Hi, I've been working for years on the C-135-FR (based on the Boieng 707), a French army tanker that will stop in 2025, they all have more than 30,000 flying hours, so that apparently in the USAF they have only half.
Since 2018 we receive the Airbus A330MRTT.
The Boeing was often out of order (and even more today), with each return of flight / mission there is for hours of repair.
But what surprised me was the logistics around the pieces. When it was necessary to commend it took 3 days when it was stored in France and a week if it was necessary to import US (Oklahoma), even Hi-Lok (kind of rivet) diam. 0.8 (0.3 inches), once even taken on an old KC-135 in the Mojave Desert.
For the Airbus, I have friends who have been transferred, for now there is only one but it gets complicated quickly. When there is a need for a piece it takes weeks. The last time the sheet metal workers had to make a repair and then repaint, Airbus was not able to give them the paint, Airbus was not able to tell them that reference painting was planned on this piece!
Because the problems will come from the fact that for one piece it can have up to 7 subcontractor !!
And he got them for the Airbus to receive pieces made by boeing !!
