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Dr. Will Roper, deputy secretary of the Air Force for Acquisitions, Technology and Logistics, has made clear his concerns after his visit to the Boeing plant in Everett, Washington, where the Airplane is assembled.
"I left feeling worried, and I also left thinking that Boeing understands that she is facing a serious situation that will require the commitment of her company at the highest level," Roper said.
After discovering the problem, the Air Force stopped accepting Boeing's new tankers on February 20th.
Roper visited the factory Monday and, after receiving a promise from the company regarding a new inspection plan, deliveries resume as improved inspections are completed. Six aircraft already received were inspected again by the Air Force.
"We are conducting more rigorous inspections and we are confident before accepting a Boeing aircraft," CNN spokesman Ann Stefanek told reporters.
While the discovery of trash and tools in aircraft is not the result of a design flaw or a particular safety problem, Air Force officials told CNN, privately, that they were aware that the timing of the problem was extremely sensitive for 737 Max jet.
Roper pointed out to reporters that if the issue of equipment and objects – known as foreign body debris, or FOD – left inside an aircraft while they're coming out of the production line is not a design risk or safety, it is a security issue. great concern for the military.
"The FODs actually concern every person, every staff member, who follows these procedures and institutes a culture of discipline for safety," Roper said.
"Culture is something that I will not believe because we have a good month or two months, culture is back, I'll believe it when I see, month after month, that yes, these practices are now things that are not done simply because they are, it's because the workforce says, "It's a product we deliver to the Air Force," he added.
Boeing will now have to perform spot inspections of the aircraft being produced, particularly in specific areas of the aircraft that can be sealed as part of the production process.
"I certainly think they're going to need a good team" to carry out the new inspection program, Roper said.
The KC-46 plays a crucial role in refueling military aircraft around the world.
The problem was first reported by various publications from the defense industry.
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