Bad Satellite Fastener May Cost Boeing $350 Million
Bad Satellite Fastener May Cost Boeing $350 Million
Jason Sandefur
A faulty fastener has delayed a U.S. Air Force satellite program by two years, forcing Department of Defense contractor Boeing to pay an estimated $350 million to fix the problem, the publication Inside the Air Force reported.
Boeing recently informed officials that it had detected a “fastener problem in the manufacturing process,” according to a DOD report. The launch of the Wideband Gapfiller Satellite was pushed back to March 2009 because of the problem, Inside the Air Force stated.
“The need to go back and replace the fasteners pushed back the launch date,” DOD told lawmakers.
Under terms of the Wideband Gapfiller contract, Boeing must pick up the tab for such problems. The delay is unlikely to cause revisions in the program, however.
Congressional aides told Inside the Air Force the issue reveals that recent problems plaguing military space programs are not limited to the Pentagon.
“It shows Boeing significantly overestimated their ability to meet the acquisition plan they [crafted] years ago,” one congressional aide said. “Individual companies are now missing their own marks – it shows they can’t even judge” the costs and challenges of designing and fielding space assets for the Pentagon. �2005 FastenerNews.com
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