RMI Boeing answers appeal: We'll follow the law

The aircraft maker said it buys 85 percent of the titanium it uses from domestic suppliers.
By CYNTHIA VINARSKY
VINDICATOR BUSINESS WRITER
WEATHERSFIELD -- Boeing Company is promising to follow "all applicable laws" on the use of foreign titanium for defense purposes if the Air Force agrees to lease up to 100 Boeing commercial aircraft to be modified for use as aerial refueling tankers.
The Seattle-based aerospace giant issued the statement Thursday, responding to reports of a letter writing and telephone campaign by RMI Titanium Co. in Weathersfield and Steelworkers Locals 2155 and 2155-7 aimed at blocking Boeing's plan to use Russian-made titanium in production of the aircraft.
RMI officials have said they are working with their two largest domestic titanium competitors, TIMET and Allegheny Technologies, to oppose the plan on the grounds that only American-made metal should be used in military aircraft. The company said the use of foreign-made titanium would bypass the Berry Amendment, a 1973 law that generally prohibits the use of foreign goods in military aircraft, ships and weaponry.
Tim Rupert, president and chief executive of RMI and the president of the International Titanium Association, has also been in Washington, D.C., recently, urging lawmakers to oppose the use of Russian titanium in the aircraft.
Still undecided
But Douglas Kennett, a Boeing spokesman, said in a statement that the Air Force is still considering the plan to lease up to 100 Boeing 767 commercial aircraft retrofitted to serve as refueling tankers. He said the lease agreement would allow the Air Force to replace a fleet of tankers with an average age of 42 years.
The Boeing statement also noted that the 767 contains a relatively small amount of titanium -- only about 1.5 percent of its weight, and that Boeing purchases more than 85 percent of its titanium from American suppliers, including RMI.
"The lease of Boeing 767 Tankers will be in compliance with all applicable laws on the use of nondomestic titanium in military aircraft," Kennett wrote, adding that its European competitor Airbus might not have used any American-made titanium at all, had it been selected for the lease agreement.
Boeing is the leading U.S. exporter of manufactured products and sells 70 percent of its commercial aircraft overseas, Kennett wrote.
"Because we choose to manufacture our commercial aircraft in the U.S., we are proud of the fact that we create, support and sustain hundreds of thousands of American jobs -- especially in the aviation and steel industry," the statement said.
Financial setback
Boeing has suffered financially from the drop in commercial aviation since last Sept. 11, the statement reported, forcing the company to cut 30,000 jobs from its Boeing Commercial Airplanes division.
vinarsky@vindy.com