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Boeing Begins Testing on 787 Dreamliner Fatigue Airframe

EVERETT, Wash., Sept. 13, 2010 – Boeing [NYSE: BA] has begun fatigue testing on the structural airframe of the 787 Dreamliner at the Everett, Wash., site. Fatigue testing involves placing the 787 test airframe into a test rig that simulates multiple lifecycles to test how the airplane responds over time.

“Unlike static tests, where loads are applied to the airplane structure to simulate both normal operation and extreme flight conditions, fatigue testing is a much longer process that simulates up to three times the number of flight cycles an airplane is likely to experience during a lifetime of service," said Jim Ogonowski, structures vice president, Boeing Commercial Airplanes.

While the structural test program already has validated the strength of the airframe, fatigue testing looks at long-term, continued use. This is the natural progression of testing on a new airplane and part of the process to achieve U.S. Federal Aviation Administration certification.

Video of the fatigue test can be found at http://bit.ly/9zV4jM.

Boeing: News - Media Center - Image Gallery

Boeing: News - Media Center - Image Gallery

Boeing Model 40 Meets the 787 Dreamliner

EVERETT, Wash., May 17, 2010 – As if finding a ghost among the cumulus, The Boeing Company’s [NYSE: BA] latest addition to its lineage of pioneering commercial airplanes, the 787 Dreamliner, on May 8 caught up to its ancestor, a Boeing Model 40, in the skies over Mount Rainier south of Seattle.
The fully restored 1928 vintage Boeing Model 40, owned and flown by Addison Pemberton of Spokane, Wash., is the only flyable Model 40 in the world and the oldest flying Boeing aircraft of any kind. The Model 40 not only is notable as Boeing’s first production commercial airplane, but its innovation and efficiency were the deciding factor in Boeing Air Transport (the airline subsidiary of the Boeing Airplane Company) winning the lucrative Oakland-to-Chicago air mail route in 1927. That event set William Boeing on a course that, within just two years, would take him from managing his airplane company in Seattle to presiding over a vast nationwide aviation empire called United Aircraft and Transport Corporation (UATC).
The 787 and Model 40, both the technological leaders of their time, represent 80 years of Commercial Airplanes leadership and clearly illustrate the dramatic progress in airplane design.
During those 80 years, the people of Boeing have introduced innovative technologies that have revolutionized flight and defined the design of all commercial airplanes.
Taking a very short break from the 787 program’s intensive flight test program, Boeing Chief Test Pilot Mike Carriker expertly maneuvered the first 787, ZA001, into formation with the Model 40 at 12,000 feet to allow photographer Ryan Pemberton, flying in an A36 Bonanza, to line up for the striking photo.
“It really took a lot of work and planning,” Carriker said. “When I came alongside the Model 40 against those big puffy clouds it was unbelievable: Here is this 1928 biplane flying with a 2010 airplane side by side. How amazing the history of The Boeing Company is – it was really exciting.”
Boeing: News - Media Center - Image Gallery

Boeing: Boeing to Provide A160T Unmanned Aircraft for US Marine Corps

ST. LOUIS, Dec. 3, 2010 -- Boeing [NYSE: BA] today announced that U.S. Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) has awarded the company a $29.9 million contract for Cargo Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Services to support the U.S. Marine Corps. Boeing will provide two A160T Hummingbird unmanned vehicles, three ground control stations, spares, training and support.

The A160T aircraft designated for the contract are near completion on the Boeing production line that started up in March at the company's Mesa, Ariz., facility.

This government-owned, contractor-operated contract is the first for Hummingbirds from the company-funded production line. It calls for a period of predeployment operations at a military facility in the continental United States, followed by options for a six-month deployment to support Operation Enduring Freedom.

"We look forward to working with NAVAIR and the Marines to provide this important capability to warfighters on the front lines," said Vic Sweberg, Unmanned Airborne Systems director for Boeing. "The A160T has proven its ability to autonomously deliver cargo to forward operating bases in austere conditions in a demonstration setting, and we are confident in its ability to do the same in battlefield conditions."

This past March, under contract from the Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory, Boeing demonstrated the A160T's ability to deliver at least 2,500 pounds of cargo from one simulated forward-operating base to another base 75 nautical miles away in less than the required six hours. The simulated mission delivered 1,250-pound sling loads over two 150-nautical-mile round trips, with the A160T operating autonomously on a preprogrammed mission.

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 $34 billion business with 68,000 employees worldwide.

Boeing: Boeing to Provide A160T Unmanned Aircraft for US Marine Corps

Boeing: Boeing NewGen Tanker Win Would Bring 300 Jobs, $14M to Oregon

ST. LOUIS, Dec. 3, 2010 -- The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] today announced that Oregon will benefit from an estimated 300 total jobs and generate an estimated $14 million in annual economic impact if the Boeing NewGen Tanker is selected as the U.S. Air Force's next aerial refueling aircraft.

Boeing submitted its proposal July 9 to replace 179 of the Air Force's 400 Eisenhower-era KC-135 aircraft. The Air Force is expected to award a contract early next year.

"Boeing works with more than 300 independent suppliers and vendors in Oregon on a number of projects, and we’re proud that our business in the state supports hundreds of jobs," said Mark DeVoss, Supplier Management director, Boeing Tanker Programs. "We look forward to continuing our successful relationship with Oregon companies by welcoming this select group of suppliers to the United States Tanker Team."

Oregon manufacturers ready to produce critical components on the NewGen Tanker include:

• Air Oil Products, Portland
• Boeing, Portland
• Meggitt Polymer Solutions, McMinnville
• Northwest Rubber Extruders, Beaverton
• Oeco, Milwaukie
• QPM Aerospace, Portland
• Ran Tech Engineering, Milwaukie
• Rosen Sunvisor Systems, Eugene.

Currently, Boeing has 1,552 employees in Oregon and works with nearly 307 suppliers/vendors, delivering a total $177 million in annual economic impact.

The NewGen Tanker is a widebody, multi-mission aircraft based on the proven Boeing 767 commercial airplane and updated with the latest and most advanced technology. Capable of fulfilling the Air Force's needs for transport of fuel, cargo, passengers and patients, the combat-ready NewGen Tanker will meet or exceed the 372 mandatory requirements described in the service's final KC-X Request for Proposal released Feb. 24.

The NewGen Tanker will be made with a low-risk approach to manufacturing that relies on existing Boeing facilities in Washington state and Kansas as well as U.S. suppliers throughout the nation, with decades of experience delivering dependable military tanker and derivative aircraft. Nationwide, the NewGen Tanker program will support approximately 50,000 total U.S. jobs with Boeing and more than 800 suppliers in more than 40 states.

The Boeing NewGen Tanker also will be more cost-effective to own and operate than a larger, heavier tanker. It will save American taxpayers more than $10 billion in fuel costs over its 40-year service life because it burns 24 percent less fuel than the competitor's airplane.

Boeing has been designing, building, modifying and supporting tankers for decades. These include the KC-135 that will be replaced in the KC-X competition, and the KC-10 fleet. The company also has delivered four KC-767Js to the Japan Air Self-Defense Force and is on contract to deliver four KC-767As to the Italian Air Force.

More information on Boeing's NewGen Tanker, including video clips and an interactive tour of the aircraft, is available at www.UnitedStatesTanker.com. For more information on joining the company's efforts, visit www.RealAmericanTankers.com.

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 $34 billion business with 68,000 employees worldwide.

Boeing: Boeing NewGen Tanker Win Would Bring 300 Jobs, $14M to Oregon