Saudi arms deal will include Apaches & Black Hawks

On top of a proposed deal to sell 84 Boeing F-15 fighter jets to Saudi Arabia, the Obama administration is also poised to sell about 70 UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters (made by United Technologies) and up to 60 Boeing AH-64 Apache Longbow helicopters to the birthplace of Islam.  If the deal is pushed through, it would be the largest overseas U.S. arms sale in history, with estimates putting the total cost to as much as $60 billion over 10 years.  The arms package will include flight simulators, spare parts, and long-term support, but the aircraft and rotorcraft involved will not have certain weapon systems installed that U.S. officials deem "conducive to regional stability" or would be seen as objectionable by Israel or Congress.

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New video of first 787 Dreamliner

Here's a link to a neat 3 minute video that showcases the interior of ZA001, the first Boeing 787 Dreamliner to come off the production line.

787 Video

Saudi Arabia to acquire F-15 Fighter Jets

The Obama administration is proceeding with a plan to sell 84 Boeing F-15 Fighter Planes to Saudi Arabia.  The 10-year arms package, which is worth about $30 billion (and is one of the biggest deals of its kind), is designed to help the Saudis check the growing Iranian threat within the Middle East.  The proposed sale has come under a bit of fire from Israel.  However, the U.S. has made efforts to quell Israel's concerns by agreeing not to equip the F-15's with advanced long-range weapons, which Israel had strongly opposed when the deal was first developed.  Along with the F-15's, the deal will also include several dozens of UH-60 Black Hawk Helicopters from United Technologies Corp.

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Inmarsat to purchase 3 Boeing satellites

U.K.-based Inmarsat has announced that it will purchase three Ka-Band satellites from Boeing for a total cost of around $1 billion, beating French satellite maker Thales Alenia Space.  The satellites will allow Inmarsat to provide high mobile broadband speeds (up to 20 times faster compared to its existing fleet of 11 L-Band satellites) to its commercial and government clients by the end of 2014.

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Cathay Pacific orders 777-300ER

Today, Cathay Pacific agreed to purchase six 777-300ER aircraft from Boeing (in addition to 30 Airbus A350-900 aircraft as well).  The order comes amidst increasing passenger revenue and cargo traffic for Hong Kong's largest airline.

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Boeing to move C-130 & B-1 from Long Beach to Oklahoma City

In what company officials say is a cost cutting move in light of expected cuts in defense spending, Boeing has announced that it will be relocating both its C-130 Avionics Modernization and B-1 programs from Long Beach, CA to Oklahoma City, OK.  The move will begin around the first quarter of 2011 and is expected to be completed by the end of 2012.  Out of the 800 workers that are currently employed by both programs, about 550 will be relocated, with the rest to be transitioned into another programs within Boeing.

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P-8A Poseidon T3 Completes First Flight Test

Aircraft T3, one of 6 flight-test aircraft for the Navy's P-8A Poseidon program, successfully completed a 2.8 hour flight test from Boeing Field in Seattle, WA.  During the flight, T3 performed various in-flight systems checks including autopilot flight modes and APU and engine shutdowns and re-starts.  Next up for T3 is for it to join sister test-aircraft T1 and T2 at Naval Air Station Patuxent River (located in Maryland) where it will undergo further ground and flight tests.  T3 has been designated as the P-8A program's mission system and weapon certification aircraft.  The U.S. Navy plans on purchasing up to 117 P-8A Poseidon aircraft (which is based on a Next-Generation Boeing 737-800 airframe) to replace its aging fleet of P-3 Orion anti-submarine/maritime surveillance aircraft.

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Emirates offers advice on future of 777

Good read from the Seattle Times about Tim Clark, president of Dubai-based Emirates, whose extraordinary growth has been nothing short of remarkable in spite of the slow global economy.  Because Emirates owns the world's largest 777 fleet (86 aircraft with 46 more on order), they wield significant influence on Boeing's future plans for their 777 family, whether it be improvements to the existing airframe or an all new aircraft type.  Clark's advice to Boeing?  Develop a new family of twin-engine aircraft "bigger" than the largest Dreamliner, using the existing 777-300ER as a baseline.  It also must be able to fly several hundred miles farther than the 777-300ER on a full 55-ton payload.  Boeing does need to make a decision soon on its 777 plans with the Airbus A350-1000 (which is viewed as a direct competitor to the 777) scheduled to come into service within the next decade.  Does Boeing invest billions of dollars to develop a new 777 aircraft just to satisfy one customer, albeit a very powerful and very rich customer???

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American Airlines to purchase 35 737-800s

American Airlines has decided to exercise purchase options for 35 Next-Generation 737-800 aircraft.  The options were included as part of a previous order for 84 737 aircraft that began arriving back in 2009.  American plans on using the 737 aircraft to replace its archaic fleet of McDonnell Douglas MD-80 aircraft, which are about 35% less fuel efficient compared to a 737-800.  They hope to achieve a total fleet of 195 737-800 aircraft by the end of 2012.  I've tended to avoid flying American on domestic flights because they mostly fly these old MD-80's with its crappy interiors and cramped seats.  But with these new 737-800s coming into service, I would be more willing to make the switch back to American.

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Qatar Airways announces order for 2 777-200LRs

Yesterday at the Farnborough Air Show, five-star airline Qatar Airways announced that it would be purchasing from Boeing 2 777-200LR Worldliner aircraft.  The total value of the order is around $501 million at list prices.  Currently Qatar flies an extensive 777 fleet that includes the aforementioned 777-200LR, the 777-300ER, and the 777-F, a freighter variant.

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Okay Airways orders 10 737-800s at Farnborough

Yesterday, Beijing-based airline Okay Airways signed an agreement with Boeing to acquire 10 Next-Generation 737-800 aircraft, with an order value of around $800 million at list prices.  Okay Airways is China's first privately owned airline, serving domestic routes near its hub a Tianjin Binhai International Airport.  They are also an all-Boeing operator, with a fleet mostly comprised of 737-800 aircraft.

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Air Austral orders two 777-200LRs at Farnborough

Today at the Farnborough Air Show, French carrier Air Austral announced an agreement to purchase two Boeing 777-200LR Worldliners.  The order is valued at around $501 million at list prices.  The 777-200LR is an ideal aircraft for this particular airline.  With a total range of 9,395 nautical miles, it can connect any two city-pairs in the world nonstop.  In Air Austral's case, it allows for nonstop flights from Paris to the island nation of Reunion, a vacation hotspot located in the South Indian Ocean and Air Austral's base of operations.

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Air Lease Corporation to order 60 737-800s at Farnborough

Another company in the growing aviation leasing market, Los Angeles based Air Lease Corporation, has just signed an agreement with Boeing for 60 Next-Generation 737-800 aircraft.  54 of those planes are firm orders, while the remaining six are purchase options.  Although a relatively new company (Air Lease was just recently founded in February 2010), it has at its helm Steven Udvar-Hazy, a former major player in the leasing industry when he was the head of International Lease Financing Corporation (ILFC).

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Avolon orders 12 Next-Gen 737-800s at Farnborough

Dublin, Ireland-based leasing company Avolon placed an order with Boeing for 12 Next-Generation 737-800 aircraft at this year's Farnborough Air Show.  The order is valued at around $921 million at list prices.  Avolon is a brand new leasing outfit in the aviation sector, having just launched recently in May 2010.  Hopefully this is a sign that the aviation industry is coming out of its cyclic downturn and heading for greener pastures, especially with the number of orders that both Boeing and rival Airbus have been racking up at this year's show.

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Royal Jordanian orders 3 787s at Farnborough

Several more Dreamliners were placed on the growing order book today at the Farnborough International Airshow.  Jordan's national carrier, Royal Jordanian, placed an order with Boeing for three 787-8 aircraft, boosting their entire 787 fleet to 11 planes.  The order is worth about $500 million at list prices.  Jordanian Air (the first Middle Eastern airline to order the 787) plans to utilize its 787 fleet on North American routes, which include New York, Chicago, Detroit, and Toronto.

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Norwegian Air Shuttle orders 15 Next-Gen 737s at Farnborough

Capping yesterday's flurry of aircraft orders at the U.K. Farnborough Air Show is an order by Norwegian Air Shuttle for 15 Next-Generation 737-800s.  To be more precise, the order is an exercise of purchase rights that Norwegian Air had secured way back in 2007, when they had made an order of 42 737's and 42 purchase rights.  The total order is valued at around $1.15 billion at list prices.

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GECAS announces order for 40 737-800s at Farnborough

Chalk up another order for Boeing at this year's Farnborough Air Show in England.  Leasing giant GE Capital Aviation Services (GECAS) announced an order with Boeing for 40 Next-Generation 737-800 aircraft.  The total order value is around $3 billion at list prices.

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Emirates orders 30 777-300ERs at Farnborough

Today at the Farnborough Air Show in the U.K., Boeing cemented an important order for 30 777-300ER's from Dubai-based Emirates Airlines, one of the most dominant and luxurious airlines in the Middle East.  Emirates is already the world's largest operator of Boeing 777's, and is the only airline to fly every model within the 777 family.

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British Airways places order for 24 787 Dreamliners

On Sunday, 7/18, British Airways announced that it has placed an order with Boeing for 24 787 Dreamliner aircraft.  They will be equipped with Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 engines, and are scheduled to enter service around 2012.

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Boeing 737 faces tough challenges from its competitors

Interesting read from BBC news regarding Boeing's 737, the world's best-selling commercial aircraft.  It talks about the lean production system that Boeing has employed to manufacture these aircraft, its current status in the soon-to-be-crowded short-haul commercial aircraft market, and its future (new more fuel-efficient engines on the existing platform, or an all new aircraft design like the 787). 

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