LONDON — Systems using autonomous technology will be the cornerstone of Boeing’s technological development in the future, the company’s new defense chief said on July 18.
“We’re really leaning heavily toward a future with autonomy,” said Ted Colbert, executive vice president and executive director of defense, space and security at Boeing.
The T-7A Red Hawk jet trainer, the Air Force Integration System (ATS) and the MQ-25 Stingray unmanned aircraft as Boeing Defense systems are among the programs Colbert noted.
“They offer an opportunity to take all the lessons of traditional, what I call, moving physical platforms forward, but also integrate great technology from a connectivity, analytics, artificial intelligence perspective,” he told reporters leading the Farnborough International Airshow.
The priority for the company is to deliver the autonomous capabilities that Boeing has already committed to. However, he said the company is not taking acquisitions “off the table” for autonomous technology.
“I come from the tech world, and the way you win in the tech world is through partnerships,” he said. “You will find other people who can complement the current opportunities.”
As military operations in Europe have increased due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Colbert said this week’s air show and talks like it are an opportunity to discuss the needs of different militaries. NATO countries have said they are committed to working towards spending 2 percent of their GDP on defense, he noted.
“We’re trying to make sure that as they post their needs and as they speak about their needs, we’re there to support the requests,” he said.
In addition, Finland and Sweden have submitted applications to join NATO, making an increase in defense spending in those two countries more likely, he said.
Colbert declined to comment on whether any Boeing platforms were specifically deployed or platforms being developed for Ukraine. He also would not say how Boeing planned to compete in the region, but pointed to early progress in Germany.
The nation announced in June that it had chosen Boeing’s CH-47F helicopters over Lockheed Martin’s CH-53K for its heavy lift fleet.
While Colbert would not comment on specific programs the company is marketing in the region, he did mention the E-7 early warning system, F-15 EX Super Hornet and P-8 sub-assault as platforms that are “important around the world. ”
Autonomy and unmanned teams could also be useful in Europe, he said.
“It’s a future capability that supports the future fight around the world, and we’re working with all of our customers to figure out how to sell to markets, those technologies and support their needs,” he said.
Colbert, meanwhile, did not shed any light on how Boeing plans to recover from its recent defense program missteps. He said the company would learn from past mistakes and in some cases “take a different approach” to contracts.
“In terms of contracting mechanisms going forward, it’s going to be program-by-program, customer-by-customer, obviously, mostly through our federal government,” he said.
For example, the KC-46 tanker program and the VC-25B presidential jet program have been delayed in recent years. Both programs also racked up billions of dollars in cost overruns.
“These are these challenging programs and you learn as you go and adapt as you have to,” he said. “Anyone who tells you anything less than that is fooling themselves.”
Colbert added that one of his priorities is better communication with the Air Force. In the past, the process of getting “a clear question and a clear answer” with service officials on topics like reasonable pricing has been a challenge, he said.
“That process can be complicated at times,” he said. “I’ll just say it’s of personal interest to me.”
