Boeing is making steady progress repairing hundreds of microscopic cracks discovered in structural reinforcing members on the two 747-8 aircraft being converted into the next Air Force One fleet, according to Bloomberg. The repairs involve longitudinal structures known as stringers, which are being replaced under procedures mandated by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Although the defects do not currently affect the aircraft’s safety, the work adds another demanding modification task to a program already burdened by more than $3 billion in Boeing cost overruns.
The US Air Force now expects the first aircraftin mid-2028, years later than the original December 2024 target. Boeing has been modifying the two aircraft since 2020, and the stringer work is only one part of a much larger conversion involving communications, interiors, wiring, structural changes, and specialized presidential equipment.
Hundreds Of Cracks Require Structural Repairs
The affected stringers are primary structural members running longitudinally from the nose toward the tail of the 747-8. According to the Air Force, microscopic stress cracks caused by corrosion have emerged across the wider 747-8 fleet, prompting the FAA to mandate inspections and repairs at specified intervals. The discovery therefore does not represent a defect unique to the two presidential aircraft.
The scale of the work on the Air Force One aircraft is substantial. As of late July, approximately 300 stringer cracks had been identified on each aircraft. The first aircraft had 21 stringer repairs or installations remaining, while the second aircraft had 104 of the 300 identified items replaced. The Air Force said Boeing’s progress does not currently represent a significant schedule risk. Boeing is approaching the repairs as part of its broader effort to protect the program’s remaining milestones. The Air Force said the company has implemented multiple solutions intended to reduce schedule risk while continuing the structural work.
The stringer repairs have attracted attention because they come against the backdrop of an unusually expensive fixed-price development program. Boeing agreed to convert the two out-of-production 747-8s under a 2018 fixed-price contract, meaning the manufacturer has absorbed much of the financial impact from the additional work required to complete them. Boeing’s accumulated charges on the VC-25B program now total approximately $3.13 billion. The losses accelerated particularly sharply in 2022, when the company recorded a $1.4 billion charge, according to Bloomberg.
The latest $280 million charge, announced in July, was attributed to additional engineering and quality personnel, as well as certification-related investment. Those expenses demonstrate why the program’s difficulties extend beyond the physical modification of the aircraft. Every design revision can require additional engineering work, documentation, testing, and certification before the aircraft can move toward delivery. The financial exposure is especially significant because Boeing cannot simply pass the additional expense to the government under the original fixed-price arrangement. As a result, the manufacturer has had to absorb costs associated with correcting problems, expanding staffing, and completing work that proved more complicated than initially anticipated.
The Air Force’s latest assessment indicates that other parts of the conversion remain more consequential for the delivery schedule. Boeing’s slow progress on interior design has affected wiring design and fabrication, as well as structural modification work. The resulting engineering inefficiencies and rework have created additional pressure on the program, while staffing shortages at Boeing have also contributed to delays.
The Air Force has also identified passenger windows and cockpit windshields as schedule risks, with suppliers struggling to meet required specifications. Problems with passenger windows could affect pressurization testing, interior installation, and subsequent ground and flight testing if replacement components are not available on schedule. The Air Force program office reported concerns about supplier performance and noted that a commercial spare windshield drawing still required certification. These issues illustrate how the program’s final stages depend on a large network of specialized components, each of which can influence subsequent testing or installation work.
The two aircraft were originally scheduled for delivery in December 2024. Boeing began modifying the first aircraft in February 2020 and the second in June of that year. For now, the Air Force considers the stringer repairs manageable within the broader, delayed program schedule. The greater question is whether remaining design, supplier, staffing, and certification challenges can be contained well enough to protect the mid-2028 delivery objective. The repairs themselves may be routine under FAA procedures, but their completion shows how even relatively contained structural work can become another moving part in one of Boeing’s most complex and costly aircraft programs.
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