At the Farnborough Air Show, Ted Colbert, president and chief executive at Boeing Defense, Space and Security, announced plans to continue bidding for the Air Force’s fleet of autonomous drones, but not under fixed-price contracts. The Air Force aims to develop about 1,000 Collaborative Combat Aircraft to work alongside F-35s and future fighters, with missions including airstrikes, intelligence gathering, and decoy operations. Despite Boeing’s reluctance to sign fixed-price contracts, the company continues to compete for future Air Force projects, such as the CCA program.
Boeing’s history of losses on fixed price deals, like the KC-46 Pegasus tanker, has led the company to avoid such contracts. This new stance was evident when Boeing was disqualified from the E-4B Nightwatch replacement bid due to unacceptable fixed-price terms. When dealing with immature technology, like with the CCA program, Boeing prioritizes protecting its own interests while collaborating with customers.
Colbert highlighted Boeing’s work on the MQ-28 Ghost Bat and MQ-25 Stingray drones as preparation for the CCA program. He foresees a diverse fleet of CCAs in the future, similar to different car models, and believes competition in the drone market will drive further investment by Boeing.
