DTN News - BOEING DEFENSE NEWS: Boeing P-8A Poseidon Production Aircraft Completes 1st Flight

DTN News - BOEING DEFENSE NEWS: Boeing P-8A Poseidon Production Aircraft Completes 1st Flight

Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources Boeing

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada / RENTON, Wash., July 19, 2011: The first Boeing [NYSE: BA] P-8A Poseidon production aircraft completed its first flight on July 7, taking off from Renton Field and landing three hours later at Boeing Field in Seattle. The P-8A is the first of six low-rate initial production (LRIP) aircraft Boeing is building for the U.S. Navy as part of a $1.6 billion contract awarded in January.

The successful flight marked LRIP-1's completion of final assembly in the company's Renton factory and transition to mission system installation and checkout in Seattle. Boeing will deliver LRIP-1 to the Navy next year in preparation for initial operational capability, which is planned for 2013.

"This is the first P-8 that will go directly to the fleet in Jacksonville, Fla., so the aircraft's first flight is an important milestone for the Boeing team and our Navy customer," said Chuck Dabundo, Boeing vice president and P-8 program manager. "We're on plan to get LRIP-1 to the Navy in 2012."

"As the Navy's replacement for the P-3 Orion, the P-8A Poseidon represents the next generation of maritime patrol and reconnaissance aircraft," said Capt. Michael Moran, program manager for Naval Air Systems Command's Maritime Patrol and Reconnaissance Aircraft program office. "The fleet is actively preparing to receive the LRIP-1 aircraft and begin the transition."

The Navy plans to purchase 117 of the Boeing Next-Generation 737-based P-8A anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface warfare, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft to replace its P-3 fleet.

In order to efficiently design and build the P-8A aircraft, the Boeing-led team is using a first-in-industry, in-line production process that draws on the company's Next-Generation 737 production system. All aircraft modifications unique to the P-8A are made in sequence during fabrication and assembly.

This is the first P-8A to include a new CFM56-7BE engine configuration that is now standard on all delivered Next-Generation 737s. The configuration is an improved design that includes high- and low-pressure turbine modifications. Coupled with drag reduction improvements that Boeing started phasing into 737 production earlier this year, it will result in lower fuel consumption and maintenance cost savings.

Separate from the production contract, Boeing was awarded a System Development and Demonstration contract in 2004 to build and test six flight-test and two ground-test P-8A aircraft. The first four flight-test planes are completing testing at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Md. The program's static test plane, S1, completed its test program earlier this year.

A derivative of the Next-Generation 737-800, the Poseidon is built by a Boeing-led industry team that includes CFM International, Northrop Grumman, Raytheon, Spirit AeroSystems, BAE Systems and GE Aviation.

A unit of The Boeing Company, Boeing Defense, Space & Security is one of the world's largest defense, space and security businesses specializing in innovative and capabilities-driven customer solutions, and the world's largest and most versatile manufacturer of military aircraft. Headquartered in St. Louis, Boeing Defense, Space & Security is a $32 billion business with 65,000 employees worldwide. Follow us on Twitter: @BoeingDefense.

Contact:

Kimberlee Beers Boeing Defense, Space & Security 425-478-1869 kimberlee.l.beers@boeing.com

Linda Lee Boeing Commercial Airplanes 206-766-2905 linda.a.lee@boeing.com

LaToya Graddy U.S. Navy 301-757-8690 latoya.graddy@navy.mil

*Link for This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources Boeing

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*This article is being posted from Toronto, Canada By DTN News ~ Defense-Technology News

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DTN News - DEFENSE NEWS: House To Vote On Bill That Could Kill Second F-35 Engine, USAF To Start F-35 Training

DTN News - DEFENSE NEWS: House To Vote On Bill That Could Kill Second F-35 Engine, USAF To Start F-35 Training

Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources Daily Tech

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - February 16, 2011: House vote could hack $450 million set aside for development of alternative F-35 engine from budget

The U.S. military has been working on the most expensive weapons program in U.S. history for years now. That program is the F-35 Lighting II (Joint Strike Fighter) that will see action eventually in all branches of the U.S. military and will find its way to allied nations as well. The F-35 program has had more than its share of setbacks, and not all of those setbacks were issues with the aircraft.

Many of the setbacks have come at the hands of lawmakers and budget cuts. The House is set to vote on a critical funding bill that has serious implications on the future of the F-35 program. The budget has a provision in it for the continued development and deployment of an alternative engine for the F-35 to go along side the Pratt & Whitney F135 jet engine. The alternative engine is from GE and Rolls Royce and will be built in Ohio, and Indiana. The F135 engine is constructed in Florida and Texas. The engine vote is under pressure because many lawmakers in the House feel that adding a second engine to the program wastes taxpayer money and the House is looking to pare all it can from the budget for the year.

The spending measure the House is voting on has $450 million set aside for the GE and Rolls-Royce engine. The thing that has defense contractors nervous is that many of the House lawmakers are in their freshman terms and haven’t yet voted on the program. That means where the votes will lie on the second engine are more unknown than in previous votes. Rep. Bob Dold, R-Ill, in his first term, said, "We have to step forward, we have to cut back on areas, and this is an area that the secretary of defense said we need to cut back on." Debate on the bill is expected to continue all week and cuts on the alternative F-35 engine aren’t the only things on the chopping block as the House looks to cut billions from the budget. The cuts will also affect the Peace Corps, the EPA, and many more programs that currently receive federal funding. The White House has already warned the House that it would mount "strong opposition" to legislation that would undermine core government functions and investments in job growth. While the future of the alternative F-35 engine in question, the F-35 program itself moves on. The Air Force has announced that it will begin to train instructor pilots on the F-35 before the end of 2011. The first F-35 aircraft will be delivered to the 33rd Fighter Wing at Eglin Air Force Base. The first round of aircraft will be the F-35A conventional take off and landing versions and 20 of the jets are expected in the first round of deliveries. Vice Adm. Dave Venlet said, "We're going to put them in the hands of the fleet and the Air Force is going to be operating [Conventional take-off and landing aircraft] in training at Eglin before the year ends." Defense News notes that it is uncommon for aircraft to be delivered to line pilots before formal operational testing is completed. However, a shortened informal test will be conducted before the 33rd pilots take delivery of the aircraft. Venlet said, "It's not a full operational test, it doesn't resolve any measures of effectiveness." Venlet also noted that he expects the F-35B STOVL aircraft will have sea-trials with the Marine Corps this fall. The F-35B has been the most trouble prone of all the aircraft and has been put on a probationary status though the aircraft has made successful vertical test landings.

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*This article is being posted from Toronto, Canada By DTN News ~ Defense-Technology News, contact: dtnnews@ymail.com

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DTN News: GE Aviation And Its JV Companies Announce $16 Billion In Deals At The 2010 Farnborough Air Show

DTN News: GE Aviation And Its JV Companies Announce $16 Billion In Deals At The 2010 Farnborough Air Show * Further Expands GE’s $128Billion High-Margin Services Backlog

Source: DTN News / GE Aviation

(NSI News Source Info) FAIRFIELD, Conn. - July 22, 2010: GE Aviation along with its joint venture companies, CFM International and the Engine Alliance, have amassed engine and services orders valued at more than $16 billion (USD) at the 2010 Farnborough Air Show. “GE Aviation is excited with the tremendous amount of engine and services orders that received at the 2010 Farnborough Air Show,” said David Joyce, president and chief executive office of GE Aviation. “The level of activity at the show demonstrates that the aviation industry is beginning to emerge from the economic downturn.” GE Aviation and its joint companies garnered $11 billion in engine orders and $5 billion in long-term, high-margin service agreements. Highlights include:

Emirates ordered 30 GE90-115B-powered Boeing 777-300ER aircraft valued at $2 billion list price. Emirates also signed a 12-year OnPoint^SM solution services agreement for the maintenance and overhaul of its GE90-115B engines worth more than $1 billion over its life.

Air China selected the CFM56-5B engine for its 20 firm Airbus A320 aircraft, valued at $600 million U.S. at list price, including a long-term maintenance agreement with CFM.

China Eastern Airlines selected the CFM56-5B engine to power 30 Airbus A320 aircraft, valued at approximately $600 million list price. China Eastern also signed a long-term maintenance agreement with CFM.

GE Capital Aviation Services ordered CFM56-7B engines to power 40 Boeing 737-700/-800/-900 aircraft and CFM56-5B engines to power its 60 Airbus A320 aircraft. The combined engine order is valued at $1.4 billion at list price.

Afriqiyah Airways signed a 10-year OnPoint^SM solution agreement for its CFM56-5B engine fleet, valued at more than $50 million over the life of the contract.

Emirates selected the Engine Alliance GP7200 engines to power its 32 additional A380 aircraft announced last month. The total value of the engine and Fleet Management Agreement is approximately $4.8 billion over the life of the contract.

TAAG (Angola Airlines) signed a 10-year OnPoint^SM solution services agreement for its 10 GE90 engines, valued at more than $50 million over the life of the agreement.

Azul Linhas Aereas ordered five CF34-10E-powered EMBRAER 195 aircraft valued at more than $40M list price.

TRIP Linhas Aereas has exercised its option to purchase two EMBRAER 190 aircraft powered by CF34-10E engines. The engine order is valued at $17M list price.

LAN Airlines chose CFM56-5B engine to power 70 new Airbus A319/A320/A321 aircraft. The order is valued at $2 billion list price, including engines and a long-term maintenance agreement with CFM.

Royal Jordanian has agreed to purchase six GEnx-1B engines to power its three additional Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft.

Flybe ordered 35 CF34-8E-powered EMBRAER 175 valued at more than $360M list price. The airline also signed a 10-year OnPoint^SM solution services agreement for the new CF34-8E engines valued at more than $100M over the life of the agreement.

Air Lease Corporation, the new venture by Steve Udvar-Hazy, ordered 60 CFM56-7B-powered Boeing 737 aircraft, valued at $840 million list price.

Air Arabia selected the CFM56-5B engine to power its 44 Airbus A320 family aircraft. This new engine selection is valued at more than $620 million list price.

RBS Aviation Capital ordered 43 CFM56-7B-powered Boeing Next-Generation 737 aircraft, valued at $600 million list price.

Norwegian Air Shuttle ordered 15 CFM56-7B-powered Boeing 737-800s, valued at $210 million list price.

Avolon, a new leasing company, ordered 12 CFM56-7B-powered Boeing 737-800 aircraft, with an engine value of $165 million list price.

China's OKAY airlines orders 10 CFM56-7B-powered Boeing Next-generation 737 in an engine order valued at $140 million list price.

China’s Spring Airlines selected CFM56-5B engines to power four new Airbus A320 family aircraft in an engine order valued at $70 million list price. The airline also extended its OnPoint^SM solution agreement with GE Aviation to include these engines as well as three additional leased aircraft. The total OnPoint solution agreement (covering all 37 aircraft) is valued at $300 million of the life of the contract.

Air Austral ordered two GE90-115B-powered Boeing 777-200LR aircraft. The engine order is valued at more than $100 million list price.

Qatar Airways converted two options for GE90-115B-powered Boeing 777-200LR aircraft into firm orders. The engine order is valued at more than $100 million list price.

Republic Airways signed a letter of intent to purchase 24 CF34-10E-powered EMBRAER 190 aircraft. The CF34-10E engine order is valued at more than $190 million list price.

At Farnborough, GE Aviation launched its new myEnginesTM digital services, a suite of digital applications to help customers better manage their engine fleets and improve productivity. This is the latest announcement in GE’s growing $4 billion-per-year software and solutions business. LAN Airlines is the launch customer for myEngines digital services, which will cover LAN's entire fleet of CF6-80C2, GE90-115B, CFM56-5B and –5C engines.

GE Aviation also announced its OnPointSM Fuel & Carbon Solutions was added as the newest product in GE’s ecomagination portfolio. OnPoint Fuel and Carbon Solutions could help GE Aviation’s customers reduce their fuel spend by an average of three percent. CFM International announced Czech Airlines (CSA), the flag carrier of the Czech Republic, achieved TRUEngine status for 22 CFM56-3 and 31 CFM-5B engines powering its fleet of Boeing 737-400/-500 and Airbus A319/A320/A321 single-aisle, respectively. CFM International is a 50/50 joint company between Snecma (Safran group) and GE. The Engine Alliance is a 50/50 joint between GE and Pratt & Whitney. GE Aviation, an operating unit of GE (NYSE: GE - News), is a world-leading provider of jet and turboprop engines, components and integrated systems for commercial, military, business and general aviation aircraft. GE Aviation has a global service network to support these offerings. For more information, visit us at www.ge.com/aviation.

DTN News: Boeing Successfully Completes 747-8 Freighter Engine Runs

DTN News: Boeing Successfully Completes 747-8 Freighter Engine Runs *Source: DTN News / Boeing (NSI News Source Info) EVERETT, Wash., - December 10, 2009: Boeing (NYSE: BA) successfully completed the first engine runs for the 747-8 Freighter. The milestone marks another step in the 747 program's steady progress in preparing for flight test. "We are very pleased with the engines' performance during this test," said Mo Yahyavi, vice president and general manager of the 747 program. "The engines and all the systems performed as expected." Engine runs began slightly before 10 a.m. (PST) Tuesday. During initial engine runs, the engines are started and operated at various power settings to ensure all systems perform as expected. The engine run test began with the auxiliary power system providing power to start the first of four General Electric GEnx-2B engines. The remaining three engines were started using the cross-bleed function. Basic systems checks continued throughout the test. The engines were powered down and inspected and will be restarted following a technical review. The team completed a vibration check and monitored the shutdown logic to ensure it functioned as expected. "This milestone is an exciting one for the GEnx-2B team and we anticipate the engines will continue the same high performance that we have experienced in our ground and flight tests," said Tom Brisken, general manager of the GEnx Program at GE Aviation. The GEnx-2B engine is optimized for the 747-8. It helps provide customers with improved fuel efficiency, reductions in emissions and noise and a lower cost of ownership.

DTN News: GE's Dowty Business Delivers 600th Dash 8 Q400 Propeller System

DTN News: GE's Dowty Business Delivers 600th Dash 8 Q400 Propeller System

*Source: GE Aviation (NSI News Source Info) LE BOURGET, France - June 17, 2009: GE Aviation’s Dowty business recently delivered the 600th propeller system for the Bombardier Dash 8 Q400 aircraft. The advanced six-bladed propeller system for the Dash 8 has single removable all-composite blades. GE Aviation's Dowty business recently delivered the 600th propeller system for the Bombardier Dash 8 Q400 aircraft. The advanced six-bladed propeller system for the Dash 8 has single removable all-composite blades. “Dowty has 19,000 all-composite blades in service, accumulating more than 270 million blade flying hours,” said Lorraine Bolsinger, president and CEO of GE Aviation Systems. “The new Q400 NextGen turboprop airliner is the next step in the continuing evolution of the Q400 aircraft. We will continue to invest and develop propeller systems technologies resulting in environmental and operational cost benefits for our customers.” The Q400 six-bladed all composite propellers deliver more thrust and less noise than smaller propellers turning at a higher speed. Made from a new generation of lighter and stronger materials, these slow rotating propellers are mounted further out on the wing to help reduce noise levels. Operating costs of the Q400 NextGen airliner, already among the lowest of any regional aircraft, will be made even lower by increasing the scheduled maintenance intervals and further optimizing maintenance tasks to reduce downtime during the aircrafts life cycle. The Q400 aircraft is already the most technologically advanced turboprop airliner and the NextGen features will make it even more so. The Q400 NextGen aircraft is the turboprop airliner for the twenty-first century. GE Aviation, an operating unit of General Electric Company, is a world-leading provider of jet engines, components and integrated systems for commercial and military aircraft. GE Aviation has a global service network to support these offerings. GE Aviation Systems LLC and GE Aviation Systems Ltd are subsidiaries of General Electric Company.

Boeing Unveils US Navy Paint Scheme For P-8A Poseidon

Boeing Unveils US Navy Paint Scheme For P-8A Poseidon

(NSI News Source Info) SEATTLE - May 7, 2009: The first painted P-8A Poseidon aircraft rolls out of the paint hangar at Boeing's Renton, Wash., facility, displaying its new U.S. Navy livery. The aircraft, designated T-2, is the third of five test aircraft being assembled and tested as part of the System Development and Demonstration contract that Boeing received in 2004. The U.S. Department of Defense wants to follow a program template similar to that of the F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) program, with international cooperation from prospective MMA users. This would include many of the fifteen nations that currently use the P-3. The MMA project should avoid one of the major problems of the JSF, that of technology transfer. The MMA, while incorporating much high technology, would not include such proprietary and sensitive characteristics as stealth technology. The Australian Minister for Defence announced on 20 July 2007 that the P-8A MMA had been selected as the preferred aircraft to replace the Royal Australian Air Force's fleet of AP-3C Orions in conjunction with a yet-to-be-selected unmanned aerial vehicle. The last RAAF AP-3C is scheduled to be retired in 2018, after nearly 30 years of service. An MOU will be signed that will help Australia to gain access to classified data and help to input specific requirements. In March 2009, Australia's Chief of Air Force stated that subject to anticipated government approval, the RAAF will begin to add the P-8A to their fleet in 2016. Italy indicated interest for a purchase of a total of 14 Wedgetail and MMA aircraft, with fleet support provided by Alitalia in 2004. However, in December 2008 Italy announced the purchase of four ATR-72 turboprop aircraft to replace its aging Atlantic Maritime Patrol Aircraft, which "likely means the Italy's ambitions to join the U.S. Navy's MPA program are dead." Canada and Australia may each pay up to $300 million in order to have first-tier participation in the MMA project. In January 2008, Boeing proposed P-8I Poseidon, a customized export variant of the P-8A, to the Indian Navy. On January 4, 2009, the Ministry of Defence of India signed an agreement with Boeing for the supply of eight P-8I Poseidons at a total cost of US$2.1 billion. These aircraft would replace Indian Navy's aging Tupolev Tu-142M maritime surveillance turboprops. Each aircraft will cost about US$220 million. The deal not only made India the first international customer of the P-8 Poseidon, but also marked Boeing's first military sale to India. The first test aircraft, T-1, which successfully completed the program's first flight on April 25, will be painted in the same gray paint scheme later this summer.

T-2 was painted in late April. The Navy plans to purchase 108 P-8A anti-submarine warfare aircraft to replace its fleet of P-3Cs. Initial operational capability is planned for 2013.

The P-8A is built by a Boeing-led industry team that includes CFM International, Northrop Grumman, Raytheon, Spirit AeroSystems and GE Aviation.