Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), who has been one of the most vocal critics of Boeing and the Air Force over the failed tanker aircraft lease arrangement and other assorted programs linked to former USAF acquisition official Darleen Druyun, now appears to have accepted an ethics-reborn Boeing. At a Senate Armed Services hearing Monday to review the Justice Department’s $615 million settlement with Boeing, McCain lauded Boeing’s decision to refrain from taking tax deductions on the settlement, saying that decision coupled with the company’s internal ethics and management changes (read Boeing head James McNerney Jr. statement) demonstrate “how serious” Boeing is in “truly reforming and starting fresh.” Still, McCain did question some of the fine points of the settlement.
The last remaining T-1 Jayhawk at JBSA-Randolph, Texas, took its final flight to the "Boneyard" at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz., on July 15. The 99th Flying Training Squadron will train pilots using T-6 and simulator until it gets T-7 Red Hawk in fiscal 2026.