French Rotorcraft for U.S. Home Security? Non, Monsieur!
The Boeing-Airbus 'state subsidies' dispute is a long-running
saga, but in recent months the spat has expanded to embrace the
world of rotorcraft, becoming a pointedly U.S.-French issue fanning
the flames of enmity already burning because of the Iraq issue.
According to testimony to the U.S. Congress by Bell Helicopter's
chairman and CEO, John Murphey, the arithmetic makes an unassailable
case for positive financial support of the U.S. helicopter industry
by Washington.
Of the $2.5 billion earmarked for rotorcraft purchases in anti-terrorist
Homeland Security, half will go to 'a foreign manufacturer' (pronounced
Eurocopter) if world market trends are followed. Of that sum,
the French government would pocket 20%, to represent its shareholding
in the company. "As a taxpayer," declared Murphey, "I
am outraged thatwe would be spending U.S. tax dollars to buy French
helicopters for Homeland Defense."
In addition, a further 15% world market share is taken by Dutch-owned
MD Helicopters, which went into foreign ownership after U.S. lawmakers
allegedly failed to support Bell's purchase bid for the former
Boeing product line. "Fully 65% of the rotorcraft employed
in Homeland Security are foreign-is that the message we want to
deliver to the American people?
"It is time for a go-to-the-moon-in-ten-years national effort,"
believes Murphey. "We need DoD, NASA and/or DARPA funding
for private [rotorcraft] industry," is his message-but one
that may be better received in Washington than in Paris and Marseilles.
