December 11, 2007
Will Boeing Buy Out Vought on the 787?
Ever-louder rumblings inside Boeing from Everett and Charleston point to this potential course of action.
Following the October 10th announcement of the six month delay in first delivery of the 787, significant speculation began as to the exact source of the problems.
Though many have been looking for a smoking gun, there are many factors that added up to create the current situation. One piece of the puzzle that has been perpetually identified as a source of the program’s problems is Texas-based first-tier supplier, Vought Aircraft Industries.
Vought has never been identified by name as the source of the problems, yet it appears that the change in language amongst the top brass at Boeing and Vought points to a cooling relationship which could be setting the stage for a clean extrication in the near future.
The answer is yes, mostly.
March 28, 2008
Boeing Announces Agreement to Acquire Vought Share of Global Aeronautica
SEATTLE, March 28 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — The Boeing Company (NYSE: BA) announced today it has agreed to acquire Vought Aircraft Industries’ interest in Global Aeronautica, LLC, a South Carolina fuselage sub-assembly facility for Boeing’s newest airplane, the 787 Dreamliner. After the transaction is complete, Global Aeronautica will become a 50-50 joint venture between The Boeing Company and Alenia North America, a subsidiary of Italy’s Alenia Aeronautica — a Finmeccanica company. Vought will continue to produce the aft fuselage for the 787 at its facility adjacent
to Global Aeronautica in North Charleston.
More on this as the story unfolds.
This post was originally published to the internet between 2007 and 2012. Links, images, and embedded media from that era may no longer function as intended.
This post originally appeared at Flightglobal.com from 2007 to 2012.