Boeing's Unethical Practices

In June 2003, the media reported Lockheed's allegations that Boeing's unlawful access to proprietary technical and cost information of Lockheed, had helped it win the contract for the Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) project of the US Air Force in the mid 1990s. In response to Lockheed's allegations, Boeing acknowledged that around 37,000 pages of Lockheed proprietary information made its way into Boeing through ex-employees of Lockheed in August 1996. On June 9, 2003, Boeing came out with a full-page open letter in leading newspapers in the US, stating that the company "has always stood for integrity in its actions and products" and unethical actions by a few middle-level managers should not be allowed to reflect badly on the whole company...

The deal was criticized by Senator John McCain (Arizona) and many independent groups, who called it a waste of public money. It was reported that when the talks were initiated, the Air Force's plan was to buy the planes, but due to lack of funds it was not able to make outright payments. It was then that the Air Force and Boeing together devised the lease plan, under which costs were spread to over 11 years (2006-2017). It was alleged that the Air Force changed the assumptions about the cost of the tankers in order to make the lease appear a cheaper option than buying. It was also reported that Boeing was awarded the contract without any competing bids. Both the Air Force and Boeing refuted the allegations and stated that bids were invited from EADS (parent company of Airbus Industrie) also...