EA-18G Growler approved for full-rate production

Another milestone was achived for the Navy's newest Airborne Electronic Attack (AEA) aircraft.  The DOD approved Boeing's EA-18G Growler for full-rate production to about 20 aircraft per year; the total amount is 44 Growlers, valued at $386 million.  The EA-18G, which is based on the vaunted F/A-18E/F Block II Super Hornet, will replace the Navy's current AEA platform, the EA-6B Prowler, developed by the Grumman Corporation in the 1970's.  The Growler will be the only type of aircraft capable of full-spectrum electronic attack, from disrupting enemy communications to jamming potential surface-to-air threats.  And unlike the old Prowler, the Growler will be able to capably defend itself with its nine available weapon stations, which means that it can use the same weapons that the Super Hornet uses.

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Dubai debt crisis may endanger aircraft orders?

In recent years Dubai had been throwing money around left and right.  From seven-star luxurious hotels to man-made islands shaped like palm trees to an indoor ski-resort, it looked as if Dubai had an unlimited source of wealth.  But it was inevitable that the global economic crisis would affect Dubai's lavish spending.  Essentially the country has an excess of real estate that no one wants (or at least, can't afford at the moment).  As a result, Dubai's investment arm, Dubai World, is now $59 billion in debt.  All this spells trouble for government-controlled carrier Emirates, which also got infected by the spending bug.  It has about $30 billion in aircraft orders for Airbus planes (including 53 A380's) and about $4 billion on Boeing 777's.  In addition, the aircraft leasing firm DAE Capital has $12.6 billion and $16 billion of outstanding orders for Airbus and Boeing planes, respectively.  So the big question is: will Emirates and DAE Capital still be able to purchase all these aircraft it has on order?  Will it have to defer payments and/or deliveries, or worse, outright cancel some orders?

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U.S. Air Force awards $23 million contract for B-1

Today the U.S. Air Force awarded Boeing a $23 million follow-on contract (Phase II) for the B-1 Laptop Controlled Targeting Pod Software upgrade.  Phase I was completed in April of this year.  The upgrade (with its unique system of interchangeable "sniper" pods controlled by laptops) will allow this cold-war relic to more accurately track and identify both stationary and moving targets.  In fact, for stationary targets, the pod will automatically relay their GPS coordinates to the B-1's weapons systems, thereby eliminating the need to manually input the coordinates.  Lord knows what could result if the weapons officer was off by one degree.

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Turkey Break

Yah, sorry for not having updated anything recently.  I was on vacation all of last week, most of it spent attempting to ingest all 16 lbs. of my family's turkey (with a little room for some pumpkin pie of course).  But I'm back now!  Hopefully all that tryptophan won't make me too lethargic as I write this... zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Ryanair issues ultimatum to Boeing

Ryanair Chief Executive Michael O'Leary took a hard line against Boeing with regards to a potential follow-on order (around 200 737 aircraft for delivery beginning 2013-2016).  Here's the bottom line: if a deal can't be reached by the end of November, then Ryanair will terminate it's long-running relationship with Boeing.  Ryanair is known for its cutthroat tactics: after 9/11 and the subsequent rapid decline of the aviation industry, Ryanair was able to wring out huge concessions from a desperate Boeing for 737-800 purchases.  Normally when it comes to bullies like O'Leary, I would have personally introduced him to both my fists and told him to go 'eff himself, but that's not how it works in the business world.  If Ryanair ultimately decides to go elsewhere, then they would need to make large investments in re-training and certifying their pilots and mechanics to fly and maintain a new type of aircraft; currently Ryanair only flies 737-800's.  And from Boeing's perspective, how much business sense does it make to sell aircraft for far far less than the cost of making them?  Is it more important to rack up quick sales numbers with little to no profit, or wait patiently to turn a decent profit from those sales?  I'm not an economics major, but it'll be interesting to see if Boeing caves in to Ryanair's demands, or stands firm.

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Will this be the last time Ryanair flies a 737?

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Boeing breaks ground on Charleston 787 Assembly Line

At Charleston International Airport, the first shovel struck the ground as Boeing held a groundbreaking ceremony to mark the construction of the new 2nd 787 production assembly line. Governor Mark Sanford, Senator Lindsey Graham, Senator Jim Demint, and a handful of state and local government representatives were on hand for the event.  Once complete, the new $750 million Boeing plant will employ around 5,000 workers, and will go about producing 3 Dreamliners a month when it is fully operational.  The main 787 assembly line, based in Everett, Washington, will produce 7 Dreamliners a month.  This marks yet another important milestone in the Dreamliner saga as Boeing goes about fulfilling the 840 orders for the new revolutionary aircraft.  It'll be interesting to see if Charleston can develop on time the experienced workforce required to construct such a technologically complex aircraft.  I'm sure the entire Puget Sound region (most notably the folks at the Everett facility who felt snubbed that they did not win the 2nd 787 line) will be keeping a close and watchful eye on their new Boeing cousins in the South.

News Link

Below is a news link from the Chareston-based Post and Courier newspaper which gives South Carolina's perspective on the new Boeing facility:

Charleston

And below is a link from an editorial in the Seattle Times from Rick Bender, president of the Washington State Labor Council.  Let's just say that he has a different take on the matter:

Seattle

Boeing backers want $5 million duty per EADS tanker

Representative Norm Dicks (D-Wash), a member of the House of Representatives Defense Appropriations subcommittee and a staunch Boeing defender, called for the Pentagon to charge an additional $5 million per aircraft to EADS/Northrop Grumman's KC-X tanker bid.  This is in response to a well-publicized claim by Boeing lawyers (and is now an open case with the World Trade Organization) that EADS has received about $5 billion in so-called "launch aid" to help develop their A-330 line of aircraft, which would be the platform for the EADS/NG tanker.  The $5 million duty would help neutralize the advantages gained from that launch aid.  Currently the Air Force's Draft Request for Proposal for the KC-X program contains no provision regarding the current WTO rulings, and the DOD's position remains clear that the subsidies dispute between the two aircraft makers has no place in the procurement of U.S. defense systems.

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Dreamliner set for first flight around Dec. 22

Per the Dow Jones newswires, an unidentified source has stated that the Dreamliner will make its inaugural first flight around Dec. 22 of this year.  If it does happen, that would make a nice little x-mas present for Boeing.

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C-17's to Indian Air Force???

The Indian government is in negotiations with Boeing to purchase 10 C-17 Globemaster III aircraft.  This would be welcome news to the C-17 program and the dedicated workers at the Long Beach, California plant where the C-17 is assembled, not to mention the hundreds of suppliers scattered about the country that produce parts for the C-17.  With the number of unfulfilled orders dwindling by the month, the program needs more orders to stay alive.  Congress is trying to appropriate funds for up to an additional 10 C-17's, but the U.S. Air Force and the Department of Defense have repeatedly stated that they don't require any more C-17's beyond what it already has on order, so it'll be a tough battle to get funds for those additional aircraft.  International orders have to take up the slack, so all the more reason why this deal with India could potentially save the C-17 line.

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Boeing delivers 777-300ER & relief supplies to PAL

Not only did the bigwigs at Philippine Airlines (PAL) receive their first Boeing 777-300ER (leased via GE Capital Aviation Services), but stored within the cargo hold were about 18,000 lbs. of food and medical supplies to help support Filipino citizens who were affected by Typhoon Ketsana.  Boeing partnered with 3 different organizations to help pull-off this humanitarian effort.  The Philippines (my hometown, by the way) have just been battered by massive flooding and property damage, so hopefully this cache of relief supplies will provide some much needed help and comfort.  Much love to those folks who contributed to this effort.

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Boeing Laser programs score multiple hits

Boeing's Mobile Active Targeting Resource for Intergrated eXperiments (or MATRIX, don't ya just love acronyms) had a successful demonstration for the U.S. Air Force when it tracked and downed 5 UAV's at various ranges using a single laser beam.  And another of Boeing's laser-themed programs, the Laser Avenger, was also successful in knocking out a UAV.  As UAV's become more prevalent on future battlefields, it's vital that we have a reliable defensive mechanism to counteract this new type of threat.  Don't ya remember season six of 24, when the terrorists launched a dirty bomb into San Francisco using a UAV?  Thank goodness for Jack Bauer!

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Placing bets on which will fly first: 787 or A400M?

Is there nothing in this world that you can't place a bet on?  Remember when Vegas had odds on who killed Mr. Burns from the Simpsons?  Personally my money was on Mr. Smithers, because there was no way I was putting money on Maggie the freakin' infant!  Anyhoos, Dublin-based bookmaker Paddy Power has odds on which aircraft will reach the air first: the 787 Dreamliner (1-2 odds) or EADS' A400M military transport (6-4 odds).  Both have scheduled maiden flights of early December, and both have been beset by countless delays, with the Dreamliner running about 2 years late and the A400M an incredible 4 years behind schedule.

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In the red corner, it stands 48 ft. tall, is 148 ft., long, has a wingspan of 139 ft., and an overall max takeoff weight of 310,852 lbs.  Flying out of the continent of Europe, the A400M!

Photo Credit / CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

And in the blue corner, it stands 56 ft. tall, is 186 ft. long, has a wingspan of 197 ft., and an overall max takeoff weight of 484,000 lbs.  Flying out of Everett, Washington, the 787-8 Dreamliner!

Photo Credit / CC BY-SA 2.0

747-8 Freighter Leaves Paint Hangar with New Livery

The new 747-8 Freighter came out of the paint hangar in Everett, Washington with a special livery.  Check out the news link below for a photo.  You'll clearly notice the oversized number 8 on the background of the tail, although you won't be able to see the numbers "747-8" painted on the underbelly.  This "light" livery will remain on this test aircraft until the flight test program is completed, which is scheduled to begin in early 2010.

News Link

The following link has a great close-up photo of the tail section with the new paint scheme.

News Link 2

U.S. Appeals Court Lifts Ban on KC-135 Maintenance Work

Boeing now has authority to begin programmed depot maintenance work on the U.S. Air Force's aging fleet of KC-135 Tankers after a U.S. Federal Appeals Court overturned a lower court's ruling that prevented the work.  The lower court made the ruling on behalf of Alabama Aircraft Industries, which had protested the $1.1 billion contract award last year.  All the more important since these KC-135's are more than 50 years old, and they require a lot of structural and preventative maintenance to keep these flying gas-stations in the air.  And with the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, not to mention the fact that the new Air Force Tanker-Replacement Program for the KC-135 fleet is still undecided, it is vitally important that Boeing get to work on keeping these planes safe and airworthy for our warfighters.

News Link

Below is a copy of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit's ruling on the matter:

Court Ruling

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Air Algerie places an order for seven 737-800's

More orders for Boeing at the 2009 Dubai Airshow.  Air Algerie has placed an order for 7 Next-Generation 737-800's, bringing their total Next-Gen fleet to 22 aircraft.  Their order also includes the Blended Winglet option, which will help to reduce fuel burn by about 4%.  Air Algerie is based (take a wild guess) in Algiers, the capital of Algeria.  Appropriate name for the airline, right?

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Photo Credit / CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

Tassili Airlines purchases four 737-800's at Dubai Airshow

On the 2nd day of the 2009 Dubai Airshow, Algeria-based Tassili Airlines placed an order for 4 Next-Generation 737-800's.

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Side-of-Body Installations complete on three 787 test A/C

Boeing just completed the side-of-body fix on the 2nd flight test aircraft and the static test aircraft.  The fix for the 1st flight test aircraft was completed last week.  There are still an additional 3 test aircraft that will have the fix installed.  This is absolutely great news for the company, and gives more confirmation that the program is on track for first flight by the end of the year.  The fix came about when static testing (performed in May 2009) found that there was unexpected stress in the key junction where the wing meets the fuselage.  Because of this, Boeing was forced to delay first flight for a 5th time.  Click below for the news link.

News Link

Photo Credit / CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

What the eff is the Dreamliner all about?

Oh yah, for any of you that DON'T know what exactly the Dreamliner is, Boeing has a website about it.  Check out the pretty videos!

http://www.newairplane.com/787/innovativefeatures/

First post!

What's up world! Pretty excited about setting up this blog, which will highlight all the amazing products and ideas that come out from the Boeing company.  Most of the focus right now will be on their new vaunted aircraft, the 787 "Dreamliner."  If you haven't already heard, it's Boeing's newest aircraft since the 777 and it's chock full of innovative new technologies; the first fully-designed commercial aircraft constructed out of lightweight composites instead of traditional aluminum.  New engines from GE and Rolls-Royce, along with the unique characteristics of composites means less fuel burn, and with oil prices reaching triple digits per barrel, that means huge savings for the airlines, and ultimately, for the airline traveler.  But the Dreamliner has gone through some, shall we say, hiccups.  Well, more like straight-up coughing fits.  Two years behind schedule (first flight has been delayed 5 times) doesn't bode well for ornary investors, and Boeing has lost a lot of credibility because of it.  But Boeing is hoping to silence the nay-sayers and doubters.  As of now, first flight is scheduled by the end of the year.  I'll keep you guys updated with reports from the various news services and aerospace blogs.  But count on one thing: the Dreamliner will be a game changer in aviation!