I don't know about other reporters, but I've had a keen interest in the development of our new strategic airlift fleet and here's a couple of comments to the discussion here:
As to newsworthiness of the arrival of number two:
- As CFB Trenton PA staff will attest, I've been calling about the arrival of number two for more than a week now. [Blogged about it: http://davidakin.blogware.com/blog/_archives/2007/10/17/3297087.html ] I'd hoped to be at Trenton with a camera crew but, unfortunately, other news events on Thursday prevented our attendance (It's a two-hour plus drive to Trenton) and, no, it wasn't Britney or Justin. We had this little thing called the Throne Speech which has kept those of us in Ottawa kind of busy this week and then, on Thursday, the government unveiled its omnibus crime bill. So without the pictures of the new plane and with some other serious public policy news, doing any story on the arrival of number two is, for us, kinda difficult.
You should also know that no official release came out of DND HQ, Air Force HQ, or the MND's office about the delivery of this plane. So, officially anyhow, the CF/DND did not think it an event of enough significance to issue a press release. [A release was issued, on the other hand, yesterday about a speech the MND gave to a Chamber of Commerce in Quebec: http://www.forces.gc.ca/site/newsroom/news_e.asp?cat=&y=&m=&page=1 so you can assume DND/CF thought that speech was more significant. ]
But I do know that I and other reporters who watch this space are grateful to folks like Globesmasher for their terrifically helpful information about the program's development and for keeping us up-to-speed on some key program milestones.
The delivery dates of numbers three and four may be more newsworthy particularly if we are into an election campaign. Should the Liberals form a government between now and next spring, there are legitimate questions to ask of the Liberals whether they would cancel delivery of those planes and spend the money elsewhere -- some Liberals, for example, believe FWSAR is a higher priority for capital purchases than buying our own strategic airlift. No Liberal I know -- on or off the record -- is ready to cut military spending. They would just like to spend it on some different things. (And what's going on, anyhow, with purchase of new trucks, anyhow?) To be fair, it was Liberal defence minister Graham who got the spending ball rolling with his $13-billion acquisition plan. The Conservatives added $4-billion to that when they arrived in office.
As to the A400M--
So far as I know, the A400M was never a serious candidate for the strategic airlift project. The strategic airlift debate was never really one about Boeing vs Airbus or anyone else -- though there was a little smoke on the sole-source thing - but there was a significant debate in Ottawa about whether owning our own strategic airlift was even required. Liberals make the claim that renting-a-ride was perfectly suitable. (You can argue with them, not with me about that ..)
And, so far as the tactical program goes, Airbus has long been officially out of the running for that contract and though Airbus is trying to find a way back in to that project, for all practical purposes, the focus has shifted to Lockheed and some of these teething problems with the Js. Again -- this forum is a tremendous resource for reporters covering the development of the J. There is much info here that Lockheed and its lobbyists would rather we didn't pay too much attention to. But, yes, by all means, I did stories about Airbus vs Lockheed when that contract was still in play. But now that Lockheed has been selected as the preferred supplier, news about Airbus' problems are kind of moot so far as Canada is concerned -- at least until or unless, Lockheed screws up and/or the government makes some different decisions.
As always - -keen to hear your feedback, suggestions, and, above all, secrets
either here or to me directly by phone or e-mail.
Cheers!
