Lockheed Martin’s full-scale mock-up of its Unmanned Carrier Launched Surveillance and Strike (Uclass) contender was unveiled in late September when CNBC reporter Jane Wells tweeted a photo from the company’s Skunk Works unit.
NASA selected Boeing and SpaceX to take U.S. astronauts to and from the International Space Station (ISS) as a way to stop paying Russia $76 million a pop for seats (and training) in the Soyuz capsule after early 2018. But even in this era of cooling relations between the countries, it doesn’t mean astronauts will stop flying Soyuz. And cosmonauts probably will fly in the new U.S. vehicles, to restore the “dissimilar redundancy” in ISS crew transport that has been missing since the space shuttle retired.
Production of Boeing 737s is expected to rise to an unprecedented 52 per month in 2018. The company, which already announced plans to increase the production rate to 47 per month in 2017, hinted last month that the even higher assembly rate was being considered in response to market demand. Once established, the new rate means more than 620 aircraft a year will be built, roughly equivalent to the cumulative production for the first 13 years of the 737. Boeing has a firm order backlog of more than 4,000 737s: over 1,700 for 737 NGs and 2,294 for the 737 MAX family.
Miami-based Eastern Air Lines, which is not yet flying, has confirmed its order for 20 Mitsubishi Aircraft 92-seat MRJ90 regional jets. Deliveries are due to begin in 2019, about two years after the MRJ enters service. Mitsubishi now has orders for 191 MRJs, which should increase to 223 when Japan Airlines confirms an order for 32 covered by a letter of intent. In addition, customers hold options and purchase rights on another 184 MRJ90s. Eastern will use the name and livery of the historic but unrelated U.S. airline that closed in 1991.
Airbus this month closed its takeover of the former optronics subsidiary of Carl Zeiss. Airbus had held 75% ownership but in October 2012 moved to take over the remainder. The 800-person unit, previously known as Cassidian Optronics, with headquarters in Oberkochen, Germany, now will be called Airbus DS Optronics. It designs and produces optronic, optical and precision-engineered products for satellites and UAVs.
To help smooth the way for follow-on 787 and 777X derivatives, Boeing is banking on using valuable and, in some cases, unexpected lessons learned during the test and development of the latest stretch model, the 787-9.
Among this year’s milestones: the airline began its first international flights, established a new reservations system and will wrap up its operational integration with AirTran Airways, which it acquired in 2011. And perhaps most symbolically important, from Oct. 14 Southwest will be able to fly anywhere it wants in the continental U.S. from its home base at Dallas Love Field.
While Virgin America has a compelling onboard product—its 10 Airbus A319s and 43 Airbus A320s offer relatively fast onboard Internet service, seat-back televisions and mood lighting—analysts say the carrier may lack the scale needed to compete with United Airlines, American Airlines and Delta Air Lines in key business markets.
The manufacturer wants to redefine rotorcraft with a configuration that offers higher speed, maneuverability and hover performance, but retains the helicopter’s defining low-speed agility while enabling unique flight characteristics.
A significant number of attempts to fly at hypersonic speed have failed—not due to the advanced airframe or propulsion technology being tested, but because of the rocket booster needed to reach that speed.
International defense companies visiting last month’s MSPO defense exhibition in Poland are responding to the call for munitions that can strike ballistic missile launchers, long-range air defense and command-and-control centers deep in enemy territory.
The announcement by Airbus Group that it was putting €2 billion in defense and space businesses up for sale is an important milestone not only for Airbus but also for European A&D.
Penny-pinching politicians and those who reject the evidence that human activity is changing Earth’s climate are making it hard for scientists to continue providing the data from space needed to monitor and try to manage the effects of inaction
When a Qantas A380 landed at Dallas/Fort Worth for the first time, it marked the latest escalation in the hotly contested market between North America and Australasia.
If signed, the deal with an undisclosed customer would allow UrtheCast to develop two sensors, a high-resolution, dual-mode optical/video camera and a high-resolution dual-band synthetic aperture radar (SAR) that will be capable of imaging simultaneously in L and X bands.
Paul Kahn (see photo) has been appointed president of Airbus Group UK. He was president/CEO of Thales Canada. Kahn succeeds Robin Southwell, who has left the company.
