Boeing Steps Up Legal Challange Against Denmark Over Combat Jet Choice

By Robert Wall

LONDON--Boeing Co. (BA) is stepping up its legal challenge over Denmark's decision to pick another company's aircraft in a closely watched combat jet competition, even as the U.S. planemaker's F/A-18 Super Hornet enjoys rising fortunes at home.

Denmark last year said it would buy the Lockheed Martin Co. (LMT) F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, the Pentagon's biggest weapons program. Boeing, with its F/A-18 Super Hornet, and the Eurofighter Typhoon, built by a consortium of Airbus Group SE (AIR.FR), BAE Systems PLC (BA.LN), and Leonardo-Finmeccanica SpA, lost out.

Boeing in September brought its case against the Danish government over its plane choice. The Chicago-based company at the time called the selection process "fundamentally flawed."

The U.S. planemaker on Thursday said it hadn't been granted access to information it was legally entitled to review as part of those proceedings. "It's been almost six months since we requested the documents and the Ministry has not responded as required," Boeing Defense, Space & Security senior vice president for Global Sales & Marketing, Tom Bell said.

The Danish Defense Ministry didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. It said in September that Boeing would be given access to information.

Boeing said it has only been granted access to "a small fraction" of the information it is entitled to review.

The Danish Defense Ministry in May recommended the purchase of 27 F-35 combat planes to replace the country's aging F-16 jets. Denmark has been using the F-16, also made by Lockheed Martin, in the Middle East as part of the coalition striking Islamic State targets. The decision was later endorsed by the government in June.

Boeing filed the legal challenge when questions were mounting about the long term viability of continued production of the twin-engine Super Hornet with demand in the U.S. ebbing. But the U.S. Navy has signaled it wants more of the planes and U.S. President Donald Trump also has held out the prospects of buying an enhanced version.

Boeing was asked to price its F/A-18 combat jets as a potential substitute for some of Lockheed Martin's F-35s. The Pentagon last month launched a review comparing the Boeing plane with the F-35.

Mr. Trump last month said the government was considering "a big order" of additional F/A-18s.

-Write to Robert Wall at [e-mail]

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

March 02, 2017 09:15 ET (14:15 GMT)

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