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"Is there a problem with the parts? Maybe."

Which is my only concern. I have no concern whatsoever for these guys. If their suit has merit, they'll have their day in court. My concern is for the money blown on defective parts, yet again, with Boeing. My concern is also for the lives of the men and women in combat who have to use brand new equipment that could potentially be on its last leg. Boeing has been sued numerous times in the past by the US government for providing garbage to the US military, and I just think it's about time we got serious about punishing them for it.

Boeing has been sued numerous times in the past by the US government for providing garbage to the US military, and I just think it's about time we got serious about punishing them for it.

I was directly in the middle of the "F-16 Kapton wiring" issue many years back. In short, chaffing of the wiring harnesses, and the resulting electrical shorts, could cause the Kapton insulation to catch fire. I remember watching a crying widow, whose pilot husband had died, supposedly of a terrible Kapton wire fire, saying General Dynamics KNEW of the problem, and did nothing. The facts were;

1. All aircraft have wire chaffing, period. Stretch an airframe with 9 G's, you have chaffing. (This is the GD "knew" part)

2. Kapton insulation could burn when exposed to excessive arcing. (The problem was that when electrical shorts of that magnitude were encountered, the pilot was pulling the exit handle anyway. Fire was just a side effect.)

3. Kapton wire is no longer used. We the taxpayer footed the bill. The widow is rich. The widow's lawyers are millionaires many time over.

My concern is also for the lives of the men and women in combat who have to use brand new equipment that could potentially be on its last leg. Boeing has been sued numerous times in the past by the US government for providing garbage to the US military, and I just think it's about time we got serious about punishing them for it.

NJ, you keep inferring this is a taxpayer/military screwjob by Boeing. Re-read the freaking article.

From the article: "The three employees of Boeing's commercial aircraft division in Wichita brought the lawsuit in March on behalf of the U.S. government, alleging that Boeing was aware of nearly 2,000 defective parts from Ducommun Inc. of California used in 32 of the company's airplanes."

You're adressing non-valid points. Some Boeing customers may have an axe to grind, but neither the military nor taxpayers do.