Air Data News
• Ricardo Meier
Boeing is repairing hundreds of microscopic cracks in structural reinforcing members on the two 747-8s being converted into the next Air Force One fleet. The manufacturing problem has added extensive structural work to a program already several years late and facing roughly $3 billion in cost overruns.
Boeing
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Boeing is repairing hundreds of microscopic cracks in structural reinforcing members on the two 747-8s being converted into the next Air Force One fleet. The manufacturing problem has added extensive structural work to a program already several years late and facing roughly $3 billion in cost overruns.
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Boeing paid a $3.1 million FAA penalty tied to safety deficiencies identified at its Renton and Wichita facilities, including failures connected to the 2024 737 MAX door-plug blowout. The enforcement action underscores continuing scrutiny of Boeing’s production controls, training, guidance and oversight.
Poland’s LOT is set to acquire two Boeing 787-9 aircraft from Virgin Atlantic, adding to its long-haul fleet through a secondary-market transaction. The deal highlights LOT’s fleet expansion and the continued repositioning of widebody aircraft among European operators.
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President Donald Trump plans to use the Qatari-donated Boeing 747 on his upcoming trip to Ireland, the aircraft’s first international mission since it was swapped in Turkey. The planned flight renews scrutiny over the jet’s security, presidential use and the circumstances surrounding its prior deployment.
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Indian air cargo company Afcom Holdings has reached a provisional agreement with Boeing covering up to four 777-8F twinjet freighters. The letter of intent provides few additional details, but would mark a potential expansion of Afcom’s long-haul cargo fleet and add another prospective customer to Boeing’s new freighter program.
The first U.S. Air Force F-15EX assigned to Japan has departed Boeing’s St. Louis plant as the service expands its planned fleet from 129 to 267 aircraft. The move strengthens the fighter’s role in Pacific force structure while raising questions about long-term sustainment and fleet-management capacity.
Congress is considering funding for Boeing’s E-7 Wedgetail, the airborne early warning and control aircraft slated to replace the aging E-3 Sentry. The effort places the program’s future in the legislative process as lawmakers weigh resources for a next-generation command-and-control capability.
The Space Force estimates Boeing’s seven-satellite Evolved Strategic SATCOM program at $11.6 billion while preparing to add launch providers to National Security Space Launch and steer SBIR awards toward operational needs. Separately, the Air Force awarded about $766 million for B-52H radar and modernization work.
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