Boeing reported a slight dip in defense revenue in Fiscal 2015, while overall revenue increased largely because of commercial sales, but also due in part to progress with the KC-46A tanker program. The company released its fourth quarter earnings report, detailing a full-year increase of six percent in profit to $96.1 billion from $90.76 percent in Fiscal 2014, with its defense, space, and security division reporting a two-percent drop in overall revenue to $30.38 billion in Fiscal 2015 from $30.88 billion in 2014, according to the company’s report. The company’s fourth quarter defense revenue was $7.8 billion, with an operating margin of 12.4 percent. The company reported an increase in military aircraft due to a contract for 15 Navy EA-18G Growlers and Japan’s selection of the KC-46A tanker. Going forward in 2016, Boeing expects an increase in KC-46 production as the Air Force makes its Milestone C low-rate initial production decision. The company also is waiting for the results of its challenge to the Air Force’s decision to award the Long-Range Strike Bomber contract to Northrop Grumman, and plans to move forward on bids for the T-X trainer and the next-generation JSTARS, company CEO Dennis Muilenburg said in a call on Wednesday.
U.S. Air Force F-35s and F-22s regularly deploy deep into the Pacific region from Alaska, Utah, and Hawaii. In the future, though, the head of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command would like to see the Air Force permanently station fifth-generation aircraft west of the international date line—closer to China.