Boeing will showcase its market-leading portfolio of commercial, defense and services products at the 2021 Dubai Airshow this month, including the international debut of its newest fuel-efficient widebody jet, the 777X. Building on the best of the industry-leading 777 and 787 families, the 777-9 will be the world’s largest and most efficient twin-engine jet, delivering 10% better fuel use, emissions and operating costs than the competition. Shown here: A Boeing 777-9 airplane photographed during flight testing. (Boeing Photo)
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, Nov. 4, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — Boeing (NYSE: BA) will showcase its market-leading portfolio of commercial, defense and services products at the 2021 Dubai Airshow this month, including the international debut of its newest fuel-efficient widebody jet, the 777X, along with the company’s growing autonomous capabilities such as the Boeing Airpower Teaming System.
During the event, a Boeing 777-9 flight-test airplane will soar in the airshow’s flying program and appear in the static display. Building on the best of the industry-leading 777 and 787 families, the 777-9 will be the world’s largest and most efficient twin-engine jet, delivering 10% better fuel use, emissions and operating costs than the competition.
The company’s static display will also feature the 2021 Boeing ecoDemonstrator, an Alaska Airlines 737-9 that is flight testing about 20 technologies to reduce fuel use, emissions and noise and further improve safety.
In addition, Etihad Airways will display a 787-10 Dreamliner that showcases the airline’s collaboration with Boeing to advance sustainable aviation. Etihad’s program researches and tests innovative technologies, products and practices on its fleet of 787s and within its operations to further reduce carbon emissions. Also on display, flydubai – the region’s largest 737 operator – will feature a 737 MAX 9 that reduces fuel use and CO2 by 14% compared to its predecessors.
Boeing’s exhibit in Dubai will highlight defense products including the F-15EX Eagle II fighter jet and T-7A Advanced Pilot Training System, as well as its Autonomous Systems portfolio, including the Boeing Airpower Teaming System and the Insitu Integrator ER and ScanEagle unmanned systems.
Global defense customers are expected to display several operational Boeing aircraft, including the MV-22 Osprey, KC-46A Pegasus, P-8A Poseidon, C-17 Globemaster III, AH-64 Apache and CH-47F Chinook.
Boeing also will discuss its parts, modifications, digital, sustainment and training solutions, including an expansive global supply chain, maintenance and logistics network. Government services will feature in-country partnerships with on-the-ground support for its installed base of defense platforms. Commercial services highlights will include Boeing Converted Freighters, expanded support to regional customers and near-term sales opportunities.
AUSTRALIA, March 1, 2021 – Boeing [NYSE: BA] Australia and the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) have successfully completed the first test flight of the Loyal Wingman uncrewed aircraft. The flight of the first military aircraft to be designed and manufactured in Australia in more than 50 years flew under the supervision of a Boeing test pilot monitoring the aircraft from a ground control station at the Woomera Range Complex.
“The Loyal Wingman’s first flight is a major step in this long-term, significant project for the Air Force and Boeing Australia, and we’re thrilled to be a part of the successful test,” said Air Vice-Marshal Cath Roberts, RAAF Head of Air Force Capability. “The Loyal Wingman project is a pathfinder for the integration of autonomous systems and artificial intelligence to create smart human-machine teams.
“Through this project we are learning how to integrate these new capabilities to complement and extend air combat and other missions,” she said.
Following a series of taxi tests validating ground handling, navigation and control, and pilot interface, the aircraft completed a successful takeoff under its own power before flying a pre-determined route at different speeds and altitudes to verify flight functionality and demonstrate the performance of the Airpower Teaming System design.
“Boeing and Australia are pioneering fully integrated combat operations by crewed and uncrewed aircraft,” said Boeing Defense, Space & Security President and CEO Leanne Caret. “We’re honored to be opening this part of aviation’s future with the Royal Australian Air Force, and we look forward to showing others how they also could benefit from our loyal wingman capabilities.”
With support from more than 35 Australian industry teams and leveraging Boeing’s innovative processes, including model-based engineering techniques, such as a digital twin to digitally flight-test missions, the team was able to manufacture the aircraft from design to flight in three years.
This first Loyal Wingman aircraft is serving as the foundation for the Boeing Airpower Teaming System being developed for various global defense customers. The aircraft will fly alongside other platforms, using artificial intelligence to team with existing crewed and uncrewed assets to complement mission capabilities.
Additional Loyal Wingman aircraft are currently under development, with plans for teaming flights scheduled for later this year.
Queensland is poised to take another bold step in aerospace and advanced manufacturing with an historic opportunity to be the final production home for unmanned defence aircraft – the first military aircraft to be designed, engineered and manufactured in Australia in more than 50 years.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said a visionary new partnership with Boeing Australia means more high-skilled jobs, local supply opportunities and defence industry stimulus as Queensland continues to recover and grow from the COVID downturn.
Our investment in this advanced manufacturing project will provide critical skills for suppliers, academia and Boeing, and culminate in Queensland becoming the primary final assembly facility for the Boeing Airpower Teaming System, conditional on orders.
The first aircraft prototype, called the Loyal Wingman, was unveiled with the Royal Australian Air Force in May this year.
Treasurer Cameron Dick said the Boeing partnership demonstrated the Palaszczuk government’s commitment to advanced manufacturing.
“Manufacturing is a vital part of the Queensland economy, which is why supporting manufacturing is one of the centrepieces of our Unite and Recover Economic Recovery Plan,” the treasurer said.
“Our government’s longstanding commitment to advanced manufacturing is one of the reasons Queensland is already home to Boeing’s largest workforce outside the United States.
“Boeing has 1,700 staff in Queensland and supports 400 Queensland-based suppliers.
Boeing Australia, New Zealand and South Pacific President Brendan Nelson said the partnership with the Queensland government to develop an advanced manufacturing capability was a significant milestone for the company.
“This includes introducing technologies such as advanced robotics; investment in universities, small-to-medium enterprises and start-up companies; as well as creating global export opportunities for Australia’s supply chain.
Boeing [NYSE: BA] is teaming with General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems and Aerojet Rocketdyne [NYSE: AJRD] in its bid to build the Next Generation Interceptor (NGI) for the U.S. Missile Defense Agency (MDA). The NGI is a key element of the MDA’s missile defense system, which is designed to intercept and destroy incoming intercontinental ballistic missiles.
“The Boeing-led team will deliver critical technology to enhance our homeland missile defense,” said Norm Tew, Boeing Missile and Weapon Systems vice president and general manager, and Huntsville site senior executive. “Combined, we bring decades of expertise in proven missile and weapon systems.”
On Aug. 12, the Boeing-General Atomics-Aerojet Rocketdyne team submitted an NGI offering that will improve performance and enhance the nation’s ability to defend against future threats.
GA-EMS has a long history of delivering missile technology and complex systems for critical national defense programs. “This partnership combines our legacies in innovation, bringing together new ideas to create an affordable and reliable solution to defend against emerging threats,” said Scott Forney, president of GA-EMS.
Aerojet Rocketdyne’s propulsion systems have powered the nation’s missile defense for decades. “As the country’s premier hit-to-kill propulsion provider, we’re able to deliver low-cost, high-performance systems by leveraging our skilled workforce and strategic investments in innovative technology and materials,” said Eileen Drake, Aerojet Rocketdyne CEO and president.
Northrop Grumman will serve as a component supplier on the Boeing-led team.
Boeing Australia powered up the commercial turbofan engine on the first Loyal Wingman aircraft in September, as part of ground testing and preparations for first flight.
This milestone comes on the heels of Boeing completing the first unmanned Loyal Wingman aircraft for the Royal Australian Air Force earlier this year, a major step forward for the unmanned vehicle serving as the foundation for the global Boeing Airpower Teaming System, an artificial intelligence-powered teaming aircraft developed for the global defense market.
“This engine run gets us closer toward flying the first aircraft later this year and was successful thanks to the collaboration and dedication of our team,” said Dr. Shane Arnott, program director of the Boeing Airpower Teaming System. “We’ve been able to select a very light, off-the-shelf jet engine for the unmanned system as a result of the advanced manufacturing technologies applied to the aircraft.”
AVALON,
Australia (Reuters) – Boeing Co on Wednesday unveiled an unmanned,
fighter-like jet developed in Australia and designed to fly alongside
crewed aircraft in combat for a fraction of the cost.
The
U.S. manufacturer hopes to sell the multi-role aircraft, which is 38
feet long (11.6 metres) and has a 2,000 nautical mile (3,704 kilometre)
range, to customers around the world, modifying it as requested.
The
prototype is Australia’s first domestically developed combat aircraft
since World War II and Boeing’s biggest investment in unmanned systems
outside the United States, although the company declined to specify the
dollar amount.
The
Australian government is investing A$40 million ($28.75 million) in the
prototype programme due to its “enormous capability for exports,”
Minister for Defence Christopher Pyne told reporters at the Australian
International Airshow.
Defence
contractors are investing increasingly in autonomous technology as
militaries around the world look for a cheaper and safer way to maximise
their resources.
Boeing rivals like Lockheed Martin Corp and Kratos Defence and Security Solutions Inc are also investing in such aircraft.
Four
to six of the new aircraft, called the Boeing Airpower Teaming System,
can fly alongside a F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, said Shane Arnott, director
of Boeing research and prototype arm Phantom Works International.
“To
bring that extra component and the advantage of unmanned capability,
you can accept a higher level of risk,” he said. “It is better for one
of these to take a hit than for a manned platform.”
The
Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies in the United States said last
year that the U.S. Air Force should explore pairing crewed and uncrewed
aircraft to expand its fleet and complement a limited number of
“exquisite, expensive, but highly potent fifth-generation aircraft” like
the F-35.
“Human
performance factors are a major driver behind current aerial combat
practices,” the policy paper said. “Humans can only pull a certain
number of G’s, fly for a certain number of hours, or process a certain
amount of information at a given time.”
MULTI-MISSION CAPABILITIES
In
addition to performing like a fighter jet, other roles for the Boeing
system include electronic warfare, intelligence, surveillance and
reconnaissance alongside aircraft like the P-8 Poseidon and E-7
Wedgetail, said Kristin Robertson, vice president and general manager of
Boeing Autonomous Systems.
“It
is operationally very flexible, modular, multi-mission,” she said. “It
is a very disruptive price point. Fighter-like capability at a fraction
of the cost.”
Robertson declined to comment on the cost, saying that it would depend on the configuration chosen by individual customers.
The
jet is powered by a derivative of a commercially available engine, uses
standard runways for take-off and landing, and can be modified for
carrier operations at sea, Robertson said. She declined to specify
whether it could reach supersonic speeds, common for modern fighter
aircraft.
Its
first flight is expected in 2020, with Boeing and the Australian
government producing a concept demonstrator to pave the way for full
production.
“I
would say we are some years away from exports, we are probably years
away from it being in operation here in Australia,” Pyne said. “It is
designed to be a cheaper platform, a shield if you like around the more
expensive platforms, to protect our servicemen and women who might be on
a Poseidon or a Wedgetail or a F-35A.”
Australia,
a staunch U.S. ally, is home to Boeing’s largest footprint outside the
United States and has vast airspace with relatively low traffic for
flight testing.
The
Boeing Airpower Teaming System will be manufactured in Australia, but
production lines could be set up in other countries depending on sales,
Arnott said.
The United States, which has the world’s biggest military budget, would be among the natural customers for the product.
The
U.S. Air Force 2030 project foresees the Lockheed Martin F-35A Joint
Strike Fighter working together with stealthy combat drones, called the
“Loyal Wingman” concept, said Derrick Maple, principal analyst for
unmanned systems at IHS Markit.
“The
U.S. has more specific plans for the wingman concept, but Western
Europe will likely develop their requirements in parallel, to abate the
capabilities of China and the Russian Federation and other potential
threats,” he said.
Robertson
declined to name potential customers and would not comment on potential
stealth properties, but said the aircraft had the potential to sell
globally.
“We
didn’t design this as a point solution but a very flexible solution
that we could outfit with payloads, sensors, different mission sets to
complement whatever their fleet is,” she said. “Don’t think of it as a
specific product that is tailored to do only one mission.”
($1 = 1.3914 Australian dollars)
(Reporting by Jamie Freed; additional reporting by Gerry Doyle; editing by Gerry Doyle)
