Boeing

Boeing has successfully completed a series of test flights using five “high-performance surrogate jets” operating autonomously in a team. The flights, which took place over ten days, were designed to test Boeing’s advanced autonomy technology including onboard command and control and data sharing capabilities. The 3.4-meter (11-foot) test aircraft reached speeds of up to 270 […]

Global freight operators will need approximately 2,430 additional aircraft over the next 20 years, according to Boeing’s biennial World Air Cargo Forecast (WACF). The company projects that the demand for additional aircraft will include 930 new freighters and 1,500 converted passenger aircraft. Boeing says the forecast was designed to reflect the “impacts and opportunities” created […]

In its recently released 2020 Pilot and Technician Outlook, Boeing is projecting that 763,000 new civil aviation pilots will be needed globally over the next 20 years. In addition, the report forecasts a need for 739,000 new aviation maintenance technicians and 903,000 new cabin crew members from 2020 to 2039. Across the board, the numbers […]

Boeing’s Loyal Wingman unmanned military aircraft successfully completed its initial low-speed taxi test this week, marking the first time the aircraft has moved under its own power. During the test, the prototype reached a speed of 14 knots while the team verified systems integration and functions including steering, braking and engine controls. According to Boeing, […]

NASA and Boeing have announced that NASA astronaut Barry “Butch” Wilmore will replace Chris Ferguson as commander for the first crewed mission of the Boeing CST-100 Starliner. Ferguson, a three-time NASA space shuttle veteran, is stepping back from the position for undisclosed personal reasons. He will assume the roles of director of Mission Integration and […]

Boeing announced plans on Thursday to consolidate production of the 787 jet at its facility in North Charleston, South Carolina, by mid-2021. Citing the impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, Boeing says it made the decision in order to “preserve liquidity and reposition certain lines of business in the current global environment.” 787 production is […]

Ground testing of Boeing’s Loyal Wingman prototype is underway with the first engine start on the autonomous unmanned aircraft successfully completed this month. The Loyal Wingman is designed to serve as the foundation for Boeing’s Airpower Teaming System, which uses “artificial intelligence to fly independently or in support of manned aircraft.” The aircraft is the […]

The National Aeronautic Association (NAA) has awarded the 2019 Robert J. Collier Trophy to the United States Department of the Air Force-Boeing X-37B team. According to the selection committee, the team was chosen for “… developing and employing the world’s only reusable, autonomous spaceplane, which logged more than 2,865 days in orbit across five missions, […]

As part of an announcement addressing a $2.4 billion second-quarter (Q2) net loss, Boeing has confirmed that it plans to end production of its iconic 747 jet in 2022. The company also intends to reduce the combined 777/777X production rate to two per month along with dropping 787 production to six per month for 2021, […]

Boeing has been awarded a contract extending its support of the International Space Station (ISS) through September 2024. The company has been contracted to supply engineering support services, resources and personnel for the ISS activities along with management of some station systems. ISS operations are currently slated to continue until at least 2024. “As the […]