Boeing decided last week to move the second 787 production line to Charleston, South Carolina. As a primarily military aviation journalist, I, of course, immediately wondered what this means for Boeing's KC-X tanker bid. (I apparently wasn't the only one.)
The 787 move to Charleston potentially shifts South Carolina's GOP-leaning political delegation into the pro-Boeing camp, perhaps helping offset Northrop Grumman's support from Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee and West Virginia. South Carolina already had reason to be miffed. Remember during the last competition when Northrop Grumman spurned South Carolina for the final boom assembly location?
But I also wondered if there might be an industrial angle to Charleston/KC-X story.
Boeing told me in September that they were looking for a low-cost location for the KC-X finishing center, perhaps shifting the work away from Wichita, Kansas.
So I asked Boeing's KC-X spokesman last week if Charleston was in the running. I got a surprisingly direct answer a few days later.
"Our answer is no," the spokesman said.
Well, thank you. That answers that - sort of. So if Charleston is ruled out, where could Boeing install the finishing center if they win the KC-X contract? The answer is not trivial because it comes with both cost and political consequences.
Hmm ... could it be here?
The 787 move to Charleston potentially shifts South Carolina's GOP-leaning political delegation into the pro-Boeing camp, perhaps helping offset Northrop Grumman's support from Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee and West Virginia. South Carolina already had reason to be miffed. Remember during the last competition when Northrop Grumman spurned South Carolina for the final boom assembly location?
But I also wondered if there might be an industrial angle to Charleston/KC-X story.
Boeing told me in September that they were looking for a low-cost location for the KC-X finishing center, perhaps shifting the work away from Wichita, Kansas.
So I asked Boeing's KC-X spokesman last week if Charleston was in the running. I got a surprisingly direct answer a few days later.
"Our answer is no," the spokesman said.
Well, thank you. That answers that - sort of. So if Charleston is ruled out, where could Boeing install the finishing center if they win the KC-X contract? The answer is not trivial because it comes with both cost and political consequences.
Hmm ... could it be here?
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