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The article examines the deployment and procurement of drone aircraft by the U.S. Marine Corps. The 2014 deployment in Afghanistan of the Corps' RQ-21 Blackjack small drone produced by aerospace industries firm Boeing Co's subsidiary Insitu is discussed. Testing of the RQ-21A drone for use from warships is discussed.

The article reveals that procurement officials at the U.S. Defense Department and in the intelligence community are expected to make decisions that will impact the shape and constitution of their future satellite fleets. Boeing, Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman are the traditional next-generation satellite makers. Particular focus is given to the entry of smaller, simpler satellites into Pentagon and intelligence architectures, as well as the development of the Space-Based Infrared System (Sbirs) early-missile-warning constellation.

The article reports on the decision of Boeing to change its strategy to continue with tenuous C-17 airlifter production from building fewer airframes annually to reducing costs. Boeing is expected to benefit from unhappy customers facing delayed deliveries of the A400M built by EADS. International customers of the C-17 include Great Britain with six aircraft orders, Australia and Canada, each signing up for four, and NATO, buying three, the author said.

Helicopter manufacturers, Bell Helicopter Textron and Boeing, are separately proposing unmanned variants of existing platforms to compete against the Northrops Grumman's Fire Scout. The strategies of Bell and Boeing are driven by the Navy's requirement to procure two unmanned rotorcraft systems per Littoral Combat Ship and other requirements by the Army and Marine Corps.

The article focuses on Boeing Defense, Space & Security, the defense industries division of the aerospace industries company Boeing Co. A dilemma for Boeing is examined in which it must decide if or how long it should continue production of its F-15 and F/A-18E/F jet fighter planes which have seen a significant decline in orders due to the development of the F-35 plane by Lockheed Martin. Continued problems in the development of the F-35 could result in more orders for Boeing's jet fighters.

The article reports on slight changes to the source-selection plan for the U.S. Air Force's 35 billion U.S. dollar KC-X program. According to Air Force acquisition czar Ashton Carter, he is sticking by the KC-X draft request for proposals, but is willing to address questions from the contractors. Boeing protested its loss with a 767-based design, which resulted in the termination of the 1.5 billion U.S. dollar contract with Northrop Grumman/EADS.

The article reports on a rapid prototyping initiative being undertaken by Boeing for its defense business. The initiatives include the use of its own internal research and development funding for flight testing of its Phantom Ray unmanned air system demonstrator. According to Darryl Davis, vice president of the company's Phantom Works division, the project was conceptualized in mid-2007 and started in June 2008.

The article focuses on the challenge posed by the U.S. Defense Department to the defense industry to develop technologies that can link existing systems through an adaptable command-and-control network. A total of $56 million has been spent by the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) developing and fielding a ballistic missile defense system. Northrop Grumman introduces its Kinetic-Energy Interceptor (KEI) as the cheaper, more flexible missile defense system being sought by the Pentagon. Meanwhile, Boeing touts its Airborne Laser (ABL).

The article offers updates on the Wideband Global Satcom (WGS) satellite, which has been in orbit over the Pacific Ocean for a year. It provides the same amount of high-bandwidth capacity as the entire Defense Satellite Communications System (DSCS) that WGS is beginning to replace. The WGS network is used by all the military services and is based on Boeing's workhorse 702 commercial satellite and it has features that allow operators to detect the presence of jamming or other interferences.

The article reports that Boeing is facing a problem as it tries to overturn the U.S. Air Force's decision to award a $35-billion contract to a competing Airbus design for the KC-X refueling tanker. Arrogance about its relationship with the U.S. Defense Department, lack of focus on customer requirements and reluctance to provide detailed pricing data contributed to Boeing's stunning loss of a Defense Department contract to build aerial refuelers, according to a source close to the 767 tanker team.

The article discusses efforts by competitors Boeing and Northrop Grumman for a protest of a $40-billion contract to build U.S. Air Force refueling tankers that has not been awarded. The move by the two contractors signals an emerging strategy of firms competing for a decreasing number of defense programs. Once a protest is filed with the U.S. Government Accountability Office, work on that contract is ceased until an audit is complete.

The article informs that the U.S. Department of Defense's long-awaited study on future airborne refueling alternatives could surface any day, and it is expected to support buying a larger, multirole tanker. To soften the blow, officials hint that they are considering concepts for a future transport program that could deliver cargo to the battlefield more stealthily and thereby better support the Army's goal of morphing into a smaller, lighter and more forward-postured force. Boeing Co. and Lockheed Martin Corp. have both sent senior-level vice presidents to the Pentagon to brief their concepts. Critics suggest the Pentagon will avoid releasing MCS during the upcoming election season for fear of generating a debate about the administration's decision.

The article reports that Boeing Co. is developing an elaborate relay mirror prototype to extend the range of laser weapons against ground targets— like mobile missue erectors— or against incoming ballistic missiles. The relay mirrors would be placed on airships or high-flying unmanned aerial vehicles or launched into space. Those systems would be located well above the atmosphere where civil air traffic travels and more particles are likely to fracture the integrity of a laser beam.

The article discusses defense contractor and aircraft manufacturer Boeing Co. wining a low-bid contract to buy into the U.S. Air Force's replacement program for the KC-135 Stratotanker refueling aircraft. The replacement program, the KC-46, has run into numerous difficulties, including defects that were discovered in the plane's wiring, cost overruns, and schedule slippages.

The article discusses various reasons for failure of American global aerospace and defense, Northrop Grumman in the acquisition of contract at Pentagon. Topics discussed include rivals Boeing and Lockheed Martin scored tax incentives for building new bombers for the U.S. Air Force, views of Tim Paynter, spokesman at Northrup on passing of legislation for aerospace workers and views of Maureen Schumann, a Pentagon spokeswoman on decision of Pentagon officials on Northrop's underperformance.

The article reports on several tanker aircrafts manufactured by aircraft manufacturers Boeing and Airbus, and several upgradation concerning the same. Topics include Airbus' efforts to upgrade its A330 aircraft; the Boeing 767-2C aircraft fitted with KC-46 aircraft boom; and several modifications such as changes to the wing slats and flaps introduced by Airbus in its commercial A330-200/300 aircraft.

The article reports on aircraft manufacturer Boeing's proposal for the U.S. Air Force's T-38C replacement program which is the largest tender for fast-jet trainers. It mentions the views of Chris Chadwick, president of Boeing Defense, Space and Security, regarding Boeing's partnership with aerospace company Saab for developing a new aircraft for the program. Also mentioned are proposals of other competitors for the tender including Northrop Grumman, Lockheed Martin, and General Dynamics.

The article focuses on the U.S. Air Force's issuance of final request for proposals for its bomber project. Topics include the competition between Northrop Grumman and the Boeing/Lockheed Martin team, 500 million dollar cost of each aircraft and the program goal of delivering 100 long-range, stealthy strike aircraft.

The article discusses the U.S. government's plans to develop a replacement Air Force One at the end of 2014, focusing on the competition between aviation corporations Boeing, Airbus, and Raytheon. Other topics include the design and technological components of Air Force One, the Presidential Aircraft Recapitalization (PAR) acquisition program, and decreased production rates of Boeing's 747-8.

The article discusses U.S. Congress opposition to plans by the U.S. Air Force to modernize the cockpits of their Lockheed Martin C-130 aircraft. Topics include the proposed updates to the planes' systems needed to meet Global Air Traffic Management (GATM) requirements, the broader Avionics Modernization Program (AMP) proposal by aerospace corporation Boeing, and the political stalling of the plans as of January 2014.

The article examines the decision of the aerospace industries firm Boeing Co. to close its aircraft factory in Wichita, Kansas by the end of 2013. Concerns of the U.S. Air Force that the closing of the facility will have a negative impact on Boeing's ability to fulfill its contract to develop and produce the KC-46S airtanker are considered.

The article discusses the U.S. missile defense market, examining the U.S. Missile Defense Agency's (MDA) decision to keep Boeing as prime contractor for the Ground-Based Midcourse Defense (GMD) missile shield. Boeing and Northrop Grumman won the contract over Lockheed Martin and Raytheon. The sale of the Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense (Thaad) system to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the fixed-price and cost-plus elements of the GMD contract are examined.

The article reports that the U.S. Missile Defense Agency (MDA) has delayed testing of the Ground-based Midcourse Defense (GMD) campaign, a program managed by the aerospace company Boeing, due to problems with the Exoatmospheric Kill Vehicle (EKV). The MDA is also conducting tests of the Raytheon SM-3 IB interceptor and the Lockheed Martin Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense (Thaad) system.

The article discusses Boeing Company plans to fly 2 of its unmanned air system (UAS) demonstrators for the first time. These aircraft are important to Boeing's business with the U.S. Department of Defense in the aftermath of the latter's cancellation of Boeing's X-45C program. Boeing's UAS demonstrators, the Phantom Ray and the Phantom Eye, are described.

The article focuses on the return of the U.S. Air Force (USAF) to in-house fleet management from contractor logistics support in 2010 to save money, stunting the high-profit prospect for defense contractors doing maintenance. USAF will conduct its first sustainment business case analysis on C-17 airlifter made and maintained by Boeing. Debra Tune of USAF estimates that the move will save the service 12 billion dollars in the next three years. But USAF will retain the 60% of touch labor made by government employees.

The article announces the completion of radar-cross-section trials for Boeing's Silent Eagle semi-stealthy F-15 prototype in August and September 2009. The fighter plane is being developed by Boeing for international customers that already operate F-15s and are seeking additional aircraft. Potential customers include South Korea, Singapore and Saudi Arabia. The aircraft can be outfitted with air-to-air and air-to-ground weapons.

The article focuses on the Fire Scout unmanned aerial system of Northrop Grumman. A comparison of the Fire Scout system to Boeing A160T and Lockheed Martin-Kaman K-Max is presented. It relates the requirements of the U.S. Marine Corps in selecting an unmanned rotorcraft for its cargo resupply system. A description of the Fire Scout systems designed by Northrop for the U.S. Navy and Army is presented.

The article focuses on the impact of U.S. Navy-led weapon data-link development issues on the U.S. Air Force competition between Raytheon and a Boeing/Lockheed Martin team for the development of a new 250-pound bomb. The Small-Diameter Bomb II competition, aimed at developing a small weapon capable of destroying targets in all weather conditions, day or night, involved a $150 million financing for each of the competitors. The winning manufacturer would receive funding from the U.S. government for the development of a tri-mode seeker.

The article discusses the export plans for military airplanes under the administration of President-elect Barack Obama. Obama is reported to review the U.S. Air Force's focus on buying stealthy fighters, leaving Boeing's F-15 and Lockheed Martin's F-16 production lines reliant on foreign customers. One industry source suggests that the Air National Guard might be interested in considering buying more F-16s or F-15s as its current inventory ages. The U.S. Navy is figuring how to avoid a shortfall of 69-125 aircraft in its fighter fleet.

The article focuses on the concerns of governments on the industrial base for combat aircraft. In the U.S., military airframers, Lockheed Martin, Boeing and Northrop Grumman, are participating in a study intended to assess the status of the future industrial base and secure capabilities required for future fighters and bombers. In Europe, the four Eurofighter partner nations are struggling to strike a deal for the third Typhoon production tranche, while France is pushing for further consolidation of the region's combat aircraft sector.

The article looks at the implication of the decision of Boeing to exit the Joint Cargo Aircraft (JCA) program of the U.S. Air Force (USAF) and the challenges facing the company. It notes the significance to Boeing of the anticipated ruling from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) on the USAF tanker program. Another ruling of interest to Boeing is from the World Trade Organization on an Airbus/Boeing dispute over pricing and commercial airlines subsidies. Also noted is the effect of changes in USAF leadership on the company.

The article reports that General Arthur Lichte, head of the U.S. Air Force's Air Mobility Command, is planning to begin fielding the KC-45A tankers and start retiring aging KC-135s as soon as possible. However, the plan is being hindered by Boeing's protest of the Air Force decision to award Northrop Grumman/EADS North America the contract to develop a next-generation A330-based tanker over Boeing's 767 proposal.

The article reports that Boeing executives announced that a planned U.S. ballistic missile intercept test under the U.S. Missile Defense Agency's Ground-based Midcourse Defense (GMD) program may be pushed to later in 2008. Boeing has also locked in a sole-source extension of its GMD development through Fiscal 2013, including the integration of European interceptors and a new radar considered controversial on Capitol Hill and in Europe.

The article looks at the missteps made by the U.S. Air Force as alleged by Boeing regarding the competition for KC-X program, which was won by Northrop Grumman/EADS North America. In its March 7, 2007 letter to the service, Boeing says that the Air Force reneged on verbal promises to balance changes in requirements that the company thought favored Northrop Grumman/EADS' larger A330-based offering with the attributes of its smaller 767-based design. Other concerns raised by Boeing in the letter are outlined.

The article reports on the protest staged by Boeing on the loss of a $35 billion tanker award to a Northrop Grumman/EADS team. Boeing is risking a potentially huge backlash from the U.S. Air Force due to its efforts to contest the Air Force decision. Also on the horizon is a more daunting future as European rivals pour into the Pentagon market, bolstered by victory in the high-stakes KC-135 replacement program.

This article explains that lessons from the delayed Italian and Japanese KC-767 deliveries are leading Boeing to build a tanker for the U.S. Air Force through what company officials say will be a simplified manufacturing process. Boeing plans to execute a two-step production process split between its facilities in Everett, Washington, which produces the commercial 767 aircraft, and Wichita, Kansas. Boeing is discussing its manufacturing plans in the wake of news in July 2007 that deliveries of Italy and Japan's four KC-767 orders apiece were delayed.

The article reports on the decision of aircraft makers to explore options at different ends of the airlift spectrum due to a global shortage in military airlift capacity. A new turboprop airlifter design is being worked on by EADS CASA while Boeing and Lockheed Martin offer proposals to the U.S. Air Force (USAF) for strategic airlifter fleet.

The article deals with the effort of Boeing to begin selling its C-17 military transport on the commercial marketplace. Selling of the C-17 is on hold unless the U.S. Air Force acts quickly for a new buy, according to the article. Boeing officials are seeking commitment from the Air Force as soon as possible to preserve the supply chain and personnel to continue C-17 production.

This article reports that the U.S. Air Force is expecting to announce new cost overruns in a $4-billion Boeing program to modernize the avionics on 434 C-130 aircrafts, prompting talk of scrapping or downsizing the effort, possibly to buy new Lockheed Martin C-130J airplanes instead. The Air Force has scaled back the number of aircraft participating in the Avionics Modernization Program (AMP) to 434 from the 519 planned in 2001 as a result of cracks found in the oldest C-130E center wing boxes. Boeing Co., won the C-130 AMP in 2001, beating out C-130 manufacturer Lockheed Martin Corp., BAE Systems and L-3 Communications. Although Boeing managed to hold onto the massive development contract, the U.S. Government Accountability Office directed the Air Force to conduct a competition for production of the AMP installation kits, which is not expected to be underway until 2009. So, the pressure is for Boeing to demonstrate AMP in the coming months. It calls for removing more than 30 old steam gauges and 1960s-era indicators, replacing them with six 6 X 8-in. flat-panel displays, two large heads-up displays, two multifunction control displays and new communications and navigation panels.

The article focuses on implications of the case filed by Lockheed Martin Corp., against its rival Boeing Co., for using stolen documents during a rocket competition nearly a decade ago. The U.S. Justice Department reached an agreement with Boeing last week to pay $615 million in penalties for its misdeeds, although it will not pursue criminal charges against the aerospace giant despite significant evidence in the document scandal and the company's illegal job negotiations with a former Air Force procurement official. Lockheed Martin last year agreed to drop the lawsuit if the government approves a plan to merge its and Boeing's rocket-making businesses. Both companies had been losing money on their Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle families, and combining operations would save money for the government and improve their business cases. While Lockheed Martin is eager to get the deal approved, Boeing is less anxious to agree to reduced pricing.

The article due to rising costs, the U.S. Congress is cutting milspace projects. The $453.5-billion Fiscal 2006 Defense appropriations bill, passed late last month, also shows the Congress is willing to block the White House and Pentagon from killing programs, like Lockheed Martin Corp.'s C-130J transport or the Boeing Co.'s F-15 Strike Eagle, that mean thousands of defense industry jobs back home. The multinational Joint Strike Fighter program will receive $4.8 billion for research and development, $200 million less than the Pentagon requested, because of instability in the aircraft's design.

This article reports that the U.S. aerospace industry is finally beginning to acknowledge that advanced sensors packages for the Pentagon, Virginia's newest combat aircraft like the F/A-22 and F-35, are capable of electronic attack with high-power bursts of directed radar energy and, with upgrades, invasion of enemy networks using microwave communications. In some cases, such as the upgraded F-15E, partial capabilities are being offered for export sales. Singapore is in negotiation with Boeing Co. for an F-15E with a Raytheon APG-63(V)3 advanced electronically scanned array (AESA) radar and electronic warfare capabilities. At the heart of this advance in weaponry is a combination of AESA radar and advanced digital electronic warfare software. Depending on the size of the array, it either can or will be able to jam enemy sensors and guidance packages, upset computers, damage electronic components or, ultimately, disable virtually any unprotected electronic component. Microwave communication capabilities built into the arrays are planned as important elements in information operations. The U.S. Air Force already has demonstrated in a series of "Suter" experiments that it can electronically penetrate an integrated air defense system, for example, monitor what enemy radars can see and even take control of those sensors and instruct them to look momentarily away while U.S. aircraft slip through the defenses.

The article focuses on the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) which rocked the aerospace industry by choosing Boeing Co. to build its next generation of secret imaging satellites, bypassing Lockheed Martin Corp., the decades-long incumbent on the program in 1999. The new Future Imagery Architecture (FIA) of electro-optical and radar-imaging satellites was based on simplicity. But FIA has failed to escape the dysfunction plaguing most government satellite programs. As Director of National Intelligence John Negroponte embarks on his first review of technical programs, the system's price tag has grown from $6 billion to at least $15 billion.

The article reports that the for the next three years are critical Airborne Laser (ABL) program, as prime contractor Boeing Co. prepares to install the multimegawatt-class laser components onto a modified 747-400 freighter and flight test the boostphase missile defense technology. The system includes a 747-mounted, multimegawatt, high-energy chemical oxygen iodine laser, sophisticated beamcontrol components and a battle management system for onboard operators. Chemical tanks for the components of the laser are on board.

The article reports that after auditors found evidence of favoritism in a 2001 competition, the U.S. Air Force is reversing its strategy and recompeting the second phase of the Small-Diameter Bomb (SDB) program. Lockheed Martin Corp., which lost the contract in 2003 to Boeing Co., says it is "evaluating" whether there is a "proper business case" to place a bid. Boeing estimates the initial SDB contract, worth $188 million, would eventually lead to more than $2.5 billion in worldwide sales, including a USAF order of more than 24,000 weapons. The conduct of the competition came into question after former top Air Force acquisition official Darleen Druyun received a prison sentence for improper job negotiations with Boeing while she was overseeing the company's Air Force programs.

This article reports that the U.S. Air Force officials are employing a different strategy on their $32-billion rocket program to divvy up the workload by allocating, instead of competing, a host of launches between Boeing Co. and Lockheed Martin Corp. Along with the first buy, the government provided what was thought to be a one-time investment of $500 million to each contractor to pay for the development of next-generation launch systems. Brian Arnold, the Air Force's program executive officer for space at Space and Missile Systems Center in Los Angeles. Boeing's Delta IV last year flew a heavy-lift demonstration mission that revealed a problem in Boeing's fleet after the rocket's engine prematurely shut down.

the article reports on issuance of three concept development contracts for the Multiple Object Kill Vehicle (MOKV) program by the U.S. Missile Defense Agency (MDA). It mentions that the contract has been awarded to airplane manufacturers Lockheed Martin, Raytheon and Boeing. It mentions that MDA Director James Syring refused to outline a specific cost target.

The article reports that aerospace company Boeing is facing delay for the maiden flight of its first fully outfitted KC-46 tanker due to the use of subpar fuel as a substitute an integrated fuel system. It mentions that a mislabeled solution was mistakenly inserted into the aircraft's fuel system during ground vibration testing and the it will pass through the crucial flutter-test phase. It also mentions that Scott Fancher, executive of Boeing, will look out the problem.

The article focuses on the strategies of the U.S. Navy to introduce new payload for the EA-18G Growler electronic-attack aircraft, as of August 2015. It states that the decision has been impacted by lessons from airstrikes in Syria and Libya, and mentions the installation of an advanced targeting forward-looking infrared (ATFLIR) system in the aircraft. It notes the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) EA-18G aircraft by Boeing, which is supposedly similar to the Navy aircraft.

The article reports on strategies of aerospace companies Boeing and Saab to launch the fighter airplane T-X, as of October 2015. It states the possible purchases of fighter aircrafts by the U.S. Air Force from aerospace companies like Lockheed Martin, and mentions features and possible development costs of the T-X fighter plane.