Tag: program (Page 3 of 24)

Boeing and Nammo Ramjet 155 test sets distance record

October 9, 2023 / WIL BALDWIN

Arlington, Virginia, October 9, 2023 – A Boeing (NYSE: BA) and Nammo team set a record for longest indirect fire test of a ramjet-powered artillery projectile alongside officials from the U.S. Army — firing a Ramjet 155 munition from a 58-caliber Extended Range Cannon Artillery (ERCA) at Yuma Proving Ground, Ariz. The test advances development efforts for the Army’s top modernization priority, Long Range Precision Fires.

The success follows last year’s Boeing-Nammo test recording the longest-ever indirect fire test of a Ramjet 155 munition. That test was completed using a 39-caliber towed artillery cannon at the Andøya Test Center in Norway.

The Boeing-Nammo solution is being developed under the Army’s XM1155 program. Considered a powered guided artillery munition, Ramjet 155 utilizes an air-breathing engine design that uses the cannon firing to provide the speed needed for combustion.

In an upcoming test, Boeing and Nammo will integrate a precision guidance system, leveraging a Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) mission computer onto the Ramjet 155. The demonstration will evaluate the system’s maturity and effectiveness against stationary and moving targets, and readiness to transition into the next phase of development.

THEOS-2 satellite for Thailand successfully launched

October 9, 2023 / WIL BALDWIN

The Airbus Group SE (Paris: AIR) THEOS-2 Earth observation satellite has been successfully launched on a Vega rocket from Kourou, Europe’s spaceport in French Guiana. The Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency of Thailand (GISTDA) selected Airbus as partner for its next-generation national geo-information system in 2018.

THEOS-2 follows the Airbus-built THEOS-1 satellite launched in 2008, which still continues to deliver imagery well beyond its 10-year operational lifetime. In the frame of THEOS-2 programme, GISTDA’s geo-information system benefits from satellite imagery collected by the Airbus constellation of optical and radar Earth observation satellites such as Pléiades and TerraSAR-X.

The contract also includes a second Earth observation satellite – THEOS-2 SmallSAT – from Airbus’ subsidiary SSTL, combined with a comprehensive capacity building programme involving Thai engineers in the development of applications, ground segment and the SmallSAT spacecraft itself. THEOS-2 SmallSAT is based on SSTL’s CARBONITE series of Earth observation spacecraft and has been delivered to Thailand.

THEOS-2 satellite in anechoic chamber – Copyright Airbus

Maersk & Kodiak Robotics launch commercial autonomous trucking lane between Houston and Oklahoma City

October 6, 2023 / WIL BALDWIN

Florham Park, New Jersey/Mountain View, California — A.P. Moller – Maersk AS (OTC: AMKBY) and Kodiak Robotics, Inc., have launched the first commercial autonomous trucking lane between Houston and Oklahoma City. The freight lane marks an expansion of the collaboration between Kodiak and Maersk, which began with their first autonomous freight deliveries together in November 2022 as part of Maersk’s Global Innovation Center Program. Kodiak has been delivering eight loads per week, with a safety driver behind the wheel, for Maersk customers since August.

Kodiak and Maersk are completing four round trips per week on a 24-hour-a-day, four-day-a-week basis between a Houston facility, where consumer products are loaded onto 53-foot trailers, to a distribution center in Oklahoma City. Operational learnings gained from the activity are captured and documented as part of the Kodiak Partner Deployment Program, which is designed to help companies learn how Kodiak’s self-driving trucks can become an integral part of their overall logistics strategy and offerings.

Autonomous trucking solutions have the potential to address long-term challenges faced by the trucking industry. According to the American Trucking Association, the trucking industry faces a shortage of roughly 78,000 drivers. The ATA estimates that, based on current driver demographic trends, as well as projected growth in freight demand, the shortage could swell to more than 160,000 over the next decade.

Safety continues to be a perennial challenge for the trucking industry as well. U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) research also estimates that 94% of crashes occur due to human error. For Kodiak, safety and performance are foundational to its autonomous trucking solution. Each vehicle is equipped with 18 different sensors, including cameras, radar, and lidar, that provide the platform with a 360-degree view around the truck. Every tenth of a second, the truck evaluates the performance of more than 1,000 safety-critical processes and components in both the self-driving stack and the underlying truck platform. The trucks learn in parallel, with system upgrades shared to the entire fleet simultaneously, and are not subject to environmental distractions.

Embraer and Scoot sign pool agreement for E190-E2 fleet

September 26, 2023 / WIL BALDWIN

Singapore, September 26, 2023 – Embraer (NYSE: ERJ) announced that it has signed a Pool Program services agreement with Scoot [Singapore Airlines Ltd (OTC: SINGF)] to support the airline’s incoming fleet of nine E190-E2. The Pool Program provides access to component exchanges and repair services for more than 300 repairable parts to support Scoot’s Embraer aircraft, allowing the airline to minimize their upfront investment in high-value repairable inventories and resources, while taking advantage of Embraer’s technical expertise along with its vast component repair service provider network. Currently, the Pool Program supports more than 60 airlines worldwide.

The E190-E2 jet is the world’s most efficient and quietest single-aisle aircraft and the first batch of E190-E2 will be delivered to Scoot in 2024. In addition to the Pool Program, Scoot’s operations will benefit from the AHEAD (Aircraft Health Analysis and Diagnosis) which comprises early detection capabilities for critical systems, reducing technical interruptions and avoiding flight cancellations; the eSight, with real-time fleet performance monitoring.

Singapore is the nerve centre for Embraer’s services and support Asia Pacific operations. In addition to personnel based in Singapore, the Company has a Regional Distribution Centre within Changi Airport’s free trade zone. Recently, Embraer and CAE announced the establishment of a state-of-the-art E2 full flight simulator and pilot training program in Singapore which will commence in 2023. The full flight simulator will be based at the Singapore-CAE Flight Training Centre located at SIA Training Centre.

Air Canada orders 18 Boeing 787-10’s, will fly every model in 787 Dreamliner family

September 25, 2023 / WIL BALDWIN

Seattle, Washington, September 25, 2023, PRNewswire – Boeing (NYSE: BA) and Air Canada (Toronto: AC) announced today the carrier is selecting the 787 Dreamliner to further modernize and grow its fleet with an order for 18 787-10 widebody jets, with the option to purchase 12 more. The flag carrier of the country, Air Canada will deploy the new fuel-efficient airplanes as part of its broader strategy to reduce carbon emissions while expanding its global route network.

Reducing fuel use and improving efficiency by up to 25% compared to previous generation jets, the 787 helps advance Air Canada’s ambitious environment goals over the next several decades. The carrier is positioned to optimize its fleet as it adds international routes in new and existing markets, further benefiting from the Dreamliner family’s route flexibility and operating economics.

Air Canada currently operates a fleet of 38 787s, including eight 787-8 and 30 787-9 jets. The largest model in the family, the 787-10, can carry up to 336 passengers with a range of 6,330 nautical miles (11,730 km).

With the selection of the 787 Dreamliner family, Air Canada is supporting economic growth and jobs across the Canadian aviation industry. Canada is among Boeing’s largest international supply bases with more than 550 suppliers. There are more than a dozen Canadian suppliers supporting the 787 program, including Boeing’s aerospace composite manufacturing facility in Winnipeg. Each year, Boeing contributes around $4 billion Canadian dollars in economic benefit to the country while supporting more than 14,000 direct and indirect jobs.

Joby Aviation selects Dayton, Ohio for first scaled manufacturing facility

September 19, 2023 / WIL BALDWIN

Santa Cruz, California and Dayton, Ohio, September 18, 2023 — Joby Aviation, Inc. (NYSE: JOBY), a company developing electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft for commercial passenger service, today announced it plans to locate its first scaled aircraft production facility in Dayton, Ohio, the birthplace of aviation.

The Wright Brothers, who invented and flew the first powered aircraft, lived and worked in Dayton and opened the first airplane factory in the United States there in 1910. The city is also home to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, and the headquarters of the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratories which has played a key role in supporting Joby’s development.

Joby plans to build a facility capable of delivering up to 500 aircraft per year at the Dayton International Airport, supporting up to 2,000 jobs. The 140-acre site it has selected has the potential to support significant further growth over time, providing enough land to build up to two million square feet of manufacturing space. Construction of the scaled Ohio facility is expected to start in 2024 and it is expected to come online in 2025. Joby plans to use existing nearby buildings to begin near-term operations.

The State of Ohio, JobsOhio and local political subdivisions have offered incentives and benefits of up to $325 million to support the development of the facility, while Joby plans to invest up to $500 million as it scales operations at the site. Joby is also announcing today that it has been invited by the U.S. Department of Energy to submit a Part II Application for financing under the Title XVII Loan Guarantee Program, which provides access to low-interest loans for clean energy projects and would support the scaling of the facility.

Joby’s long-term investor, Toyota, who worked with Joby on the design and successful launch of the company’s Pilot Production Line in Marina, California, plans to continue to advise Joby as it prepares for scaled production of its commercial passenger air taxi in Ohio.

Click the link below to watch the Joby aircraft rollout!

Gulfstream G700 and G800 engines earn FAA certification

September 11, 2023 / WIL BALDWIN

Savannah, Georgia, September 8, 2023 — Gulfstream Aerospace Corp. today announced the all-new Gulfstream G700 and Gulfstream G800 Rolls-Royce Pearl 700 engines have earned Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) certification, bringing the aircraft program another step closer towards entry into service and customer deliveries.

The G700 and G800 feature high-speed, aerodynamic Gulfstream wing design as well as an all-new winglet designed for the two new aircraft. Along with the Rolls-Royce Pearl 700 engines, these innovations help reduce fuel consumption and emissions.

The G700 features the most spacious cabin in the industry and can fly 6,650 nautical miles/12,316 kilometers at Mach 0.90 or 7,750 nm/14,353 km at Mach 0.85, and its maximum operating speed of Mach 0.935 makes it the fastest aircraft in the Gulfstream fleet. The G800 can travel 7,000 nm/12,964 km at Mach 0.90 and 8,000 nm/14,816 km at Mach 0.85, the longest range in the business aviation industry.

The G700 and G800 both include the Gulfstream Symmetry Flight Deck with the industry’s only electronically linked active control sidesticks, the most extensive use of touch-screen technology in business aviation and Gulfstream’s award-winning Predictive Landing Performance System.

In the cabin, the G700 and G800 feature the Gulfstream Cabin Experience with 100% fresh air, the industry’s lowest cabin altitude, whisper-quiet noise levels and abundant natural light from iconic Gulfstream Panoramic Oval Windows.

Rolls-Royce to complete initial F130 engine testing for B-52J by year end

September 7, 2023 / WIL BALDWIN

Rolls-Royce (OTC: RYCEY) today announced that it is on track to complete initial F130 engine testing for the United States Air Force B-52J Stratofortress by the end of the year. Continued Rapid Twin Pod Tests at NASA Stennis Space Center in Mississippi have accomplished all of Rolls-Royce’s initial goals and allowed for the gathering of unprecedented amounts of data early in the program, further de-risking the integration of the F130 engine onto the B-52J.

In September 2021, Rolls-Royce F130 engines were selected by the Air Force to replace the existing powerplants in the B-52 fleet, with over 600 new engine deliveries expected. The new engines will extend the life of the B-52 aircraft for 30 years and are so durable they are expected to remain on wing for the remainder of the aircraft life.

F130 engines will be manufactured, assembled and tested at Rolls-Royce facilities in Indianapolis, the company’s largest production facility in the U.S. The F130 is derived from the Rolls-Royce BR family of commercial engines, with over 30 million hours of operation and a high reliability rate. It’s a proven, dependable engine with a fuel-efficient design.

Beautiful scenic of mountain and cloudscape seen from above.

Boeing showcases F-15EX for Poland’s air defense

September 7, 2023 / WIL BALDWIN

Kielce, Poland, September 7, 2023 – Boeing (NYSE: BA) is showcasing the F‑15EX Eagle II fighter aircraft to Poland as a potential U.S. Department of Defense Foreign Military Sales program. The announcement was made at the annual MSPO International Defence Industry Exhibition where Boeing is highlighting advanced defense systems, capabilities and services.

Boeing has made significant investments in the F-15EX making it the most capable multirole fighter aircraft in production today. The aircraft offers improved survivability and capability with:

fly-by-wire flight controls,
a new electronic warfare system,
an all-glass digital cockpit,
the latest mission systems and software capabilities,
as well as the ability to carry advanced hypersonic weapons.

The F-15EX is in production with two aircraft delivered to the U.S. Air Force. Indonesia recently became the 8th country to select the F-15 and will become the first export customer of the latest FX variant when the sale is finalized.

Boeing has been present in Poland for more than 30 years. With headquarters in Warsaw, Boeing Digital Solutions & Analytics operations in Gdańsk and Parts & Distribution Services in Rzeszow, Boeing employs more than 1,000 people in Poland and is currently establishing strong engineering capability in all of its three locations. In addition to its growing footprint in-country, Boeing is an important partner of the Polish aviation industry and has strong relationships with local communities, industry, airlines, Polish Government and the Polish Armed Forces.

Saab and Boeing sign 787 Dreamliner agreement

September 6, 2023 / WIL BALDWIN

Saab (OTC: SAABF) has signed an extension agreement with Boeing (NYSE: BA) for the manufacturing of large cargo doors, bulk cargo doors and access doors for the Boeing 787 Dreamliner.

The framework agreement is an extension of an existing contract signed with Boeing in 2004 for the 787 Dreamliner program.

Since the programme started, Saab has delivered in excess of 1,100 shipsets for the Boeing 787 Dreamliner programme.

Saab has a long experience in supplying major aerostructures for military as well as commercial aircraft programmes. Like many other major 787 structures, the doors will be mainly made of composite materials. A range of systems are built into the doors’ composite structures, providing Boeing with lightweight doors that are easy to install.

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