Boeing has agreed to pay $2 million to the Justice Department to settle the claims by Edward Quintana, a former Boeing employee and whistleblower, that the company overcharged the Air Force for KC-135 maintenance work between 2002 and 2005 at its facility in San Antonio. The San Antonio Express-News reported Tuesday that, despite the settlement, Boeing continues to deny any wrongdoing. Quintana’s lawsuit, filed in 2006, accused the company of falsifying billing records to inflate the amount of labor hours needed for KC-135 maintenance and repair activities. Under federal law, Quintana is reportedly entitled to 15 percent to 25 percent of the $2 million settlement. He is still fighting the company in court over what he believes was wrongful termination.
The Air Force is launching an effort to develop a new stand-off missile with a range of 1,000 nautical miles, or 1,150 miles, that would eventually be used for both air-to-air and air-to-surface missions.