It had been expected that Lockheed Martin would offer a maritime patrol plane based on the Airbus 320 for the US Navy's competition to replace the P-3 Orion, but at the last minute the company decided not to form a partnership with EADS (the European consortium) and to instead offer an improved Orion airframe (which would be the only turboprop offered in that competition). EADS officials were furious, denouncing the decision as a political move to keep them out of the US military aircraft market.--Stephen V Cole