Marines draw inspiration from drug runners for unmanned resupply boat

On the same subject

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  September 16, 2020 | International, Aerospace

  Boeing fires up 'loyal wingman' engine ahead of flight trials

  Gareth Jennings Boeing Australia has powered up the engine of the first ‘loyal wingman' unmanned aerial vehicle it is developing in partnership with the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) ahead of upcoming flight trials. The milestone, announced on 15 September, follows the completion earlier this year of the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) that is serving as the foundation for the global Boeing Airpower Teaming System (ATS). “This engine run gets us closer toward flying the first aircraft later this year,” Dr Shane Arnott, programme director of the Boeing ATS was quoted as saying. “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.” Boeing has not yet disclosed which engine it has chosen for the ATS. When it was unveiled at the Avalon Air Show in 2019, the ATS concept was named Boeing ATS (BATS). The Australian Department of Defense (DoD) said it would invest AUD40 million (USD29 million at the time) in the development. Boeing said the system represents the company's largest investment in a UAV programme outside the United States but did not disclose the amount involved. https://www.janes.com/defence-news/news-detail/boeing-fires-up-loyal-wingman-engine-ahead-of-flight-trials

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  April 30, 2020 | International, Aerospace

  Boeing gets another $827M charge on the KC-46 program

  By: Valerie Insinna WASHINGTON — Boeing took a $827 million hit as cost overruns continue for the KC-46 tanker program, the company announced Wednesday. About $551 million of the pre-tax charge was caused by new expenses associated with designing and integrating a new Remote Vision System for the tanker as part of an April agreement with the Air Force. The remainder of the charge reflected “productivity inefficiencies and COVID-19 related factory disruption,” according to a news release. KC-46 production stopped for about three weeks over the past month due to a temporary shutdown at Boeing facilities in the Seattle area — including the factory in Everett, Wash., where the tanker is produced. With the new charge, Boeing has now racked up about $4.6 billion in cost overruns over the life of the KC-46 program. Those expenses must be completely paid by Boeing under the terms of the $4.9 billion fixed-price firm contract it agreed to in 2011. The bill comes as Boeing contends with the continued grounding of the 737 MAX and instability to the air travel market posed by COVID-19, which has led to lost orders and disruptions throughout the company's production lines. But the RVS deal struck in April could potentially mark a new chapter for the tanker program, which has been mired in disputes between Boeing and the Air Force for years. The RVS — integrated by Boeing with cameras and sensors from Collins Aerospace — feeds live video and other data to the boom operator, who is able to use those cues to pump gas into another aircraft. But the Air Force has complained that the system does not work properly in all lighting conditions, leading to an increased risk of the KC-46 accidentally scraping the aircraft receiving fuel. Under the terms of the new deal, Boeing will make incremental hardware and software improvements to the existing system, but it will also design a new “RVS 2.0” with high-definition color cameras, better displays and improved computing systems not on the market when the first RVS was developed. During an earnings call with investors on Wednesday, Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun said the defense market continues to be healthy with solid demand. Overall, first quarter revenue for Boeing's defense sector decreased to $6 billion, down from about $6.6 billion in 2019. Most of that reduction was due to the KC-46 charge, according to the company, but a number of other defense programs were also impacted by the coronavirus pandemic, leading to reduced margin. https://www.defensenews.com/air/2020/04/29/boeing-gets-another-827m-charge-on-the-kc-46-program/

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  September 11, 2024 | International, Aerospace

  Iraq Ministry of Defence orders 12 Airbus H225M helicopters

  The contract was signed in Baghdad by the Minister of Defence of Iraq Mr Thabet al-Abbassi in the presence of the French Ambassador Patrick Durel.