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oeing has just finished refurbishing one of the Air Force’s four E-4B National Airborne Operations Center aircraft. In a company statement, Boeing E-4B program manager Andy Reheis says, “With a small fleet of four aircraft, it is critical that we deliver this important national asset on cost and on schedule.” Boeing has provided programmed depot maintenance for the NAOC aircraft, which are modified 747s, for more than 26 years. The average age of the four aircraft is 32.3 years.
The emphasis on speed in the Pentagon’s newly unveiled slate of acquisition reforms may come with increased near-term cost increases, analysts say. But according to U.S. defense officials, the new weapons-buying construct provides the military with enough flexibility to prevent runaway budget overruns in major programs.
