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Boeing Stirs Pentagon’s Ire With More Dings, Damage to Aircraft
Boeing Co. has been cited by the Pentagon's contracts management agency for an increase in incidents of damage to military aircraft or components at three of its facilities.
The citation from Army Lieutenant General David Bassett, director of the Defense Contract Management Agency, cited “recent negative trends” in mishaps at Boeing's facilities in Seattle, San Antonio and Mesa, Arizona, “that far exceeds historical rates” and are “not consistent with expected performance.”
The results could include damage from parts falling off a cart during transportation or too little overhead “clearance when maneuvering the aircraft or ground support equipment resulting in repairs needing to be made,” Matthew Montgomery, a spokesman for the contracts agency, said in an email.
“Our analysis of mishaps indicates a disproportionate number of events occurring at Boeing facilities” since 2018 involving aircraft or parts damaged before delivery to the military, Bassett told Leanne Caret, chief executive officer of Boeing's defense unit, in a previously undisclosed June letter obtained by Bloomberg News.
The mishaps add to other indications of challenged performance at units of Chicago-based Boeing, the No. 2 defense contractor after Lockheed Martin Corp. They include problems with parts quality for Apache AH-64 helicopters that led to a recent halt in delivery that's still in effect and a wide-ranging Army-led inspection of the Mesa facility. In addition, Boeing is still struggling to deliver a KC-46 refueling tanker that meets refueling system specifications nine years after the company won the contract.
Earlier: Boeing's Arizona Chopper Plant Under Scrutiny by Army
Mishaps at Boeing facilities increased from 18% of those tracked by the defense contracts agency for large aviation contractors in fiscal years 2017 and 2018 to 38% in 2019. As of June, they stood at 50%, far exceeding “levels observed in other large DoD aircraft contractors of similar scope over the same time period,” Bassett wrote.
The issues included a lack of procedures, a failure to follow those in place and “inattention or supervisory factors” that “contributed to the majority of these mishaps,” Bassett wrote.
Of particular concern was Boeing's Seattle facility, where 66% of the company's fiscal 2020 mishaps occurred, he wrote.
Since the letter, “Boeing leadership and their employees have responded well” and “have initiated changes that should lead to better quality and mishap outcomes,” Bassett said in a statement. “We look forward to those changes demonstrating enduring improvements in quality and mishap reduction that will improve the products we receive.”
Boeing spokesman Todd Blecher said the company didn't have a comment on the Bassett letter.
Montgomery, the contracts agency spokesman, said that Boeing ranks in the top three of the 13 major aviation contractors tracked for reported mishaps over fiscal 2019 and 2020.
“Each mishap is unique and some mishaps are still under investigation,” Montgomery said. “Some mishaps represent a failure to follow a procedure or take necessary preventative action.”
During the time period reviewed, Boeing had five reportable mishaps in fiscal 2017 and four in fiscal 2018, he said. “They are currently sitting at 11 mishaps for fiscal 2020.”
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Introducing Leonardo and Codemar S.A., a new joint venture focused on security and resilience, infrastructure management, and helicopter-based services
Rio de Janeiro, February 12, 2020 - Leonardo, the Italian-headquartered aerospace and security multinational, through its subsidiary Leonardo International, which was set up to support the Company's operations around the world, and Codemar, Companhia de Desenvolvimento de Maricá, have announced the creation of a joint venture named Leonardo&Codemar S.A., with 49% share of Codemar and 51% of Leonardo, established under Brazilian law. The joint venture's objective is to become the flagship in the development and delivery of projects for urban security and resilience as well as new infrastructure and helicopter-based services that will boost the expertise of Brazilian industry. Through the implementation of a range of innovative and challenging projects, Maricá will become a “living lab” for the most exciting and promising technological applications contributing to the safety and quality of citizens' life, and the sustainable development within the area. As of today, Leonardo&Codemar will setup joint project teams that, thanks to Leonardo broad product portfolio and advanced technological capabilities and Codemar knowledge of local requirements, aims to progressively become the partner of the Maricá Municipality and the natural recipient of request for projects and services within its business perimeter. The status of the preferred partner to the Municipality of Maricá will give Leonardo&Codemar access to similar projects as they arise throughout the Latin America region. “We are thrilled about the new development of Leonardo's presence in Brazil, showing how an open minded and fair dialogue between such different organisations can shape unexplored and promising mutual opportunities”, said Leonardo's CEO, Alessandro Profumo. He added, “The new joint venture will focus on delivering systems and services for the security, resilience and protection of populations and territories and will prove how space, cyber and digital, aeronautical, and unmanned technologies can contribute to development”. Leonardo and Codemar are joining up financial and technological resources with the intent of leveraging the best of both companies' experience and know-how to provide innovative products and services to the Municipality of Maricá. Thanks to its strategic location, Maricá is set to become a primary logistic base for Oil & Gas operations throughout the Country, with a huge potential for related businesses (i.e. financial, high tech and services) requiring the best and most reliable networked infrastructures. Similarly, a substantial tourist and residential development, facilitated by the proximity to Rio de Janeiro, will be pursued while respecting the City's spectacular and intact territory. About Leonardo: Leonardo, among the top ten world players in Aerospace, Defence and Security, is Italy's main high-technology industrial company. Organised into five business divisions (Helicopters; Aircraft; Aerostructures; Electronics; Cyber Security) Leonardo has a significant manufacturing presence in Italy, the United Kingdom, Poland and the USA, where it also operates through subsidiaries such as Leonardo DRS (electronics), and joint ventures and partnerships: Telespazio, Thales Alenia Space and Avio (space); ATR (regional aircraft); and Elettronica and MBDA (electronics and defence systems). Listed on the Milan Stock Exchange (LDO), in 2018 Leonardo recorded consolidated revenues of €12.2 billion and invested €1.4 billion in Research and Development. The Group has been part of the Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI) since 2010 and became Industry leader of the Aerospace & Defence sector in 2019. About Codemar: Codemar, Companhia de Desenvolvimento de Maricá, manages public goods and areas, encourages the promotion, socio-economic development and the surroundings of the Municipality of Maricá, in collaboration with the municipality, public bodies and the corporate sector, thanks to a progressive expansion of investments. It also contributes to the definition of public policies for economic development in the city of Maricá. View source version on Leonardo: https://www.leonardocompany.com/en/press-release-detail/-/detail/12-02-2020-introducing-leonardo-codemar-s-a-a-new-joint-venture-focused-on-security-and-resilience-infrastructure-management-and-helicopter-based-serv