Boeing soap boxes supplied to US Air Force inflated in price by nearly 8,000%

According to an audit report released this week, the Pentagon said that Boeing supplied spare parts for the C-17 transport aircraft at a cost of nearly $1 million. Notably, the price of soap boxes increased by nearly $150,000, an increase of nearly 8,000% compared to the previous price.

Pentagon Inspector General Robert Storch said on October 29 that the US Air Force needs to have more effective internal controls to avoid overspending on spare parts in a contract with Boeing that runs through 2031.

The Pentagon's Office of Inspector General said it has made eight recommendations based on the recent audit report, including asking relevant agencies to conduct a thorough review of the prices of spare parts in the C-17 transport aircraft contract, review items with price increases of 25% or more and require Boeing to provide a justification for the price increases.

Boeing said it was reviewing the Department of Defense audit report, and raised concerns that the Pentagon may have made an inappropriate price comparison, saying that parts supplied to meet specific military requirements and specifications would be priced differently than the same parts sold commercially.

Boeing has faced a number of problems and criticism this year, following incidents on its commercial aircraft. In September, Ted Colbert, Boeing’s chief operating officer for defense and space, resigned.