The Air Force announced this week that it will replace Air Force One with a new Boeing airliner, the commercial 747-8, almost guaranteeing the company will receive sole-source contracts worth billions of dollars for the development and production phases of the Presidential Aircraft Recapitalization program. According to a Jan. 28 service announcement and an accompanying acquisition notice, there will be no formal competition for either the aircraft production or missionization components of the program. The decision concludes a multiyear, market-research...
