Boeing BA.N said on Friday that Ted Colbert, president and CEO of its defense, space and security unit will be leaving the company effective immediately.

Boeing Co. said that Ted Colbert — its head of defense, space and security — would leave the company on Friday, as the beleaguered aviation giant’s new chief executive aims for big changes following a string of safety concerns and a deep slump in its financials.

Boeing is getting a new space chief. Ted Colbert will no longer be CEO of Boeing Defense, Space & Security, one of the aerospace giant's subdivisions, according to media reports. Those reports cite a staff memo circulated today (Sept.

Colbert's removal from Boeing Defense marks CEO Kelly Ortberg's first major management change since taking the helm last month.

Boeing's new CEO Kelly Ortberg said the company's defense unit chief Ted Colbert is leaving Boeing and that a replacement would be named later. The defense unit accounted for about 40% of Boeing's revenue in the first half of the year.

Boeing (NYSE:BA) said Friday that Ted Colbert, head of its defense, space and security division, will leave the company effective immediately, in the first major personnel move made by CEO Kelly Ortberg since he assumed the role last month.