Does the contract money include the commo and jamming gear?
“Does the contract money include the commo and jamming gear?”
The high costs must include all the unique features, which likely include defensive equipment. Also the current practice is to have 2 essentially duplicate aircraft, so that’s probably also a reason for the high costs.
Sounds more like a shot across Boeing’s bow. Let the negotiations begin. I’m sure there’s a lot that can be negotiated once Trump is in office, also imagine there are a lot of crazy requirements in place simply because it’s a Government contract, much of which a little thought would lead to the conclusion they are either not necessary or the objective could be accomplished in a much cheaper manner.
Long ago I was a project engineer on a major defense contract that had a problem because a particular reporting requirement had not been flowed down to subcontractors. Took a look at what was being required and discussed it with my Government counterpart who was to receive the reports, figured out a better way to get what he really needed and submitted the first Value Engineering Change proposal for that program - saved $8M which was split between the USG and the contractor. There are likely lots of opportunities.