Because the United States is having difficulty obtaining specific aircraft components, the Pentagon has contracted OEMs to reconfigure their assets. Several US Department of Defence (DoD) contracts have been issued during the last week to address the issue of "diminishing manufacturing sources" (DMS) for specific components. GlobalData defence analyst Harshavardhan Dabbiru states that the sourcing issue relates to components needed for various aircraft, from the F-35 Lightning II and the P-8A Poseidon, to various uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs).
The DoD is contracting the original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to conduct non-recurring engineering services, but some contracts even go so far as to redesign aircraft. The F-35 and P-8A contracts were awarded to Lockheed Martin and Boeing respectively on 28 April 2023, while Northrop Grumman was awarded the $158m Global Hawk contract on 26 April and the $16.5m Triton contract on 1 May. It is unclear what type of component(s) are lacking, or whether it is due to the obsolescence of particular components or the unavailability of components within domestic supply chains. Dabbiru explains that Boeing may close the P-8’s production line in 2025 if it fails to get any new orders for the aircraft by then.
This could force the OEMs like Boeing to look for other suppliers and incorporate small design changes to accommodate the new parts/components. The Biden administration and the DoD are tunnel-visioned on delivering expansive support to the US defence industrial base as they try to maintain a competitive millitary advantage over the “pacing threat of China.”
This week, the DoD hosted a meeting to shore up the US battery industry and awarded contracts to support the critical hypersonics industry. Despite the ongoing development for a more lethal force based on domestic technological innovation, the US has no room for error. As the FY2024 budget commits the DoD to spend an increase of $26bn over FY2023 levels, how long will it be until the additional costs of incremental engineering services and redesign ventures reduces the impact of the government’s strategic defence policy?