[aviation news]
Boeing has hired a former executive at defense contractor Northrop Grumman to take over its troubled Air Force One program, according to a Reuters report.
Steve Sullivan, formerly the general manager of Northrop’s strike division, will replace current Air Force One chief Gregg Coffey, who is moving to another role at Boeing. Reuters cited two unnamed sources briefed on the personnel change. Boeing declined to comment.
According to an internal email obtained and first reported on by digital news outlet Breaking Defense, Boeing vice president Jamie Burgess praised Sullivan as a “strategic leader with extensive experience in program management” and a “proven track record of steering complex multi-billion dollar military aircraft programs,” including the B-21 strategic bomber and the X-47B, an unmanned demonstration aircraft.
It is not clear when Sullivan will officially start.
Getting Back on Track
Boeing is in the process of converting two standard 747-8s into a special military model, known as the VC-25, which will serve as the new Air Force One. The redesign work is extensive and requires engineers and technicians to install special quarters, a medical annex, and a command center, in addition to top-secret security features and anti-eavesdropping systems.
Boeing was supposed to deliver the aircraft in 2024, but work delays and supply chain issues have pushed that date back to 2027. The company is also facing cost overruns and could lose billions of dollars on the work due to an increase in the price of aircraft parts and highly specialized components.
President Donald Trump, who ordered the new Air Force One during his first term, recently accepted a Boeing 747-8 given as a gift by the government of Qatar and plans to use it as a stopgap until the VC-25s are ready. White House officials who spoke to the media said Trump had grown frustrated with Boeing’s delays and wanted a new presidential transport sooner than the 2027 target date.
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