Aerospace

Nov. 17, 2009 -- WASHINGTON -- NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, or Wise, is chilled out, sporting a sunshade and getting ready to roll. NASA's newest spacecraft is scheduled to roll to the pad on Friday, Nov. 20, its last stop before launching into space to survey the entire sky in infrared light.

Wise is scheduled to launch no earlier than 9:09 a.m. EST on Dec. 9 from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. It will circle Earth over the poles, scanning the entire sky one-and-a-half times in nine months. The mission will uncover hidden cosmic objects, including the coolest stars, dark asteroids and the most luminous galaxies.    » read more »

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M., Nov. 18, 2009 -- The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] in May demonstrated the ability of mobile laser weapon systems to perform a unique mission: track and destroy small unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).

During the U.S. Air Force-sponsored tests at the Naval Air Warfare Center in China Lake, Calif., the Mobile Active Targeting Resource for Integrated eXperiments (MATRIX), which was developed by Boeing under contract to the Air Force Research Laboratory, used a single, high-brightness laser beam to shoot down five UAVs at various ranges. Laser Avenger, a Boeing-funded initiative, also shot down a UAV. Representatives of the Air Force and Army observed the tests.    » read more »

November 16, 2009 -- DUBAI, U.A.E -- Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue welcomed three economic development announcements made today from the Dubai Airshow that continue to strengthen Georgia’s reputation as a global center for the aviation industry.

“Each of these three announcements illustrate a key aspect of our economic development strategy – location of a new U.S. headquarters in Georgia, an existing company expanding its current workforce and an Atlanta-based business selling its products to overseas customers,” Governor Perdue said. “    » read more »

November 16, 2009 -- Washington, DC – House Committee on Science and Technology Chairman Bart Gordon (D-TN) and Space and Aeronautics Subcommittee Chairwoman Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ) congratulated National Administration of Space and Aeronautics (NASA) on making TIME’s List of 50 Best Inventions of 2009. NASA’s Ares rockets placed number one among the best inventions of the year.

The Ares rockets placed before several remarkable inventions – the Smart Thermostat (#4), the AIDS vaccine (#8), and Tweeting by Thinking (#9), among others.    » read more »

ExpressJet to Operate 22 Aircraft as Replacement Flying for United Express

November 16, 2009 -- CHICAGO, Nov. 16, 2009 – UAL Corporation (NASDAQ: UAUA), the holding company whose primary subsidiary is United Airlines, today announced that ExpressJet Airlines, a wholly owned subsidiary of ExpressJet Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: XJT) will operate 22 ERJ-145 aircraft under the United Express brand.

This new flying, which will begin on May 1, 2010, will replace flying previously done by other United Express partner carriers whose contracts have expired and is consistent with the 2010 capacity outlook United provided in its third quarter earnings conference call.    » read more »

EVERETT, Wash., Nov. 16 -- Boeing (NYSE: BA) has completed installing reinforcements within the side-of-body section of two more 787 Dreamliners.

Over the weekend, employees at Boeing's facility in Everett, Wash., finished reinforcing the full-scale static test airframe and the second Dreamliner designated for flight test. Installations were completed Nov. 11 on the first flight-test airplane.

The modification entails installing new fittings at 34 stringer locations within the joint where the wing is attached to the fuselage.    » read more »

System Traffic Down 4.1 Percent from August 2008

November 13, 2009 - The number of scheduled domestic and international passengers on U.S. airlines in August 2009 declined by 4.1 percent from August 2008, dropping by 2.8 million to 65.0 million, the Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) today reported . August was the 17th consecutive month with a decrease in passengers from the prior year .

BTS, a part of DOT’s Research and Innovative Technology Administration, in a release of preliminary data, reported that U.S. airlines carried 4.1 percent fewer domestic passengers than in August 2008. International passengers on U.S. carriers decreased 4.5 percent .    » read more »

TEMPE, Ariz. -- Nov. 12, 2009-- In a letter to U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood, US Airways’ (NYSE: LCC) Chairman and CEO Doug Parker responded to Secretary LaHood’s invitation to attend the Future of U.S. Aviation Forum being hosted today by the Department of Transportation. In the letter, Parker shares the airline and industry’s views about the future competitiveness of the U.S. aviation industry. The letter in its entirety follows:

November 11, 2009

The Honorable Ray LaHood
Secretary of Transportation
U.S. Department of Transportation
1200 New Jersey Ave., SE
Washington, DC 20590

Dear Secretary LaHood:    » read more »

Boeing remains committed to protecting Santa Susana as public open space; Cleanup will continue while court decides case

SACRAMENTO, Calif., Nov. 13, 2009 – Boeing [NYSE: BA] is asking a federal court to review a recent California law passed solely to regulate the environmental cleanup of Santa Susana Field Laboratory, a former federal government rocket engine testing and energy research facility northwest of Los Angeles.

In its filing, Boeing says the recent state law changes the normal cleanup process applied throughout the state by imposing “irrational and arbitrary requirements” on Santa Susana.    » read more »

Airplane begins preparations for flight test

EVERETT, Wash., Nov. 12 -- Boeing (NYSE: BA), on Thursday afternoon, towed the first 747-8 Freighter out of the factory in Everett, Wash. The airplane, ultimately destined for Cargolux, will be painted and begin preparations for flight test.

"It is very rewarding to see this airplane transition to the flight test phase," said Mo Yahyavi, 747 program vice president and general manager. "Our employees, suppliers and customers have put a lot of work into making the 747-8 Freighter a reality."    » read more »

ODENSE, Denmark, Nov. 10, 2009 -- The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] and Odense-based Falck Schmidt Defence Systems A/S today announced that Boeing Research & Technology will assess Falck Schmidt fuel cell products for potential use in Boeing renewable-energy power systems for military platforms.

The announcement followed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the two companies that also points to potential opportunities for the use of Falck Schmidt composite components and materials in Boeing Integrated Defense Systems (IDS) rotorcraft programs.    » read more »

ST. LOUIS, Nov. 9, 2009 -- The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] has been awarded a $72 million U.S. Air Force contract for more than 2,900 Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) tail kits.

Boeing will deliver the kits in 2011 and 2012. The Lot 14 production order is the second one-year option of a six-year contract Boeing received in January 2008. The agreement has a potential total value of $590 million with deliveries extending through 2015, if all options are exercised.

"JDAM provides warfighters an effective, accurate and battle-tested weapon," said Dan Jaspering, Boeing director of Direct Attack Programs. "The Lot 14 contract and its additional options assure the long-term availability of this cost-effective weapon."    » read more »

EL SEGUNDO, Calif., Nov. 9, 2009 -- Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN) moves closer to its first international sale of RACR (Raytheon Advanced Combat Radar) following approval for the company to move forward with technical discussions with at least two potential customers.

Both countries are looking to upgrade their F-16 fleets within the next two years in order to keep their force structure at the cutting edge of today's complex battlespace. RACR is designed for all F-16s and is approved for export.

The program is on schedule to fly production hardware on an F-16 during the first half of 2010.    » read more »

ST. LOUIS, Nov. 5, 2009 -- Boeing [NYSE: BA] today announced that it delivered the Royal Australian Air Force's (RAAF) third F/A-18F Block II Super Hornet three months ahead of schedule on Sept. 30, after completing production on the multirole fighter at Boeing Integrated Defense Systems' St. Louis facility.

Boeing publicly debuted the first of the RAAF's 24 Super Hornets in St. Louis on July 8. Each of the three completed aircraft has been delivered three months ahead of schedule.    » read more »

November 9, 2009 -- Flights operated by the nation’s largest airlines arrived on time at a higher rate this past September than in either September of last year or in August 2009, according to the Air Travel Consumer Report released today by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT).

According to information filed with the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS), a part of DOT’s Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA), the 19 carriers reporting on-time performance recorded an overall on-time arrival rate of 86.2 percent in September, higher than both September 2008’s 84.9 percent and August 2009’s 79.7 percent.    » read more »