Free Republic

Based on discussions with retired senior US military officials, the best chance for the F-35 Ferrari option is not as an option if the F-47 falters or is delayed. Where it may have the greatest utility, said one source very close to the program, is that technologies being developed for the Block 4 F-35 are close to the baseline for the very first models of the F-47. There is the possibility of a happy marriage there, I was told, that is the option with the greatest potential. Based on what National Security Journal is being told, if there is a...

Five aviation companies are under contract to develop armed, unmanned aircraft and control systems for use on the Navy’s fleet of 11 aircraft carriers, USNI News has learned.General Atomics, Boeing, Anduril and Northrop Grumman are on contract for the conceptual design of the so-called collaborative combat aircraft, or CCA, according to a Navy presentation reviewed by USNI News. Lockheed Martin is under contract to build the common control system.The Navy wants “uncrewed, modular, interoperable, interchangeable and versatile platforms” that it can field from an aircraft carrier, reads the slide from Naval Air Systems Command’s program executive office for unmanned aviation...

Iranian President Mohammad Khatami came to New York City on Nov. 8 to attend a U.N. summit as U.S. intelligence and law-enforcement agencies explored new information tying his regime's intelligence services to Sept. 11 and to previous anti-American terrorist attacks, Insight has learned.The information is coming from a variety of sources and shows a clear pattern of operational contacts between the Iranian government and Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda organization. These contacts include joint planning of terrorist operations, military training of bin Laden operatives inside Iran and by Iranian personnel in Syria and Lebanon, financial assistance to clandestine terrorist and surveillance ...

The Boeing case is a cautionary tale of what can go wrong when a company fails to develop and implement sound internal quality controls that protect operational processes and encourage a culture of safety. At Boeing, whistleblowers reported problems with operating processes that were ignored by management and weren’t always reported to the board of directors. The company did not use internal audits to identify and correct operational problems, relying instead on FAA inspections to point out safety issues in its 737 MAX aircraft. Whistleblower warnings were ignored. Ultimately, Boeing became the target of lawsuits by shareholders and the government,...

Anxiety-inducing audio captured a United Airlines pilot calling “Mayday” when one of its engines failed moments after taking off for a trans-Atlantic flight. “Failure, engine failure, left engine,” the pilots of United Flight 108 radioed air traffic controllers as it departed from Washington Dulles International Airport on July 25. “Declaring an emergency. Mayday, mayday, mayday,” the pilot added. Flight 108 departed from the DC airport just before 6 p.m. that Friday to begin a nearly eight-hour flight across the ocean to Munich, Germany. But mere moments after becoming airborne, the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner’s engine cut out as it reached about...

SEATTLE— Four flight attendants who were aboard the Alaska Airlines (AS) flight that suffered a mid-air panel blowout in January 2024 are suing Boeing for physical and emotional damages. The incident occurred on a Boeing 737 MAX 9 jet departing from Portland International Airport (PDX). The lawsuits, filed in Seattle’s King County Superior Court, allege negligence and inadequate quality control in Boeing’s manufacturing and repair processes. The plaintiffs seek compensation for emotional trauma, medical costs, and long-term economic impacts. The four flight attendants, represented by attorney Tracy Brammeier, claim they sustained serious emotional and physical harm during the sudden cabin...

Boeing has been on an upswing since CEO Kelly Ortberg took over the top job a year ago. Wall Street analysts expect the aircraft manufacturer to halve its second-quarter losses from a year ago when it reports earnings this week. But Ortberg still has challenges ahead of him, including with ramping up production of jets, which will require FAA approval, and in company’s defense unit. ... After spiraling from crisis to crisis over much of the past seven years, Boeing is stabilizing under CEO Kelly Ortberg’s leadership. Ortberg, a longtime aerospace executive and an engineer whom the manufacturer plucked from...

The U.S. made a massive strategic mistake by choosing the sleek F-35 over the “ugly” but brilliant Boeing X-32 in the Joint Strike Fighter competition. While unconventional in appearance, the X-32 was designed for simplicity, affordability, and manufacturing efficiency—qualities better suited for a long-term great power conflict.

American Airlines Boeing 737 Max catches fire at Denver airport, passengers evacuated after landing gear combusts

The Boeing X-32, derided for its “ugly,” cartoonish appearance, was a formidable contender in the Joint Strike Fighter competition but ultimately lost to what became the F-35. Despite its superb handling qualities, which one test pilot compared to an F/A-18, the X-32’s downfall was its flawed and complex Short Take-Off and Vertical Landing (STOVL) design.

Delta Airlines Boeing 767 Makes Emergency Landing After Engine Catches Fire The aircraft had just taken off on Friday when one of its engines caught fire. The flight, headed to Atlanta, turned back to LAX within minutes of takeoff.

A pair of switches that control the fuel supply to the engines were set to "cutoff" moments before the crash of Air India Flight 171, according to a preliminary report from India's Air Accident Investigation Bureau released early Saturday in India. A total of 260 people were killed when the Boeing 787 Dreamliner crashed shortly after it took off from Ahmedabad last month. Indian investigators determined the jet was properly configured and lifted off normally. But three seconds after takeoff, the engines' fuel switches were cut off. It's not clear why. According to the report, data from the flight recorders...

The sky is falling! A flap from a Delta Airlines plane plummeted from the sky and onto a driveway in North Carolina early Wednesday morning. The fragment found in a residential Raleigh neighborhood splintered off a Boeing 737 flight from Atlanta to Raleigh-Durham International Airport that had been delayed Tuesday evening due to a thunderstorm in Georgia, according to a spokesperson for Delta. The flap, which was “evidently separated” from the left wing, didn’t impede the aircraft’s “safe landing” in Raleigh-Durham, the spokesperson wrote. It landed smack dab in the middle of one unlucky Tar Heel’s driveway, just a few...

Russia’s recent strike on Boeing facilities in Ukraine has been portrayed as an attack on American business. The Dow-listed company has maintained operations in Ukraine despite the ongoing war and partnered with Ukrainian aircraft manufacturer Antonov in 2023 on joint defense projects. “This is not just an attack against Ukraine, but also an attack where American business is being hit,” Andy Hunder, President of the ACC in Ukraine, which represents nearly 700 U.S. and international investors and corporate members, told the Kyiv Independent. “This is a war against a world where American businesses are making money and thriving,” he added....

Safety experts recommended Wednesday that the engines on Boeing's troubled 737 Max airplanes be modified quickly to prevent smoke from filling the cockpit or cabin after a safety feature is activated following a bird strike. The problem detailed by the National Transportation Safety Board emerged after two bird strikes involving Southwest Airlines planes in 2023 — one in Havana, Cuba, and another in New Orleans. The Federal Aviation Administration and Boeing already warned airlines and pilots about the problem and the engine maker has been working on a fix. The NTSB said that the engines CFM International makes for the...

Safety experts recommended Wednesday that the engines on Boeing's troubled 737 Max airplanes be modified quickly to prevent smoke from filling the cockpit or cabin after a safety feature is activated following a bird strike. The problem detailed by the National Transportation Safety Board emerged after two bird strikes involving Southwest Airlines planes in 2023 — one in Havana, Cuba, and another in New Orleans. The Federal Aviation Administration and Boeing already warned airlines and pilots about the problem and the engine maker has been working on a fix. The NTSB said that the engines CFM International makes for the...

Boeing’s Air Force One project has fallen years behind schedule and billions of dollars over budget amid continued labor and design hiccups. The Government Accountability Office said in a report this week that “ongoing design issues, modification rework, and workforce challenges” are still plaguing the manufacturer. The Trump administration has resorted to procuring a $400 million jet from Qatar to serve as the interim Air Force One. Boeing is continuing to battle production issues plaguing the jets that will serve as Air Force One, according to the Government Accountability Office (GAO). The Pentagon told the congressional auditors that “ongoing design...

Boeing stock (BA) plummeted over 5% in early trading Thursday after an Air India plane carrying 242 people crashed shortly after takeoff near the Ahmedabad airport. The plane involved was a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, delivered to Air India in 2014, according to the aviation tracking site FlightRadar24. Authorities believe the crash likely killed everyone on board the flight head to Gatwick Airport in London. "We are in contact with Air India regarding Flight 171 and stand ready to support them," a Boeing spokesperson said in a statement. "Our thoughts are with the passengers, crew, first responders and all affected." This...

An Air India passenger plane crashed near Ahmedabad International Airport on Thursday. The aircraft — a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner — was en route from Ahmedabad to London with 242 passengers on board, the State Police Control Room confirmed to ANI. The plane caught fire after crashing and fire tenders were rushed to the spot to douse the blaze, said fire officer Jayesh Khadia. "A plane crashed in the Meghaninagar area near the airport. It is not yet clear what type of plane it was," said Ahmedabad police commissioner, GS Malik. The DGCA has dispatched a team from Delhi to Ahmedabad....

Just for the sake of discussion—what if Boeing wasn’t a bloated, risk-averse, demoralized shell of its former self? What if, instead of sitting on its legacy platforms, it unleashed its brightest minds in a modern Skunk Works to reimagine the greatest military cargo plane ever built—the C-17 Globemaster III—for the 21st century? Let’s call it the C-47X Dominator. This isn’t a leak. It’s not sourced. It’s just a thought experiment. But imagine: Re-engineering the C-17 with new-generation LEAP or GEnx engines Using advanced composites to lighten the frame Swapping out hardened battlefield tech that’s no longer needed in civilian ops...