HOUSTON, Sept. 30, 2010 -- Boeing [NYSE: BA] today announced that it has submitted its final bid for NASA’s Cargo Mission Contract (CMC) for the International Space Station (ISS). Boeing's bid draws on more than 50 years of the company's human spaceflight experience, as well as first-hand knowledge of ISS operations and cargo processing.
The contract calls for technical support services, including analysis and physical processing of pressurized cargo and flight crew equipment to be transported between the ISS and Earth. It also includes launch preparations and post-landing activities related to processing cargo and flight crew equipment.
"Boeing sees the ISS CMC as an important opportunity to ensure the viability of the ISS with effective logistics and resupply at an affordable price," said Brewster Shaw, vice president and general manager, Boeing Space Exploration. "The Boeing CMC team offers the skills and flexibility to support NASA's ISS cargo needs as the space transportation fleet evolves.
"As NASA's partner in the development, operation and sustainment of the ISS, Boeing shares an interest in ensuring this national resource and world-class laboratory is used to its full capability and potential," Shaw added.
NASA plans to select a contractor in November. Work is expected to begin on April 1, 2011, following a 90-day phase-in period. The performance period for the contract is three years with four one-year options, for a potential total of seven years.
If selected, Boeing plans to execute the contract with its highly experienced human spaceflight work force, with support from some of the workers who are currently performing tasks on CMC predecessor contracts.
"Boeing has access to experts within our Space Exploration division and across the Boeing enterprise -- including technical experts in specialty disciplines NASA has relied on before," said Brad Cothran, Boeing capture team lead for the contract. "We will draw on our own resources and our extensive supplier network to offer a solution that is both innovative and cost-effective, while supporting NASA's priorities for safety and mission success."
Boeing encourages personnel on the predecessor contracts to the ISS CMC to visit the company's team website at www.boeing.com/cmc. Following contract award, the website will be updated with content including teammate information, staffing plans, job fairs and other information.
Boeing is the prime contractor to NASA for the ISS program in Houston as well as NASA's contractor for the Checkout, Assembly and Payload Processing Services (CAPPS) contract at Kennedy Space Center, Fla. In addition to designing and building the major U.S. elements for the ISS, Boeing also is responsible for ensuring the successful integration of new hardware and software, including components from international partners and sustaining engineering for the ISS.
The services and support Boeing provides under its CAPPS contract include planning for and receiving payloads, maintaining associated ground support systems, integrating payloads with the space shuttle, launch support and space shuttle post-landing payload activities.
A unit of The Boeing Company, Boeing Defense, Space & Security is one of the world's largest defense, space and security businesses specializing in innovative and capabilities-driven customer solutions, and the world's largest and most versatile manufacturer of military aircraft. Headquartered in St. Louis, Boeing Defense, Space & Security is a $34 billion business with 68,000 employees worldwide.
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Boeing Statement on Award of B-52 Modernization Contract
WICHITA, Kan., Sept. 29, 2010 -- The Boeing Company today received an indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contract from the U.S. Air Force for B-52 Stratofortress weapon system modernization. The company released the following statement:
"This B-52 modernization contract will include several delivery orders over an eight-year period. The Air Force announced a contract ceiling of $11.9 billion. This is a contracting vehicle that will allow engineering sustaining contracts, studies, production and other activities to occur in support of the B-52. No funds were committed with this contract announcement. We expect our first delivery order to be awarded on Sept. 30."
Boeing has been maintaining and modernizing the B-52 bomber for 55 years -- including engineering services and upgrades to communication technology -- allowing the B-52 to remain a relevant weapon system in support of military missions around the world.
"This B-52 modernization contract will include several delivery orders over an eight-year period. The Air Force announced a contract ceiling of $11.9 billion. This is a contracting vehicle that will allow engineering sustaining contracts, studies, production and other activities to occur in support of the B-52. No funds were committed with this contract announcement. We expect our first delivery order to be awarded on Sept. 30."
Boeing has been maintaining and modernizing the B-52 bomber for 55 years -- including engineering services and upgrades to communication technology -- allowing the B-52 to remain a relevant weapon system in support of military missions around the world.
Sunday, September 26, 2010
1st Boeing SBSS Satellite Sends Initial Signals from Space
EL SEGUNDO, Calif., Sept. 26, 2010 -- The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] has acquired initial on-orbit signals from the first Space Based Space Surveillance (SBSS) satellite following its launch at 9:41 p.m. Pacific time on Sept. 25 from Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif. The signals indicate that the satellite is functioning normally and is ready to begin orbital maneuvers and operational testing.
The SBSS Block 10 satellite, which was built for the U.S. Air Force by a Boeing-led team that includes Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp., was launched by an Orbital Sciences Minotaur IV rocket. The first signals from the advanced space surveillance satellite were received a short time later. The Boeing SBSS Satellite Operations Center at Schriever Air Force Base, Colo., confirmed that the satellite is healthy.
When it goes into operation with the Air Force, the SBSS satellite will be the service’s only space-based sensor capable of detecting and monitoring debris, satellites and other space objects without the disruptions from weather, atmosphere or time of day that limit ground-based observations. The satellite and its ground system will dramatically improve the accuracy and timeliness of tracking and monitoring capabilities, and provide the flexibility to quickly respond to new and changing mission requirements.
“The United States depends on space assets for security, communications, weather forecasting, and many other essential services,” said Craig Cooning, vice president and general manager, Boeing Space & Intelligence Systems. “America’s adversaries recognize this increasing dependence, which makes the need for enhanced space situational awareness more and more vital. Today, the Air Force and Boeing SBSS team are delivering this advanced capability to the nation.”
Shortly after launch, the SBSS satellite began an automated sequence that deployed solar arrays, pointed them at the sun, and initialized satellite operations. For the next two weeks, operators will perform health checks on the satellite bus, followed by payload checkout. Tests include sending simulated space situational awareness tasks to the SBSS Satellite Operations Center, which will send commands to the satellite and collect data from those tasks for the Air Force Joint Space Operations Center. The SBSS system is expected to be ready to perform its mission and be turned over to the Air Force within 60 days.
“The successful launch of SBSS is an important milestone to ensure that this nation’s assets are protected,” said David L. Taylor, president and CEO of Ball Aerospace. “We are proud to be a leader in providing critical technology development to the Air Force’s space situational awareness mission.”
Boeing is responsible for overall program management; systems engineering and integration; design and development of the SBSS Satellite Operations Center at Schriever; and system operations and maintenance. Ball Aerospace developed, designed, manufactured, integrated and tested the satellite, using the Boeing-built onboard mission data processor.
The SBSS Block 10 satellite, which was built for the U.S. Air Force by a Boeing-led team that includes Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp., was launched by an Orbital Sciences Minotaur IV rocket. The first signals from the advanced space surveillance satellite were received a short time later. The Boeing SBSS Satellite Operations Center at Schriever Air Force Base, Colo., confirmed that the satellite is healthy.
When it goes into operation with the Air Force, the SBSS satellite will be the service’s only space-based sensor capable of detecting and monitoring debris, satellites and other space objects without the disruptions from weather, atmosphere or time of day that limit ground-based observations. The satellite and its ground system will dramatically improve the accuracy and timeliness of tracking and monitoring capabilities, and provide the flexibility to quickly respond to new and changing mission requirements.
“The United States depends on space assets for security, communications, weather forecasting, and many other essential services,” said Craig Cooning, vice president and general manager, Boeing Space & Intelligence Systems. “America’s adversaries recognize this increasing dependence, which makes the need for enhanced space situational awareness more and more vital. Today, the Air Force and Boeing SBSS team are delivering this advanced capability to the nation.”
Shortly after launch, the SBSS satellite began an automated sequence that deployed solar arrays, pointed them at the sun, and initialized satellite operations. For the next two weeks, operators will perform health checks on the satellite bus, followed by payload checkout. Tests include sending simulated space situational awareness tasks to the SBSS Satellite Operations Center, which will send commands to the satellite and collect data from those tasks for the Air Force Joint Space Operations Center. The SBSS system is expected to be ready to perform its mission and be turned over to the Air Force within 60 days.
“The successful launch of SBSS is an important milestone to ensure that this nation’s assets are protected,” said David L. Taylor, president and CEO of Ball Aerospace. “We are proud to be a leader in providing critical technology development to the Air Force’s space situational awareness mission.”
Boeing is responsible for overall program management; systems engineering and integration; design and development of the SBSS Satellite Operations Center at Schriever; and system operations and maintenance. Ball Aerospace developed, designed, manufactured, integrated and tested the satellite, using the Boeing-built onboard mission data processor.
Friday, September 24, 2010
A Japan Air Lines JAL Boeing 747 Cross Wind Landing
A Japan Air Lines JAL Boeing 747 amazing cross wind landing at Kai Tak Airport. Filmed from the checkerboard used for the approach into Kai Tak. The plane overshoots and then lines it up just to get caught in the wind again.
Boeing Marks Construction Milestone on South Carolina 787 Final Assembly Building
NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C., Sept. 24 /PRNewswire/ -- Boeing (NYSE: BA) today marked completion of the steel framework for its new 787 Dreamliner Final Assembly building with a special topping-out ceremony. The event was held in conjunction with BE&K/Turner, the design-builder of the facility.
The final piece of steel was put into place on the 1.1 million-square-foot (102,193 square meters) structure less than a year after the November 2009 groundbreaking. Approximately 18,000 tons of steel are used in the building.
"By this time next year, the Final Assembly building will be complete, and we will have begun production of the first South Carolina-built 787 Dreamliner. That is tremendous – from green-field site to airplane production in about 18 months," said Marco Cavazzoni, vice president and general manager, 787 Final Assembly and Delivery. "The support we've received and continue to receive from our South Carolina partners and suppliers, as well as the state and local community is amazing and is one of the main reasons we've been able to reach these significant milestones in such a short timeframe."
Construction on the new facility is on schedule, with airplane production due to begin in July 2011 and first delivery in first-quarter 2012. At full production rate, Boeing will assemble and deliver three 787s per month from South Carolina to customers around the world. The South Carolina Final Assembly facility will be one of only three in the world producing twin-aisle commercial jetliners.
The final piece of steel was put into place on the 1.1 million-square-foot (102,193 square meters) structure less than a year after the November 2009 groundbreaking. Approximately 18,000 tons of steel are used in the building.
"By this time next year, the Final Assembly building will be complete, and we will have begun production of the first South Carolina-built 787 Dreamliner. That is tremendous – from green-field site to airplane production in about 18 months," said Marco Cavazzoni, vice president and general manager, 787 Final Assembly and Delivery. "The support we've received and continue to receive from our South Carolina partners and suppliers, as well as the state and local community is amazing and is one of the main reasons we've been able to reach these significant milestones in such a short timeframe."
Construction on the new facility is on schedule, with airplane production due to begin in July 2011 and first delivery in first-quarter 2012. At full production rate, Boeing will assemble and deliver three 787s per month from South Carolina to customers around the world. The South Carolina Final Assembly facility will be one of only three in the world producing twin-aisle commercial jetliners.
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Boeing NewGen Tanker Win Would Bring 320 Jobs, $17 Million to New Jersey
ST. LOUIS, Sept. 23, 2010 -- The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] today announced that New Jersey will benefit from an estimated 320 total jobs and generate an estimated $17 million in annual economic impact if the Boeing NewGen Tanker is selected as the U.S. Air Force's next aerial refueling aircraft.
Boeing submitted its proposal July 9 to replace 179 of the Air Force's 400 Eisenhower-era KC-135 aircraft. The Air Force is expected to award a contract in the fall.
“New Jersey is a critical part of Boeing’s mission of providing the U.S. Air Force and its pilots with the most advanced tanker technology available anywhere in the world," said Mark DeVoss, Supplier Management director, Boeing Tanker Programs. “It begins in New Jersey, with the men and women who will help make our NewGen Tanker fly, and whose skilled craftsmanship will ensure that this aircraft can serve America for decades into the future.”
New Jersey manufacturers ready to produce critical components on the NewGen Tanker include Accurate Bushing, of Garwood, and Avionic Instruments, of Avenel.
Currently, Boeing has 179 employees in New Jersey and works with nearly 471 suppliers/vendors, delivering a total $464 million in annual economic impact.
The NewGen Tanker is a widebody, multi-mission aircraft based on the proven Boeing 767 commercial airplane and updated with the latest and most advanced technology. Capable of fulfilling the Air Force's needs for transport of fuel, cargo, passengers and patients, the combat-ready NewGen Tanker will meet or exceed the 372 mandatory requirements described in the service's final KC-X Request for Proposal released Feb. 24.
The NewGen Tanker will be made with a low-risk approach to manufacturing that relies on existing Boeing facilities in Washington state and Kansas as well as U.S. suppliers throughout the nation, with decades of experience delivering dependable military tanker and derivative aircraft. Nationwide, the NewGen Tanker program will support approximately 50,000 total U.S. jobs with Boeing and more than 800 suppliers in more than 40 states.
The Boeing NewGen Tanker also will be more cost-effective to own and operate than a larger, heavier tanker. It will save American taxpayers more than $10 billion in fuel costs over its 40-year service life because it burns 24 percent less fuel than the competitor's airplane.
Boeing has been designing, building, modifying and supporting tankers for decades. These include the KC-135 that will be replaced in the KC-X competition, and the KC-10 fleet. The company also has delivered four KC-767Js to the Japan Air Self-Defense Force and is on contract to deliver four KC-767As to the Italian Air Force.
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| Japan KC-767Js in flying formation, booms extended. The flight pictured is over Kansas during flight test activity. The tankers have since been delivered to Japan and are in operational service. |
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| A B-2 is refueled by the versatile NewGen Tanker |
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| Two NewGen Tankers demonstrating the outstanding capabilities of the aircraft to perform as either a tanker or a receiver. Photo Credit :http://www.unitedstatestanker.com/photos |
Boeing Completes Production of 1st Australian Super Hornet with Provisions for Future Electronic Attack Capability
ST. LOUIS, Sept. 23, 2010 -- Boeing [NYSE: BA] announced today that it has completed production of the first Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) F/A-18F Super Hornet that has the capability to be converted into an electronic attack aircraft.
Boeing is pre-wiring the RAAF's second lot of 12 Super Hornets for potential electronic attack capability conversion during production at the company's facilities in St. Louis.
"Incorporating the ability to introduce an electronic attack capability on 12 RAAF Super Hornets as they are produced in St. Louis provides maximum flexibility for our Air Force in the future," said RAAF Group Capt. Steve Roberton, Officer Commanding 82 Wing, which includes Super Hornet and F-111 aircraft. "Ultimately, if a decision to incorporate an electronic attack option is pursued, it will further expand the broad capability of an already formidable Super Hornet weapon system."
The Australian government announced in March 2007 that it would acquire 24 of the advanced Block II versions of the Super Hornet, all of which are equipped with the Raytheon-built APG-79 Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar. Eleven Super Hornets are now operating at RAAF Base Amberley in Queensland. All 11 aircraft were delivered ahead of schedule and on budget. Boeing will deliver Australia's 24th Super Hornet in 2011.
"Besides giving the RAAF the potential of introducing electronic attack capability in the future, producing these 12 aircraft with this configuration from the outset also reduces cost when compared with retrofitting at a later date," said Carolyn Nichols, Australian Super Hornet program manager for Boeing.
The Boeing Super Hornet is a multirole aircraft, able to perform virtually every mission in the tactical spectrum, including air superiority, day/night strike with precision-guided weapons, fighter escort, close air support, suppression of enemy air defenses, maritime strike, reconnaissance, forward air control and tanker missions. Boeing has delivered more than 430 F/A-18E/Fs to the U.S. Navy. Every Super Hornet produced has been delivered on or ahead of schedule and on budget.
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