Boeing vs. Northrop: Tanker ad wars, ad nauseam
Published 10:53 am Tuesday, July 22, 2008
They’re back at it.
Both Northrop Grumman and the Boeing Co. have launched new advertisements following the Pentagon’s recent decision to reopen the Air Force aerial refueling tanker contract.
Northrop’s latest ad reads: “Assembly Required vs. Built. Tested. Flown.”
In Northrop’s words, the advertisement “is part of a series designed to point out that only the Northrop Grumman team has built, tested and flown its aircraft and refueling boom for the U.S. Air Force. Boeing has not and, as the ad suggests, assembly is still required. As a previous ad in the series pointed out, the tanker Boeing proposed to the United States Air Force only exists on paper.”
Boeing released its ad: “Designed, Built, Tested, Flown and Delivered.” The company highlights its KC-767 tankers for Japan. The advertisement goes on to say: “AS ANYONE CAN SEE, KC-767 TANKERS COULDN’T
BE MORE REAL.”
You can view Boeing’s advertisement below.
The Department of Defense decided earlier this month to rebid the $35 billion deal. The original competition was found to be flawed by Air Force errors. The only thing that’s certain about the latest contest: another round of inflammatory ads by the two defense contractors.
