The new charges come after the aerospace giant’s defense unit in the third quarter logged a $2 billion pre-tax loss, prompting Ortberg at the time to call for the company to pivot back to prior success via better discipline in its " tough contracts " and a focus on risk management in future ones.

Boeing’s defense business faced another tough quarter, with a projected loss of $1.7 billion when it reports its fourth-quarter earnings next week—bringing total losses for the sector to nearly $5 billion for the year.