Boeing Names Independent Quality Review Leader

[Thumpalumpacus]

SEATTLE (AP) — Boeing factory workers voted against the company's latest contract offer and remain on the picket lines six weeks into a strike that has stopped production of the aerospace giant's bestselling jetliners.

Local union leaders in Seattle said 64% of members of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers who cast ballots Wednesday voted against accepting the contract offer.

"After 10 years of sacrifices, we still have ground to make up, and we're hopeful to do so by resuming negotiations promptly," Jon Holden, the head of the IAM District 751 union, said in a statement Wednesday evening. "This is workplace democracy — and also clear evidence that there are consequences when a company mistreats its workers year after year."

A spokesperson for Boeing said officials didn't have a comment on the vote.

https://apnews.com/article/boeing-strike-vote-ca1326b3512b577bba76bee9e9e66a17

 

[GTX]

https://breakingdefense.com/2024/10/boeing-ceo-says-defense-is-core-to-business-doesnt-preclude-sell-off-of-fringe-assets/

 

[Denniss]

Boeing played foul with the KC-X/KC-46 bidding because they were desperate to get the contract instead of Airbus. By late 2020 it was reported they already lost 5 billion on this contract.
By that time the tanker still suffered from multple issues - does anyone knows if the tankers had most of these issues solved?
From what is reported that's not the only military/space program that suffered from delays and cost overruns.
It's really time someone swings the hammer and gets those programs back into order.

 

[BobB]

Boeing played foul with the KC-X/KC-46 bidding because they were desperate to get the contract instead of Airbus. By late 2020 it was reported they already lost 5 billion on this contract.
By that time the tanker still suffered from multple issues - does anyone knows if the tankers had most of these issues solved?
From what is reported that's not the only military/space program that suffered from delays and cost overruns.
It's really time someone swings the hammer and gets those programs back into order.

For a "must win" program, you bid what you think the customer wants to spend and ignore what your underlings in engineering, production, planning, etc are telling you it will cost. Someone who worked on the Lockheed P-7 told me that "Back in the good ol' days, you bid low to win a contract and after a respectable period of time, you went to the customer and told him that you needed more money because the scope of the program was greater than expected plus he had asked for changes. He would moan and gnash his teeth and you reminded him that we had to keep track of those Russian subs so he grudgingly approved more money. With the P-7, when they said "those Russian subs are out there", the Navy said "All the Russian subs are in port because they can't afford to run them. Perform on the contract or we'll cancel for non-performance." That was in the 1990's but today the Russian and Chicom bogeymen should be enough to make the world safe for poor performing defense contractors.

 

[Denniss]

That may work for combat aircraft but not really for tankers. They offered a fixed price and the US defense department gladly accepted.

 

[Thumpalumpacus]

On the tanker tip, because they are used not too far from the fighting and because SAM ranges have gotten longer, the USAF is looking at low RCS tankers for future procurement. Some may well be drones.

Future Stealth Tanker Plans Tied To NGAD 6th Generation Fighter's Fate

Next-generation aerial refueling capabilities are also influencing USAF plans for a second tranche of Collaborative Combat Aircraft drones.

www.twz.com

Of course NGAD is on hold under review right now, but that doesn't render the concept of drone stealth tankers bad. It just means that $300M fighters is not a good way to fill out the fleet.

 

[BobB]

That may work for combat aircraft but not really for tankers. They offered a fixed price and the US defense department gladly accepted.

Fixed price contracts come with a lot of ifs, ands or buts. If the customer cooperates (maybe he's planning for a vice president position in industry after retiring from the DoD), then the government can take the blame for design changes, increased scope of work, schedule changes, etc and agree to pay more. In the case of the P-7 fixed price contract, the Navy decided to play hardball. The KC-46 may be too high profile and too expensive for the bureaucrats to bail it out.

 

[Thumpalumpacus]

SEATTLE (AP) — Factory workers at Boeing voted to accept a contract offer and end their strike after more than seven weeks, clearing the way for the aerospace giant to resume production of its bestselling airliner and generate much-needed cash.

Leaders of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers district in Seattle said 59% of members who cast ballots agreed to approve the company's fourth formal offer and the third put to a vote. The deal includes a 38% wage increase over four years, and ratification and productivity bonuses.

However, Boeing refused to meet strikers' demand to restore a company pension plan that was frozen nearly a decade ago.

The contract's ratification on the eve of Election Day cleared the way for a major U.S. manufacturer and government contractor to restart Pacific Northwest assembly lines that the walkout idled for 53 days.

https://apnews.com/article/boeing-contract-vote-strike-machinists-union-5237a31660b0a06381457e33f9a72369

 

[Thumpalumpacus]

On the tanker tip, because they are used not too far from the fighting and because SAM ranges have gotten longer, the USAF is looking at low RCS tankers for future procurement. Some may well be drones.

View attachment 803055

Future Stealth Tanker Plans Tied To NGAD 6th Generation Fighter's Fate

Next-generation aerial refueling capabilities are also influencing USAF plans for a second tranche of Collaborative Combat Aircraft drones.

www.twz.com

And here's the artist's conception from Skunk Works:

Skunk Works' Latest Stealthy Tanker Concept Revealed

The USAF is firming up requirements for a stealthy tanker to fit with its Next Generation Air Dominance ecosystem, which could change dramatically due to cost.

www.twz.com