"tranch[e]"

[Landau, James]

Joel Berson wrote:

>At 4/4/2007 03:59 PM, James A. Landau wrote:
>>"Tranch" is in use in the US Air Force, as in "the next tranch of the 
>>F-18 fighter plane".
>
>What does that mean?  A slice of a fighter plane?  An installment of a
fighter plane?  What's wrong with "next 
>version"?  Or the technospeak "next release"?

"Tranche" seems to mean "a partial order" or "a batch from a longer
production run".  Here's an example from a writer who apparently doesn't
care to keep his bureaucratese straight:

<quote>The manufacturing of the first batch of Eurofighters was slowed
to prevent a production gap with the second tranche. The contract for
the second group of planes will include new prices for first-batch
planes because of the program slowdown, BAE Chief Executive Mike Turner
said in November. 
Eurofighter Chief Executive Aloysius Rauen said in July that production
would have to wind down, threatening thousands of jobs and costing as
much as 2 billion euros, if the four nations didn't commit to funding
for the second batch of planes. 
Original plans for 765 Eurofighters were cut to 620 after Germany put
the program on hold in 1991 because of the cost of reunification and
then reduced its requirement to 180 from 250 planes. The four partners
were supposed to sign an order for the second tranche of planes at the
end of 2002. That signing was postponed as the countries debated what
capabilities should be in the planes. 
</quote>

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000085&sid=aZ1wUY5wyG8A&refer=e
urope

   - Jim Landau
     Test Engineer
     Northrop Grumman Information Technology
     8025 Black Horse Pike, Suite 300
    West Atlantic City NJ 08232 USA

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