Shifting More MRO Support

According to a report by Flight Global, the Air Force not only plans to take on lead C-17 maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) work but also MRO for the F-22. USAF announced earlier this year that it would establish a new integrated program office at Warner Robins Air Logistics Center in Georgia to oversee C-17 fleet sustainment with support from Boeing, meaning Boeing would no longer lead the MRO effort. Boeing has sustained the C-17 fleet for more than 10 years under performance-based logistics contracts that provide for a specified level of readiness rather than payment for individual parts or services. Gus Urzua, VP for Boeing Globemaster Sustainment Partnership, called the change “definitely a paradigm shift,” per Flight Global. He said that instead of Boeing overseeing the entire C-17 MRO and “guaranteeing aircraft availability,” the company will now simply provide a “robust and responsive” supply system.