassador Benson Whitney has told NRK (Norwegian Broadcasting) that a choice to purchase anything other than the JSF will mean less contact between the USA and Norway. "It is of course up to Stortinget (Norway's parliament), the government and the people to decide about the Defense and relations with the USA," Whitney told NRK. "But we have a very close cooperation on security." In a few years Norway will likely invest at least NOK 30 billion on new fighter jets. After the European cooperative venture Eurofighter withdrew claiming biased procedure only Swedish Jas Gripen remains as a competitor to JSF. Whitney said that choosing Swedish will mean less contact between Norwegian and American officers. So, what does that mean? Uh-oh ... "Hundreds of Norwegian pilots have trained in the USA and dozens of Americans have come to Norway to train with Norwegian pilots - I don't want to lose that contact," Whitney said. "You won't train with different equipment in another country. Norway will train in Sweden instead of the USA."
Norwegian authorities insist they want a fully open competition and expressed a complete lack of comprehension over the EADS complaint that the bidders have received different treatment. EADS has explained their position by letter to the Ministry of Defense. Gripen communication director Owe Wagermark said that they found it "extremely strange that Norway does not pose the same demands" to the USA and Lockheed Martin as they did to Eurofighter and Gripen. Eurofighter and the Gripen vs. the F-35 Lightning II. All yer ice cubes are belong to us, Stockholm. | |
| Posted by:mrp |
| #4 No fair insulting chimps with Down Syndrome like that, Darth. They're at least 10 levels and 100 IQ points above F |
| Posted by: Barbara Skolaut 2007-12-27 18:10 |
| #3 You've just explained why they did it, DV. |
| Posted by: g(r)omgoru 2007-12-27 17:32 |
| #2 It is true. The State department is filled with a bunch of chimps with down syndrome. Way to really make a potential customer lose face and piss them off. Good job. Asshats. |
| Posted by: DarthVader 2007-12-27 14:17 |
| #1 This is not good, letting the State Dept, try to sell airplanes. They should stick to just playing in the sandbox and screwing up the ME, and leave the rest to the adults. |
| Posted by: USN,Ret. 2007-12-27 13:14 |