Seems DoD is miffed at LM taking them for a ride on the F-35 project which has been leaking billions of USD like it was millions & still no sign of the problems at hand being resolved or the FOC anywhere in sight.
So what does DoD do? Why , they select another dubious contractor with an even more dubious record as far as quality & safety issues go !
Would be very interesting to see how Boeing senior management screws this one up . Apparently when McDonald Douglas - McD was acquired by Boeing in the 1990s , dubbed an acquisition between equals by the biz media then , McD senior management long used to cutting corners to cut costs when competing with the likes of Boeing & Airbus in the commercial airline segment - a fight they eventually lost , brought their philosophy to Boeing eventually taking over senior management roles & screwing up the work culture in Boeing , the after effects of which are now plainly visible in the performance of Boeing commercial aircraft the world over .