boeing

In a world full of cheap, no-name Android devices, aerospace and defense giant Boeing is going after the opposite end of the spectrum with plans to create a high-end, uber-secure phone based on Google's open-source mobile OS.

National Defense Magazine, a trade publication that focuses on business and technology in the defense sector, reports that the so-called "Boeing Phone" will be designed to be more inexpensive than similar proprietary secure devices that can cost tens of thousands of dollars each, but will not compete directly with BlackBerries, iPhones, and other consumer products.

Boeing executives said the phone is near the end of the development cycle and should be available in the last part of 2012.… Read more

Airbus yesterday formally opened the assembly line of its next-generation A350 when it began final construction of the first test aircraft in Toulouse, France.

The center fuselage section, which arrived at the company's production facility in the belly of an A300-600T (aka the Beluga), can now be joined with the forward fuselage section already in place. Next to come will be the wings and aft fuselage, which are currently being built in plants in Germany and the United Kingdom

The first aircraft, MSN5000, will be used only for static testing on the ground. According to FlightBlogger's Jon Ostrower (… Read more

If you find yourself in the market for a new super luxurious private jet, Boeing has got you covered.

The aviation giant unveiled its latest Boeing Business Jet today, a modified 737-700 capable of carrying 19 passengers up to 6,444 miles at 609 miles per hour.

But beyond its technical specifications, what really makes the plane fit for a king is its luxurious appointments. Starting with its stateroom featuring a king-size bed and private bathroom and shower, the plane also has a guest stateroom with divans that convert into beds for eight passengers.

In addition, the plane has been … Read more

Someday the Phantom Eye will soar at 65,000 feet. For now, Boeing's excited just to see it go four-wheeling on the desert floor.

The hydrogen-powered unmanned aircraft earlier this month took a modest, ground-level spin at Edwards Air Force Base in its first medium-speed taxi test, Boeing said today. Nestled on its launch cart system, the Phantom Eye traveled some 4,000 feet at speeds of up to 30 knots in a trip that lasted less than two minutes. (In the air, it's expected to have a maximum speed of 200 knots.)

Additional taxi tests are yet … Read more

When your products cost tens or hundreds of millions of dollars, you probably want to give your customers the best possible buying experience.

Since the 1960s, airlines and others buying a brand-new Boeing airplane have picked up the 747, 757, 787 Dreamliner, and other models from the aviation giant's 60,000-square-foot Everett Delivery Center. But now, Boeing is building an all-new version of the facility (see video above), an 180,000-square-foot cathedral for picking up new airplanes that is expected to open some time next year.

When Boeing finishes building one of its well-known planes, it is towed to … Read more

Fans of the 747, rejoice! Boeing's flagship jumbo jet is one step closer to flying paying passengers.

Today at its huge Everett, Wash., assembly plant, the aviation giant handed over the very first 747-8 Intercontinental, the next generation of perhaps the most famous airplane in history.

At an event at the plant, about 45 minutes north of Seattle, Boeing delivered the first new 747, a special "VIP" version that will be modified to carry 100 passengers in what has to be assumed is very luxurious style, to "an undisclosed customer." This first plane will be … Read more

A management swap at the top of Boeing's much-hyped 787 Dreamliner program is shining a spotlight on the airline industry's frustration at the slow pace of deliveries of the fuel-efficient and technically advanced plane.

Today, Boeing said that it's shuffling the leadership of the Dreamliner and 777 programs, with Larry Loftis, formerly vice president and general manager of the 777 program, moving into the Dreamliner program's top position. At the same time, Scott Fancher, formerly the VP and GM of the 787 program, is now taking over the 777 efforts.

While Boeing neither characterized the switch … Read more

Now this is clever marketing.

Over the last few months, Boeing has been sending its next-generation airplane, the 787 Dreamliner, all over the world on a goodwill tour meant to impress country after country with its composite materials, its curved wings, and of course its fuel efficiency.

But this month, the aviation giant sent one of its Dreamliners on a very precise flight over the United States. Over the the last two weeks, a 787 has been plying the skies of America, tracing out "787" and Boeing's signature logo over much of the northern U.S.

To … Read more

I live in a place that a lot of big airplanes fly over just after taking off from San Francisco International Airport. While I'm by no means perfect at it, I can often tell you what kind of jet is overhead, and even where it's going. There's a lot of people like me.

But there's also people who don't know anything about planes, and who can't tell the difference between very distinct behemoths like Boeing's 747 and Airbus' A380, let alone jets that on quick inspection look very similar, like Boeing's 737 … Read more