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Old Posted Sep 12, 2007, 5:40 AM
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GoldenBoot GoldenBoot is offline
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Join Date: Nov 2001
Location: Terra Firma
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Actually, the U.S. Air Force awarded the $1.1B contract to Boeing (not the Port of SA itself). The money is a contract renewal to continue providing depot maintenance for the military's fleet of KC-135 Stratotankers in Texas, Oklahoma & Missouri.

The author of the Express-News article was incorrect in assuming the Port of SA "won a 10-year, $1.1 billion renewal of a maintenance contract for the KC-135 Stratotanker." That being said, Boeing SA IS the company's largest maintenance and modification center - which is pretty darn cool!

Please refer to the article below



Boeing selected for new $1.1B tanker contract, plans to hire 200 in S.A.

SAN ANTONIO BUSINESS JOURNAL
Tuesday, September 11, 2007


The U.S. Air Force awarded The Boeing Co. a 10-year, $1.1 billion contract renewal to continue providing depot maintenance for the military's fleet of KC-135 Stratotankers.

Boeing will perform the work on the more than 200 KC-135 aircraft at sites in Texas, Oklahoma and Missouri.

In Texas, the work will be performed at Boeing's site at Port San Antonio, where local employees have worked on planes since 1998. The company has 300 employees assigned to the KC-135 program locally.

The Air Force manages its KC-135 aircraft maintenance program out of Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma City. Boeing currently has 80 employees in Oklahoma and another 75 in Missouri supporting the program.

Through this latest contract extension, Boeing expects to hire an additional 200 workers in San Antonio to work on the aircraft. Boeing's operation in San Antonio is the company's largest maintenance and modification center.

Sabreliner Corp. in Perryville, Mo., and North American Aviation Services in San Antonio will continue to perform flight-control repairs on the KC-135 as subcontractors.

The Air Force relies on its contractors to do inspections, repairs, maintenance, modifications, re-painting and to provide supply chain services for these important planes.

The Air Force uses its fleet of tanker aircraft to refuel planes in mid-flight.

"The availability of the KC-135 as a tanker asset is vital to today's warfighters," Boeing Support Systems President Pat Finneran says.

He attributes the Air Force's decision to award the new 10-year, $1.1 billion pact to Boeing to the company's track record and proven results.

"Using lean manufacturing and employee involvement initiatives, we have reduced the number of days the aircraft are out of service for maintenance by 19 percent, cutting costs by 15 percent per aircraft," Finneran says.

U.S. Rep. Charlie Gonzalez, D-San Antonio, whose district encompasses the Boeing facility at Port San Antonio, commended Boeing and its employees for their hard work.

"This investment in our city will be a great addition to our already robust local economy, and I'm grateful that both Boeing and the Air Force will continue to reap the benefits of the flourishing business environment and talented workforce that exists in San Antonio," Gonzalez says.

U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, agreed.

"Boeing has a proven track record of performance and reliability in support of our KC-135 fleet, so it was no surprise to hear that it had won the competition," he says.

The Boeing Co. (NYSE: BA) in Chicago is the parent company of Boeing Integrated Defense Systems, one of the world's largest space and defense businesses.
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