By Julie Johnsson
Boeing Co. once again finds itself as the front-runner as Friday’s deadline approaches for submitting proposals for aerial refueling tankers, one of the largest and most controversial contests overseen by the Pentagon.
Although the latest contest hasn’t formally begun, Boeing and its primary competitor, EADS North America Inc., are jockeying for position and exchanging shots over which company’s tanker is the superior entry for the initial $35-billion contract. Their supporters, meanwhile, are wrangling over whether a long-running trade dispute between the U.S. and European Union should also influence the contest’s outcome.
Getting an early jump into the race, EADS submitted its 8,000-page tanker proposal on Thursday. Boeing intends to follow suit early Friday morning, said Boeing spokesman William Barksdale. Get the full story »
July 8, 2010 at 1:31 p.m.
Filed under:
Airplanes,
Computers,
Defense,
M&A,
Technology
By Associated Press
Boeing announced its second acquisition in as many weeks, saying it will buy anti-cyber attack software company Narus.
Narus will be a wholly owned subsidiary operating in the Network & Space Systems unit of Boeing’s defense business. Narus also will develop smart grid energy projects, as well as help protect Boeing’s in-house computer network, it said. Get the full story »
July 8, 2010 at 12:27 p.m.
Filed under:
Airplanes,
Defense
By Reuters
Airbus parent EADS has submitted a bid to supply refueling tankers to the U.S. Air Force, the company said Thursday.
“We’re proud of our offering, which is the only one in this competition that is flying and refueling the full array of receiver aircraft,” EADS North America Chairman Ralph Crosby said in a statement. Get the full story »
July 8, 2010 at 11:42 a.m.
Filed under:
Airports,
Manufacturing
By Dow Jones Newswires
Boeing Co. said it delivered 114 commercial aircraft during the second quarter, six more than in the previous quarter but 11 fewer than a year earlier.
The disclosure, coming several weeks before the aerospace giant releases second-quarter results, compares with the 128 delivered by rival Airbus. Boeing’s first-half figure of 222 also trails Airbus’ 250 and was down from 246 last year. Get the full story »
July 7, 2010 at 2:11 p.m.
Filed under:
Chicago executives,
Government,
Trade
By Julie Johnsson
Illinois companies are well-represented on the council of business leaders President Barack Obama has created to devise a strategy to double America’s exports of goods and services in the next five years to help spur job growth.
Obama unveiled the trade initiative in his State of the Union address this year, saying he sought to open overseas markets through trade agreements and to ensure that U.S. companies compete on equal terms with their foreign counterparts. Get the full story »
July 6, 2010 at 3:55 p.m.
Filed under:
Airlines,
Defense,
Manufacturing
By Associated Press
Lockheed Martin Corp. is moving to trim its executive ranks as the Pentagon, its biggest customer, pressures defense contractors to cut overhead costs on huge weapons programs. Lockheed said Tuesday it is offering directors and vice presidents financial incentives to leave voluntarily by Feb. 1.
Defense Secretary Robert Gates said last week that he wants to find savings among the roughly $400 billion the Pentagon will spend this fiscal year on defense contractors. The companies, which also include Northrop Grumman Corp., Raytheon Co. and Boeing Co., among others, provide the military with a wide range of weapons and services.
July 1, 2010 at 6:41 a.m.
Filed under:
Airplanes,
Defense
A B-2 bomber gets refueled over the Pacific. (AP Photo/Master Sgt. Mark Sindiong.)
From Business Week | The WTO’s ruling Wednesday that European governments provided illegal subsidies to Airbus SAS, may make it easier for Congress to select Boeing Co.’s bid in the long-running fight for a $35 billion contract to build refueling tanker for the U.S. Air Force, some analysts have said.
June 30, 2010 at 10:04 a.m.
Filed under:
Defense,
International,
Politics
By Reuters
The European Union and some of its states paid prohibited export subsidies to planemaker Airbus and must eliminate them rapidly, a World Trade Organization dispute panel said on Wednesday. The ruling marks a big setback for Airbus, but is not the end of its battle with rival Boeing over subsidies in the market for large civil aircraft worth $3 trillion over the next 20 years.
Boeing hailed the WTO ruling, which did not back all U.S. claims, saying it proved that Airbus had only been able to take market share from Boeing — nudging it out of number one place in the process — because of subsidies. Get the full story »
June 30, 2010 at 8:02 a.m.
Filed under:
Airplanes,
Defense,
M&A
By Reuters
Boeing Co. said it agreed to acquire defense manufacturer Argon ST Inc. for about $775 million to expand its surveillance and intelligence offerings. The planemaker said it plans to fund the deal with existing cash and expects the acquisition to have an immaterial impact on its earnings. Get the full story »
June 29, 2010 at 8:05 a.m.
Filed under:
Airlines,
Airplanes,
International
By Reuters
Dubai’s financial woes may force majority state-owned Dubai Aerospace Enterprise to renegotiate some 220 aircraft orders with Boeing and Airbus, French daily Les Echos said on Monday. The debt-laden emirate has chosen to turn part of its deliveries into new contracts for airline Emirates, the paper said, without citing a specific source. Get the full story »
June 29, 2010 at 5:43 a.m.
Filed under:
Airplanes
By Associated Press
U.S. federal aviation officials have known for years that cockpit window heaters in some Boeing planes catch fire. But they haven’t required airlines to fix the problem, even after dozens of incidents that unnerved pilots and, in some cases, forced emergency landings. Get the full story »
June 28, 2010 at 12:20 p.m.
Filed under:
Airplanes,
Chicago executives,
Stock activity
From Bloomberg News | Erroneous orders to trade Boeing Co. shares sent shares in the Chicago-based aerospace company down 44 percent to $38.77 this morning. NYSE Euronext and Nasdaq OMX Group Inc. canceled trades.
June 28, 2010 at 12:15 p.m.
Filed under:
Airplanes,
International,
Trade
By Associated Press
Airbus is calling for talks between the United States and the European Union to end the trans-Atlantic fight over subsidies to aircraft manufacturers. Airbus says it’s the only way to end the costly six-year dispute.
June 28, 2010 at 5:46 a.m.
Filed under:
Airplanes,
Labor,
Unions
By Reuters
Boeing workers in St. Louis have agreed to a contract with the plane manufacturer, avoiding a strike that would have gone into effect today if the deal had been rejected.The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers said the contract passed Sunday by a vote of 1,237 to 838. Get the full story »
June 25, 2010 at 10:16 a.m.
Filed under:
Airlines,
Airplanes,
Manufacturing
By Associated Press
A chase plane flies beside a Boeing 787 airplane on Dec. 15, 2009. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, file)
Boeing Co. says it inspecting all of its 787 jets after finding that some have improperly installed parts in a section of the tail.
In a statement late Thursday Boeing said it had ”identified a workmanship issue” with the horizontal tail, also called a stabilizer. Shims and fasteners weren’t installed correctly, the aircraft maker said. The stabilizer, the smaller wing on the plane’s tail, is built by Italian manufacturer Alenia.
Boeing said inspections will take one to two days. Any work required will take up to eight days for each plane. Get the full story »
