The aerospace industry takes very seriously the Pentagon’s push to cut costs and reduce overhead, said Aerospace Industries Association chief Marion Blakey. Half-jokingly calling it “Carter’s Crusade” after Pentagon acquisition chief Ash Carter, Blakey said industry is scrubbing its costs as never before. “We truly believe reducing costs is a DOD-industry partnership,” she said last week at AFA’s Air & Space Conference. Contractors, she continued, know “the entire aerospace industry depends on it.” Toward that end, she suggested continuing reductions in required paperwork, expanded use of performance-based logistics, and more multi-year procurement contracts as three obvious areas where big money can be saved. She noted that C-17 operating costs have come down by 28 percent using PBL, and that the recent F/A-18E/F multiyear deal produced $600 million in savings.
Work Has Begun to Adapt Qatari 747 to Fly as Air Force One
Sept. 15, 2025
The Air Force has started modifying a Boeing 747 donated by Qatar for "executive airlift," a spokesperson said Sept. 15. President Donald Trump has said he wants to fly the jet as “Air Force One” since new presidential transports, held up by delays, won't be ready until after his term…
