According to a review report released by the Office of the Inspector General of the US Department of Defense, the US Air Force has paid exorbitant prices for accessories for Boeing's C-17 transport aircraft. A survey found that the price of bathroom soap dispensers provided by Boeing is about 80 times higher than similar products on the market.
According to Business Insider, the Office of the Inspector General of the US Department of Defense has launched an investigation based on reports received through the Department of Defense hotline, and released information on the investigation into whether the US Air Force purchased C-17 transport aircraft parts at a fair and reasonable price on the 28th.
According to reports, after examination, it was found that the US Air Force paid nearly $1 million more for 12 different types of spare parts in the contract, among which the price of the bathroom soap dispenser was 7943% higher than similar products on the market. But the report did not disclose the number of soap dispensers.
The office stated that the accessories under effective review were worth $4.3 million, of which approximately 26% of the payment prices were unreasonable. However, due to the Air Force's failure to maintain past cost data and the inability of the Defense Contract Management Agency project team to obtain supplier quotes or find similar commercial components on the market, it was unable to effectively review all components.
According to reports, a Boeing spokesperson told the media that they are studying the review report, which appears to make inappropriate comparisons between parts that meet military specifications and designs and commercial products that do not meet standards or have not been approved for use in C-17 transport aircraft. The company will continue to work with the Office of the Inspector General of the US Department of Defense and the Air Force to provide detailed written responses in the coming days.
US Department of Defense Inspector General Stoch pointed out that the US Air Force needs to establish and implement more effective internal controls. The issue discovered this time may affect the combat readiness of C-17 on a global scale.
It is reported that the C-17 is the main strategic and tactical transport aircraft of the US Air Force, which can not only transport troops and equipment globally, but also perform tasks such as airdrops.
Since 2024, Boeing has successively exposed negative news such as aircraft safety accidents, worsening losses, layoffs and strikes, and its market rating has almost fallen to "junk level".