Boeing’s defense chief BA.N said on Sunday it had learned lessons from the contract to supply the US presidency with new Air Force One jets, which has cost the planemaker nearly $1 billion in fees and is up to three years behind schedule.
Ted Colbert did not elaborate on the learnings, but said they contributed to a new schedule for the two planes, whose deliveries have been pushed back to 2026 and 2027.
“The lessons learned are important to us and we’re taking them forward,” Colbert told reporters at a briefing ahead of the Farnborough Air Show. “We made changes to the program. We’ve made changes to the way we operate the program.”
“These are challenging programs and you learn as you go and adapt when you need to,” he added.
Boeing recorded a $660 million charge in April after taking a $318 million charge in April 2021 on the program “largely due to the impact of COVID-19 and performance issues at a key supplier.”
Asked if Boeing could recoup those cost overruns, Colbert said, “If we can find a way to do it, we will.”
Boeing was awarded a $3.9 billion contract in 2018 for two 747-8 jets, due for delivery starting in 2024.
In December 2016, then-President-elect Donald Trump secured a pledge from then-Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg that the cost of replacing Air Force One would not exceed $4 billion. Trump earlier called on the government to cancel the purchase of Boeing’s new Air Force One, saying it was “ridiculous” and too expensive.
Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun said in April that the deal was problematic.
“Air Force One — I’ll just call a very unique moment, a very unique negotiation, a very unique set of risks that Boeing probably shouldn’t have taken,” Calhoun said. “But we are where we are and we will deliver great aircraft. And we will recognize the costs associated with this.
Boeing 747-8s are designed to be the White House in the air, capable of flying in worst-case security scenarios, such as nuclear war, and are modified with military avionics, advanced communications and a self-defense system.
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