Archives for August, 2006
Boeing Tells C-17 Suppliers Line May End in 2009
Saturday, August 19th, 2006
Due to the lack of U.S. government orders for the C-17 military cargo aircraft, The Boeing Company is directing program suppliers to stop work on uncommitted airplanes. This move will be the first step in an orderly shut down of the production supply chain should no further orders be received from the U.S. government. This action will ultimately affect the 5,500 Boeing jobs in California, Missouri, Georgia, and Arizona, directly tied to the C-17, and the program’s nationwide supplier workforce that totals more than 25,000 people. Nearly 700 companies in 42 states provide parts and services that go into each C-17.
Groen Brothers Aviation Achieves 3rd Milestone in High Speed Rotorcraft
Saturday, August 19th, 2006
Groen Brothers Aviation, Inc. announced today that the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has passed GBA’s submission for the third Milestone of its contract to design a proof of concept high speed, long range, vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aircraft. This modern rotorcraft, named by DARPA as the “Heliplane,” is designed to exploit GBA’s gyrodyne technology. A “gyrodyne” can be considered as an airplane that does not need a runway. It offers the VTOL capability of a helicopter, the fast forward flight of an airplane, and the safety, simplicity and reliability of a GBA gyroplane. The goal of this proof-of-concept demonstrator is a greater than two-fold improvement in speed and range performance over a conventional helicopter. The Heliplane will have a cruise speed of 400 mph and an unrefueled range of 1,000 nm (1,152 miles). The proof-of-concept aircraft will also carry a 1,000 lb payload.
Boeing 747 Large Cargo Freighter Rolls Out; Prepares for First Flight
Thursday, August 17th, 2006
Boeing has rolled the first 747-400 Large Cargo Freighter (LCF) out of the hangar at Taipei’s Chiang Kai-Shek International Airport. The enormous airplane is the first of three specially modified jets that will be used to transport major assemblies for the all-new Boeing 787 Dreamliner.
Osprey unit makes history, cross ‘The Pond’
Wednesday, August 9th, 2006
Two MV-22B “Ospreys,” belonging to Marine Tiltrotor Test and Evaluation Squadron 22, made history by completing the first-ever Tiltrotor Vertical Assault Aircraft trans-Atlantic flights Saturday, July 29. The “Ospreys” successfully flew from North Carolina to England and back. The exercise began July 8 when three MV-22Bs from VMX-22 and three KC-130J “Hercules” aircraft from Marine Aerial Refueler Transport Squadron 252, based at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, N.C., left the U.S. for Farnborough. After a stop in Goose Bay, Newfoundland, two MV-22Bs and two KC-130Js continued on to the U.K., while the other aircraft returned to North Carolina. On July 25, all aircraft left the U.K. to redeploy back to North Carolina. All aircraft and crew safely returned home July 29.
Boeing Chosen as Sole Bidder for Korea Spy Plane Deal
Friday, August 4th, 2006
U.S. aircraft maker Boeing has been selected the sole candidate for the country’s $2-billion surveillance aircraft deal, beating Elta of Israel in the one-year-long competition. The B-737 AEW&C, equipped with Northrop Grumman’s L-band Multi-Role Electronically Scanned Array (MESA) radar on the rear fuselage, is able to detect targets 481 kilometers away.
Boeing Rolls Out First EA-18G Growler
Friday, August 4th, 2006
The Boeing Company rolled out the U.S. armed forces’ newest airborne electronic attack aircraft, the EA-18G Growler, on time and within budget.A derivative of the combat-proven, two-seat F/A-18F Super Hornet, the EA-18G’s highly flexible design enables warfighters to perform an array of airborne electronic attack (AEA) missions, operating from either the deck of an aircraft carrier or land-based fields. The EA-18G integrates the capabilities of the most advanced AEA system, designed and produced by the Northrop Grumman Corporation, which recently completed tests on the EA-6B, with the advanced weapons, sensors and communications systems found on the Super Hornet.