Aeronautics

The decade-long war is over: EADS North America has conceded defeat to Boeing in the campaign to capture a multibillion-dollar deal to build a new aerial tanker for the U.S. Air Force.

Last week, the Pentagon announced that it had selected Boeing to build the next-generation KC-46A tanker in a long-term arrangement that could eventually be worth $30 billion. For starters, the Chicago-based aerospace titan is getting $3.5 billion to build the first four of a projected 179 of the new tankers. It has to deliver 18 by 2017.

"Boeing was a clear winner," Deputy Defense … Read more

EVERETT, Wash.--The 747-8 Intercontinental is here.

Sporting an all-new corporate color scheme--red and orange, instead of blue, Boeing pulled back the wraps on the next-generation of its iconic 747 line. Touting the plane as being able to carry more passengers longer and faster, and at better fuel and cost efficiency than other commercial planes, Boeing is hoping to make a big splash in the industry with the new plane.

CNET was on hand for all the festivities. Please stay tuned for a full story and photo gallery on the big event. But for now, enjoy this photo of the … Read more

Only six years after the film "Stealth," Northrop Grumman has demonstrated its much ballyhooed X-47B robot stealth plane, successfully completing a 29-minute test flight to 5,000 feet at Edwards Air Force Base in California.

Developed under a $635 million Navy contract, the unmanned, tailless jet provides greater range and power by taking off from aircraft carriers, delivering laser-guided bombs and refueling in the air.

The test flight, which had been expected to take place over a year ago, is a first step to demonstrating the plane on a carrier. Northrop Grumman now says that will happen in … Read more

Rebounding from its latest scheduling setback, Boeing now says that it expects to deliver its first 787 Dreamliner in the third quarter.

In December, the company resumed flight testing of its marquee commercial aircraft, which had been halted in early November because of an onboard fire sparked by a faulty electrical power panel.

Boeing said today that the rescheduled delivery date factors in the time that it needs to produce, install, and test updated software and new power distribution panels in both flight test and production versions of the Dreamliner.

Of the six 787 aircraft being used for flight tests, … Read more

Given that we are unlikely to get past 2012, perhaps it's churlish to even think of what 2025 might look like.

However, the indelible optimists at NASA have revealed images of commercial aircraft designs that might well take to the air, should 2025 actually materialize.

It seems that in the darker parts of 2010, NASA gave Lockheed Martin, Boeing, and Northrop Brumman money to ponder what improvements might be made to our current aerial cattle carriers.

The initial designs, published on NASA's own site, will make some drool and a few, perhaps, shiver.

For at least two of … Read more

When it comes to unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), hydrogen is all the rage.

The first hydrogen-powered, unmanned UAV flight took place over California yesterday, AeroVironment, a company with 20 years experience in building unmanned aircraft, announced. Dubbed Global Observer, the "unmanned aircraft system" took off from Edwards Air Force Base and lasted more than four hours in the air. The company said the aircraft was able to reach an altitude of 5,000 feet.

Last year, Global Observer was put to the test at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center. The government organization load tested Global Observer's … Read more

Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus, and he's equipped with the latest in satellite-based technology to get you your toys on time (and in one piece).

So says the Federal Aviation Administration, which announced this week that its safety inspectors had certified St. Nick's sleigh, Santa One, for its annual chimney-chasing trek around the globe.

"Children around the world will get their gifts on time, regardless of the weather, thanks to NextGen," a new air traffic control technology, U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said in a statement. "We're proud to say NextGen … Read more

Boeing announced today that it is resuming flight testing for its 787 Dreamliner program six weeks after an onboard fire halted the evaluation program and forced a test aircraft to land in Laredo, Texas.

Boeing said in a statement it returned test aircraft ZA004 to flight after it had installed an interim version of updated power distribution system software and completed a "rigorous set of reviews to confirm flight readiness." In the past few weeks, Boeing and supplier Hamilton Sundstrand completed initial verification of the changes with simulator and ground-based testing.

Boeing spokeswoman Lori Gunter told CNET that … Read more

For the U.S. Navy, the age of steam may finally be almost over.

Over the weekend, the Navy made its first-ever launch of an aircraft, an F/A-18E Super Hornet, using a cutting-edge electromagnetic apparatus. The test operation of the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS) is a significant, though still preliminary, achievement in the Navy's planned shift away from the steam catapults that have been in use on aircraft carriers for more than a half-century.

"Saturday's EMALS launch demonstrates an evolution in carrier flight deck operations using advanced computer control, system monitoring, and automation for tomorrow'… Read more