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Boeing Super Hornet faces emerging anti-access challenges  The US Navy is upgrading its fleet of Boeing F/A-18E/F fighters with new capabilities, but analysts question the Super Hornet's utility against emerging anti-access/area denial (A2/AD) threats. "Upgrading the F/A-18 family is a good idea, and it could extend their service lives," says analyst Mark Gunzinger of the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments (CSBA). "That being said, F/A-18-based platforms are short-range, lack unrefueled persistence, and are best suited for operations in relatively uncontested airspace." ©Peter Collins/Flightglobal But in the future, uncontested airspace is unlikely to remain the norm as potential adversaries...

May 7, 2012 (CHICAGO) (WLS) -- Members of the Occupy movement from both coasts and a number of cities in between are organizing protests during the NATO meeting, now less than two weeks away. The movement has developed different identities in each of the cities in which they operate. In New York, for instance, protesters have tangled with police a number of times. By comparison Chicago protests, which at times have been quite large, have been relatively peaceful and orderly. But when NATO comes to town, the Chicago protesters will also be hosting many of their fellow Occupy protesters from...

Panetta Presses Brazil to Buy Boeing Fighters RIO DE JANEIRO — Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta pushed Brazil on Wednesday to buy $4 billion worth of Boeing-made Super Hornet fighter jets, saying the prospective sale reflected how important Brazil was to the United States. In the first visit of an American defense secretary to the country in seven years, Mr. Panetta used a speech at Superior War College here to focus on smoothing a sometimes thorny relationship and promoting American weapons sales. Brazil is deciding whether to buy 36 fighter jets worth about $4 billion in a competition between Boeing...

Cameron offered air tanker as VIP jet (Reuters) - Senior British politicians and royals might consider making foreign visits in converted air force refuelling jets after a row over the use of a rented Boeing for a trade mission to tout European-made Airbus planes. Britain's aerospace industry lobby group said proposals were being drawn up by the industry that could allow Prime Minister David Cameron and even the Queen to use modified Airbus jetliners that double as refuelling planes. The proposals follow a British media storm after Cameron led a business delegation to Indonesia in a chartered Boeing 747 to...

Boeing shows off new Super Hornet display Boeing is showing off some of the advanced features it is proposing for the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet. Some of these include conformal fuel tanks, an external weapons pod to reduce the jet's radar cross-section, better engines, and a new missile warning system among other improvements. Inside the cockpit (both cockpits in the case of the F-model) is a new single-screen color LCD display. But what is truly impressive is a new 3D situational awareness display mode--it overlays various threats and displays them in an easy to understand graphic. Terrain can be overlaid on...

Along with the ICBM, it was one of the defining pieces of military technology during the Cold War: the B-52 bomber. Those who grew up in the 1960s and 1970s knew the B-52 Stratofortress as a central figure in the anxiety that flowed from the protracted staring match between the U.S. and the Soviet Union. On the one hand, it was reassuring to know that the Strategic Air Command was ready at a moment's notice to scramble its B-52s to counter any potential nuclear attack. On the other hand, if the bombers were flying that mission, well, things might well...

B-52 celebrates 60 Years by Staff Sgt. Brian Stives and Megan Meyer Air Force Global Strike Command Public Affairs 4/10/2012 - BARKSDALE AIR FORCE BASE, La. -- Air Force Global Strike Command will commemorate the 60th anniversary of the first flight of the B-52 Stratofortress on April 15, 1952. This flight was made by the YB-52 prototype in Seattle. Air Force Global Strike Command will commemorate the airframe's anniversary with events centered around the theme: "The B-52: An Icon of American Airpower." During the celebratory campaign, AFGSC will recognize the heritage and accomplishments of the B-52 and the people -...

A US Air Force Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) panel investigating a series of hypoxia-like incidents afflicting pilots flying the Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor has not discovered what is causing the problem, but service officials vow they will find the root cause. "I am convinced there is a root cause," says Maj Gen Charles Lyon, Air Combat Command's (ACC) director of operations. "I want everyone to know--particularly those who operate it and their families--we will not rest until we find that root cause." The USAF is continuing to test the F-22's life-support systems to try to determine what is still causing...

WASHINGTON, July 30 (Reuters) - The U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday killed new funding for the disputed F-22 fighter jet program as part of a $636.3 billion military spending bill that was expected to clear the chamber. House action on a vote of 269-165 to bury additional production of Lockheed Martin Corp's (LMT.N) F-22 solidified an important victory for the Obama administration on procurement reform and nullified a veto threat over the matter.

The last F-22 Raptor to be built for the US Air Force took-off on its inaugural test flight earlier today with a company pilot at the helm, a Lockheed Martin executive says. "I was just watching the take-off of aircraft 4195, so it's now made its first flight on its way to delivery," says Jeff Babione, Lockheed's F-22 programme manager. "We just had everyone outside the building watching the take-off of the final Raptor." Lockheed test pilot Bret Luedke-- a veteran aviator who has flown almost every Raptor the company has ever built--is flying the aircraft. Babione says that company...

The wife of deceased US Air Force F-22 Raptor pilot Captain Jeff "Bong" Haney is suing contractors Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Pratt and Whitney and Honeywell in connection with the 16 November 2010 crash that took his life. The complaint was filed on 5 March 2012 in a court in Cook County, Illinois, by Michael Demetrio, a lawyer representing Anna Haney. The lawsuit seeks compensation, which would be chosen by the court, for Haney and her two daughters Ava and Stella Rose under the Wrongful Death Act. Prime contractor Lockheed is responsible for the overall production of the Raptor, but Boeing...

Boeing Looks Afar for New C-17 Jet Sales As U.S. Demand for Military-Cargo Plane Wanes, Aircraft Maker Hopes Mideast, Asian Buyers Will Fill the Gap BA -0.34%Boeing Co., BA -0.34%racing to drum up sales of its C-17 to avoid shutting down production of the military-cargo plane, believes new orders may emerge in coming months from the Middle East or Asia, a senior executive said. "Our hope is that future sales occur [in those regions] this year," Bob Ciesla, program manager for the C-17 Globemaster III, said in an interview this week. Mr. Ciesla declined to discuss specific countries that may...

The first of the last Three major defense programs or platforms — so far — have hit milestones this week on their way out of production or out of service: Lockheed Martin’s final F-22 Raptor flew for the first time, Flight’s Steve Trimble and Dave Majumdar reported. The Navy identified the first four of the seven cruisers it will decommission to save money, unless Rep. Buck McKeon can save them: They’re the USS Cowpens; USS Anzio; USS Vicksburg; and USS Port Royal, and they’ll all go away on March 31, 2013, according to a Navy administrative message. And Boeing announced...

Israel embargo on Turkey hits IAI Boeing cooperation "Defense News" reports that delays in allowing IAI to deliver electronic systems threatens other Israeli defense suppliers. Cooperation between Israel Aerospace Industries Ltd. (IAI) (TASE: ARSP.B1) unit Elta Systems and Boeing Company (NYSE: BA) to produce airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) is being threatened because the project is due for delivery to the Turkish Air Force, "Defense News" reports. Israel's Ministry of Defense has instructed Elta to delay delivery of two of the four sub-systems for electronic support slated to be installed in the early warning aircraft, as part of the...

The Pentagon has mothballed a laser-equipped jumbo jet after 15 years and $5 billion worth of research to develop an airborne missile defense system. Budget cuts shot down the Airborne Laser Test Bed but some research into anti-missile lasers will continue, according to the U.S. Missile Defense Agency. "We didn't have the funding to continue flying the aircraft," agency spokeswoman Debra Christman told the Los Angeles Times (http://lat.ms/xEnw3z ). The plane, a Boeing 747 mounted with a high-energy chemical laser, has been sent into storage at Davis Monthan Air Force Base, the agency said. The base near Tucson, Ariz., serves...

Poseidon on the prowl P-8A crew successfully hunts undersea targets Soon to begin joining the fleet’s anti-submarine warfare (ASW) force is the Navy’s newest multi-mission platform, the P-8A Poseidon, which recently flew four successful operational missions Feb. 20-24 against submarines that did their best to elude the aircraft during a single-plane detachment to NAS Jacksonville. ASW is an enabling mission for the Navy to combat challenges posed by new generations of very quiet nuclear and non-nuclear submarines. VX-1 Test Pilot Cmdr. John Verniest is the P-8A operational test director and NATOPS program manager at NAS Patuxent River, Md. “During our...

The end’s in sight for the Super Hornet. Or is it? Boeing’s F/A-18E and F Super Hornets, and their forebears, have been part of U.S. naval aviation for so long it’s hard to imagine aircraft carriers without them. But under this month’s DoD budget submission, the Navy would accept its last new Superbug in only three years. Big B announced on Wednesday that it had completed early delivery of the Navy’s second-to-last multi-year batch of Super Hornets and E/A-18G Growlers — 257 airplanes — and that it’s on the glide slope to continue right on through into the final multi-year....

$200m refit to give fighter jets growl THE Federal Government will spend more than $200 million to transform six air force fighter jets into hi-tech electronic warfare planes. The RAAF purchased 24 Boeing Super Hornet fighters under a $6 billion deal with the US Navy to fill the gap between the retirement of the F-111 fighter bomber and the expected delivery of the first batch of 14 Joint Strike Fighter stealth jets later this decade. Defence Minister Stephen Smith will announce the decision to upgrade the jet fighters early next month to EA-18G models known as "Growlers" to plug an...

Obama visits, calls election 'make or break' for middle classBy Jim Brunner and Dominic Gates Seattle Times staff reporters Originally published Friday, February 17, 2012 at 10:17 PM President Obama called the 2012 election a "make-or-break moment" for the middle class Friday during a campaign swing through the Seattle area, rallying supporters at two pricey Eastside fundraisers and touring Boeing's Everett plant to promote his plans to revive American manufacturing. Obama touched down at Paine Field in the morning and toured a United Airlines 787 at the end of the Dreamliner assembly line, pronouncing the dimmable windows in the plane...

President Obama rallied with union workers at a Boeing plant in Washington, but he praised the manufacturing conducted by Boeing in South Carolina, even though his National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) tried to close the South Carolina plant at the behest of the Washington union workers. "So this company is a great example of what American manufacturing can do in a way that nobody else in the world can do it," Obama told the assembled workers this afternoon at the Everett, Wash., Boeing plant. "And the impact of your success, as I said, goes beyond the walls of this plant....

New Fighter Acquisition Uncertainty Revving Up F-15 Prospects Recent orders for F-15 fighters from Saudi Arabia are securing the future for the Boeing F-15 production line at least until the year 2018. Beside the Saudi mega deal, South Korea has an ongoing tender for the third phase of the FX, while the US Air Force is looking into possible upgrades to keep its F-15C/Es at least through the decade. The USAF is expected to begin evaluating life extensions for the Eagle soon. Such programs could address avionics, radar and survivability enhancements. Boeing is offering an advanced cockpit configuration for future...

A Boeing 787 jet took corporate loyalty to new heights when it "drew" the letters "787" followed by the company's logo across several thousand miles of North American skies. The etching of the letters and logo, while not visible from the ground, can be seen in the flight path plans.

NEW YORK — Boeing has locked in its biggest order ever. The Chicago airplane manufacturer said Tuesday that it has finalized an order from Indonesian carrier Lion Air for 230 planes — worth a combined $22.4 billion. Lion Air also has the rights to buy 150 more. The deal is the largest commercial airplane order ever for Boeing Co. by both dollar value and number of airplanes.

Cutaway & technical description: How Boeing developed the F-15 Silent Eagle By: Stephen Trimble Washington DC The first major evolution of the F-15 Eagle occurred in the late 1970s, when the US Air Force started looking for a replacement for the General Dynamics F-111 Aardvark. McDonnell Douglas and Hughes teamed up to convert an F-15B two-seater - designed under the "not-a-pound-for-air-to-ground" philosophy - into the world's most effective strike aircraft. They bulked up the F-15B's internal structure by about 2,720kg (6,000lb), allowing designers to boost maximum take-off weight by 20% to more than 36,400kg, and the back-seat was converted into...

Israel, US may export Arrow to S. Korea - report "Defense News": India is another potential customer for the anti-ballistic missile system. 31 January 12 11:22, Ran Dagoni, Washington "Defense News" reports that Israel and the US may export the Arrow 2 anti-ballistic missile system to South Korea in a $1 billion deal - the first potential exports of the system made by Israel Aerospace Industries Ltd. (IAI) (TASE: ARSP.B1) and Boeing Company (NYSE: BA). The US and Israeli government have given the go-ahead for marketing of the system. India is another potential customer. The Israeli Defense Ministry categorically denies...

Norwegian Air has signed deals valued at $21.5 billion for 222 Boeing Co. and Airbus single-aisle aircraft, the carrier said Wednesday. The carrier ordered 100 of Boeing's new 737 MAX jets and 22 of Boeing's existing 737 aircraft. Its Boeing's largest order ever from a European airline, Boeing said. The Boeing order is valued at $11.4 billion at list prices, though airlines negotiate discounts, especially on large orders like this one.

[Exclusive] Boeing may give up offering stealthy jet Little progress made in weapons bay development By Lee Tae-hoon Industry insiders raised questions Wednesday about whether U.S. aerospace giant Boeing will fulfill its pledge to offer F-15 Silent Eagles (F-15 SEs) with an internal weapons bay and twin canted tails, two of the core technologies for stealth jets, to Seoul. A source familiar with Boeing’s plan to modify its F-15s said little progress has been made in the making of the F-15SE, especially in the development of its conformal weapons bay (CWB), which allows the aircraft to carry weapons internally. “Only...

Boeing’s New Missile for Littoral Combat Ships Last week we showed you this photo I took of a mysterious missile that Boeing had on display at the Surface Navy Association’s annual convention just outside of DC. I had never seen, or heard of, this missile before and no one at Boeing’s booth could talk about the weapon. Well, a spokeswoman with Boeing’s Phantom Works division just emailed me to explain that the Joint Air-Breathing Multi-Role Missile (JABMM) is being designed for use by the Navy’s Littoral Combat Ships (LCS). Remember, the sea service replaced the canceled Non-Line of Sight missile...

Korea drops key stealth requirements By Lee Tae-hoon Seoul has decided to remove two key compulsory requirements initially set for 60 advanced fighter jets that it plans to purchase in an attempt to allow more companies to enter the competition for the nation’s largest-ever arms deal. “Korea cannot defend the national interest without competition,” said Noh Dae-lae, the commissioner of the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) in a meeting with defense reporters Thursday. He stressed that the military will ease the required operational capabilities (ROC) of the FX-III project to secure a bigger “buying power” and a greater leverage in...

For Kansas lawmakers, Boeing's exit brings rare criticism of a defense firmBy John T. Bennett - 01/04/12 04:34 PM ET Boeing’s decision to close a Kansas aircraft facility put its congressional delegation in a place unfamiliar to many red-state lawmakers: locking horns with a defense contractor. The defense-aerospace giant, during a nearly decade-long competition to build new aerial tankers for the Air Force, said a win would bring production work on those aircraft to its Wichita, Kan., facility. That work, the firm estimated, would deliver 7,500 new jobs. But just months after the Air Force picked Boeing’s 767-based aircraft over...

The Boeing Co., for decades the brand that helped support Wichita's claim as the aviation capital of the world, announced Wednesday it will shut down facilities in the city by the end of 2013 and send work to plants in three other states as it deals with defense spending cutbacks. The closure will cost 2,160 workers their jobs and end the firm's presence in an area where it has been a major employer for generations. The decision was not a surprise because Boeing said in November it was looking at closing the Wichita plant. But it still drew an angry...

As most of America was preparing to flip its calendars last month, two defense contractors were hitting afterburners -- and blasting into the new year. Last week, the U.S. and Saudi Arabian governments finalized their contract for the sale of nearly $30 billion worth of fighter jets manufactured by Boeing (NYSE: BA ) . The deal includes an agreement that could lead to Saudi Arabia buying 84 F-15SAs and upgrades for another 70 F-15Ss. Of course, Boeing is not the only company that will benefit from this deal. General Electric (NYSE: GE ) will build two of its F110 engines...

The United States has signed a $3.5 billion sale of an advanced antimissile interception system to the United Arab Emirates, part of an accelerating military buildup of its friends and allies near Iran. The deal, signed on December 25 and announced on Friday night by the U.S. Defense Department, "is an important step in improving the region's security through a regional missile defense architecture," Pentagon press secretary George Little said in a statement. The U.S. Congress had been notified of the proposed sale in September 2008 by former President George W. Bush's administration. At that time, the system built by...

Analysis: U.S. fighter sales soar in time for campaign WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Booming Middle East purchases of U.S. fighter jets will be a bright spot in what is expected to be a sluggish economy in 2012, possibly paying dividends for President Barack Obama's bid for a second term. Beneficiaries include Lockheed Martin Corp and Boeing Co, whose respective F-16 and F-15 production lines are being extended by U.S. government sales to Iraq, Saudi Arabia and Oman, among other rich arms deals announced in recent weeks. The foreign sales will help offset expected cuts in big-ticket purchases by the Defense Department,...

On a Friday in 1948, six aeronautical designers from the Boeing Company holed up in a hotel suite in Dayton, Ohio. They stayed put until Monday morning, except for the one who left to visit a hobby shop and returned with balsa wood, glue, carving tools and silver paint. The group emerged with a neatly bound 33-page proposal and an impressive 14-inch scale model of an airplane on a stand. Col. Pete Warden, the Air Force chief of bomber development, studied the result and pronounced, “This is the B-52.”

Boeing, loser in Japan, eyes more fighter contests (Reuters) - Losing a big Japanese order to Lockheed Martin Corp (LMT.N) was clearly a disappointment for Boeing Co (BA.N), but a $29.4 billion order from Saudi Arabia for F-15 fighter jets and several other competitions will keep the company in the fighter business for now. The U.S. government and Saudi Arabia are finalizing a letter of agreement on the sale of 84 Boeing F-15s, and may announce that deal soon, according to one source familiar with the discussions, who was not authorized to speak publicly. Boeing, which has rung up big...

When Boeing Co. two years ago announced plans to open a plant in South Carolina to assemble many of its 787 Dreamliner commercial jets, the decision triggered an outcry by the International Association of Machinists. The IAM's unofficial partner, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), filed a complaint against the company this April to block its opening of the facility, located in a Right to Work state. Last Friday, December 9, the board dropped its action. With the plant up and running for a half year, Boeing won a "victory" -- so says CNN. Or did it? The union,...

Boeing: F-35 hasn’t yet won in Japan Despite news reports claiming that Lockheed Martin’s F-35 Joint Strike Fighter will win Japan’s F-X fighter contest, Boeing officials say Tokyo delayed the contract award until next week because it is still heavily weighing all three contestants, including Boeing’s Super Hornet. “We think what they’ve done is taken another hard look at the full situation and have decided that if they do pick F-35 there are some things that they are not sure of right now, some risk in terms of cost and schedule,” saidPhil Mills, Boeing’s lead salesman for the F-X contest...

As we sprint toward the first official vote of the Republican primary season – to decide who will (hopefully) replace President Obama on January 20, 2013 – it is essential that we focus on the real goal. Rather than go after each other, the candidates must continue to confront the policies of the most inept President in modern times. The following is a selection of issues the candidates should emphasize as the rationale for replacing our current President: 1. Gibson Guitar – The Obama Administration entered the headquarters of an internationally-renowned, iconic American company and treated it like it was...

...  when government restricts freedom of action It's not a free marketplace when a union can cry for government to use its coercive powers to tell a company that it can't open that new airplane factory it just built. That is exactly what happened in the Boeing case that was just resolved. The National Labor Relations Board has dropped its controversial case against airline manufacturer Boeing, which had become a lightning rod for conservatives. The labor board argued for much of the past year that Boeing decided to locate a new plant to build its new 787 Dreamliner jets...

AUSTIN – Gov. Rick Perry today issued the following statement regarding the National Labor Relations Board’s decision to drop its case against Boeing: “The Obama Administration’s dangerous and inappropriate action against Boeing and the right to work state of South Carolina remains a frightening reminder of Washington excess even with the NLRB dropping the case. Unaccountable federal political appointees should never have the authority to tell a private company where it may or must build factories. “The NLRB action was a political payoff for the Obama Administration’s liberal big labor organizers, and remains a strong example of why President Obama...

An official with the National Labor Relations Board announced today that the Board will drop its controversial case against Boeing, The New York Times reports. The N.L.R.B.’s acting general counsel, Lafe Solomon, said the labor board had decided to end the case after the machinists’ union — which originally asked for the case to be brought — had urged the board on Thursday to withdraw it.On Wednesday night, the union announced that 74 percent of its 31,000 Boeing workers in Washington State had voted to ratify a four-year contract extension that includes substantial raises, unusual job security provisions and a...

The National Labor Relations Board has dropped its controversial case against airline manufacturer Boeing, which had become a lightning rod for conservatives. The labor board argued for much of the past year that Boeing decided to locate a new plant to build its new 787 Dreamliner jets in South Carolina, a right-to-work state, in retaliation for strikes by unionized workers at its existing facilities in Washington state. But the panel appeared to bow to political pressure Friday, saying that a deal the company reached this month with the International Association of Machinists to build a different type of airline, the...

Boeing's Machinists voted overwhelmingly Wednesday to approve the deal announced a week ago, providing an immediate economic boost and the prospect of aerospace job security in the Puget Sound region. The vote was 74 percent in favor, sealing five years of labor peace for Boeing by extending the current Machinists contract to September 2016. In that period, Boeing plans to pump out jets at unprecedented rates. Beyond that, the deal commits Boeing to build the new version of its single-aisle jet due to enter service in 2017 — the 737 MAX — in Renton. Last month, a report commissioned by...

Bell Boeing to brief India on V-22 Osprey Minister of State for Defense, Mallipudi Mangapati Pallam Raju, accompanied by the deputy chief of the Indian Navy, Vice Admiral Satish Soni, asked the Bell Boeing V-22 Tiltrotor Team for a briefing on the aircraft. A US Marine Corps MV-22. The US Bell Boeing collaboration on the V-22 Osprey tilt-rotor is to brief India on the aircraft sometime early next year. In a meeting held at the Dubai Air Show last month, Minister of State for Defense, Mallipudi Mangapati Pallam Raju, accompanied by the deputy chief of the Indian Navy, Vice Admiral...

Three items of note are rolled into one in terms of labor news this week, and while some – particularly among union leadership – may be cheering, it’s far from a good day for workers. The first item up is that there is a tentative deal in place between Boeing and the machinists unions over the future production of Boeing’s new 737 MAX aircraft. While it still requires ratification, it seems that the union will receive a variety of new benefits and keep a lot of jobs at the Renton, Wash. plant while Boeing still gets to go into production...

Boeing and its Machinists' union have struck a deal that both settles the controversial National Labor Relations Board lawsuit and keeps the new 737 production line in Washington, the Seattle Times is reporting, citing unnamed sources. According to the report, the union will announce the agreement momentarily, at a 2 p.m. EST news conference. The agreement is huge news for South Carolina as Boeing's North Charleston plant had been at the center of the NLRB case. While the terms of the deal have not been announced, it would seem the Dreamliner production facility by Charleston International Airport is now in...

Boeing seems “very serious” about its study on whether to shut down its Wichita plant, Sen. Jerry Moran said Tuesday. “I think Boeing considers this a real option,” Moran said. His comments followed Boeing’s announcement Monday that it was studying the future of its Wichita site, including whether to close the facility. Elected officials from Kansas and Wichita, and union leaders reacted Tuesday by requesting meetings with Boeing officials to remind them of the promises they made to put jobs in Kansas should the company win an Air Force contract for aerial refueling tankers. Gov. Sam Brownback said he and...

Policy Errors: The ex-House Speaker who promised millions of jobs from ObamaCare says that not creating jobs is better than creating nonunion jobs. But then she also believes unemployment checks grow the economy. The Peter Principle applies to politics, and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi should be its poster child, having risen to the level of her incompetence. Her latest pearl of wisdom came in an interview with CNBC in which she said if you can't be a union worker you should be unemployed. "Do you think it's right that Boeing has to close down that plant in South Carolina...

WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) -- Boeing Co. said Thursday that it was about to receive its largest order in company history by dollar value, just three days after breaking its previous record. The Chicago-based manufacturer said Jakarta-based Lion Air intends to sign a commitment to purchase 201 737 jets and 29 737-900 extended range planes valued at $21.7 billion.