urbanSTL

stlbaggins wrote: ↑

Mar 15, 2024

"Boeing aircraft have had far far more accidents/incidents over the last handful of years than Airbus."

Handful of years doesn't sound that quantitative.

The Boeing Co. (NYSE: BA) has explored the sale of at least two of its defense businesses, according to a Bloomberg report, but a company spokesperson said the potential asset sales would not affect operations in the St. Louis area.
The news organization, citing anonymous sources, reported that financial advisers over the past year have contacted potential buyers on Boeing’s behalf to determine interest in several smaller units. Assets that could be sold include Boeing’s Digital Receiver Technology Inc. and its stake in United Launch Alliance, a rocket-launch joint venture with Lockheed Martin, according to Bloomberg.

The company spokesperson didn't confirm the Bloomberg report to the Business Journal, but indicated Boeing's St. Louis-area operations wouldn't be impacted based on the assets named in the report. The potential sales come as Boeing continues to grapple with a crisis in the aftermath of a section of a Boeing 737 Max 9 plane that blew out in January during an Alaska Airlines flight. The aerospace giant, headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, confirmed earlier this month that it was in talks to buy Wichita, Kansas-based Spirit AeroSystems Holdings Inc., which makes fuselages for the 737 Max jets. That could cost Boeing about $3 billion, based on Spirit AeroSystem’s market capitalization.
In 2008, Boeing completed the acquisition of Digital Receiver Technology, a company based in western Maryland that manufactures wireless surveillance products for defense and other government customers, Military + Aerospace Electronics reported.
United Launch Alliance primarily sends classified payloads for the U.S. government into orbits from launch pads in California and Florida. Last month, arstechnica.com reported that Blue Origin, the rocket company owned by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, had emerged as the finalist to buy United Launch Alliance, which is based in Centennial, Colorado.
Bloomberg also reported Tuesday that Boeing’s process to explore selling its Argon ST subsidiary is on hold. Boeing purchased Argon, headquartered in Fairfax, Virginia, for about $775 million in 2010. The company develops systems for military command and control. The acquisition was part of Boeing's strategy to address cyber and intelligence markets.
Boeing is one of the largest employers in the St. Louis region, with nearly 16,000 employees working at three facilities, in St. Louis, St. Charles and Mascoutah, Illinois, according to Business Journal research. It produces a number of military aircraft and weapons systems locally including the F/A-18 Super Hornet, EA-18G Growler, F-15 Eagle, eT-7A Red Hawk, MQ-25 Stingray, Joint Direct Attack Munition, Harpoon and Small Diameter Bomb. Additionally, the St. Louis Composite Center of Excellence manufactures composite parts for the Boeing 777X commercial aircraft.

• Government of France (10.86%)
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• Union Investment (0.2415%)

The Boeing Co. (NYSE: BA) has signed a $1.3 billion contract to build 17 F/A-18 Super Hornets for the U.S. Navy, extending the manufacturing life of the St. Louis-made fighter jet by nearly two years.
“The Super Hornet remains a predominant aircraft in the carrier air wing and will continue to provide significant combat capability into the 2040s,” Rear Admiral John Lemmon, executive director of the Navy's tactical aircraft programs, said in a statement.

Boeing announced in February 2023 that it planned to end production in late 2025 of the Super Hornet following completion of final orders for the U.S. Navy. The contract award signed March 19 by Boeing and the Navy takes production of the Block III Super Hornets into spring 2027. The 17 fighter jets are in addition to the 78 Super Hornets currently being built at Boeing’s operations in north St. Louis County. Block III is the most advanced version of the Super Hornet. The extension of Super Hornet production is the result of the Navy and Boeing negotiating a new-build contract after Congress inserted funding for new fighter jets into the fiscal year 2022 and 2023 defense budgets.
“Years of hard work by a lot of people went into getting this deal done. Our team created and finalized a contract that is right for Boeing and right for the warfighter,” Boeing Fighters Vice President Mark Sears said in a statement.
The Navy expects the delivery of the new 17 Super Hornets to start in winter 2026 and be completed in spring 2027, according to the Naval Air Systems Command. The work will be done by existing employees, a Boeing spokesperson said. The company has said about 1,500 employees work on the F/A-18 aircraft, with the majority based in the St. Louis area.
The aerospace giant’s website shows 250 positions open in the St. Louis area as Boeing is doubling the production rate of the F-15EX fighter jet. The T-7A Red Hawk trainer for the U.S. Air Force and MQ-25 Stingray unmanned refueling aircraft programs are ramping up production. Decisions are also expected this year on the sixth-generation fighter jets and autonomous wingmen drones using artificial intelligence for the Air Force and Navy, part of the Pentagon's strategy to use swarms to attack targets.

gone corporate wrote: ↑

Apr 01, 2024

^He's got a serious point. We're moving past the old days of helicopter training. Today, it's "if" you crash. It used to be "when" you crash. Many veteran helicopter pilots are survivors of multiple crashes. Safety's definitely on the upswing. I'm furious at Boeing for their new culture of craptastic manufacturing, but I'm not ready to throw the rotorcraft on the same pile as the rest of the jetliner manufacturing hell. Not yet. Give me time. 

Meanwhile... The Brownleigh site at STL Lambert Airport is in serious development mode. Almost all the ground is overturned. James S McDonnell Blvd is blocked off at the site, where they'll eventually build an apron between the runway and the new buildings. No announcement has been made on either the Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) fighter, the Navy's sixth-generation fighter (F/A-XX), or the related drone programs. Last I heard, Boeing and Lockheed-Martin are going heads-up for the NGAD while Northrup-Grumman is going all-in on the F/A-XX and a whole lot of smaller players are joining the big boys for the drone contracts. Having this site under full development now really helps our chances of winning at least one contract and perhaps multiples. We know the Brownleigh is already destined for new Phantom Works programs regardless of contract awards. All we really can say today is this looks like the future of advanced manufacturing in STL, and it's getting off to a pretty damn big start. Good times. 

Biden administration set to greenlight $18 billion sale of F-15 fighter jets to Israel


The Biden administration is close to approving the sale of as many as 50 American-made F-15 fighter jets to Israel, in a deal expected to be worth more than $18 billion, according to three people familiar with the matter.

The transaction, which would amount to the largest US foreign military sale to Israel since the country went to war with Hamas on October 7, comes as the administration is also expected to notify Congress soon of a large new sale of precision-guided munitions kits to Israel, the people said.

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F-15s won’t be delivered immediately

Unlike the precision guided munitions, the new F-15s would need to be built from scratch and would likely not be delivered to Israel for 4-5 years.
Israeli officials have been urging the US to expedite the timeline if possible, CNN previously reported.
Along with up to 50 individual jets, the package also includes engines, gun systems, radars and navigation systems for the jets, three of the sources said. The package provides construction and contractor support and logistical infrastructure for training, sustainment, and maintenance of the fleet, as well as a mid-life update for Israel’s current fleet of F-15s.

Trololzilla wrote: ↑

Apr 02, 2024

^^ There's also the likelihood that Japan selects the T-7 as their next trainer, though whether those would be license built in Japan is yet to be seen. Plus, there's serious interest in an F-7 light fighter version of the plane.

Doesn't Boeing already make drones at Scott/MidAmerica? Be interesting to see if that site gets expanded further as well.