boeing

Boeing building lasers for Navy machine guns

Boeing is formally joining an effort to give directed-energy capabilities to U.S. Navy machine guns through a BAE Systems effort to develop the Mk 38 Mod 2 Tactical Laser System.

The technology will unite a solid-state, high-energy laser weapon module with BAE's Mk 38 Mod 2 gun system. It will add adjustable levels of laser energy to counter threats such as small boats and UAVs.

"This is revolutionary--to combine kinetic and directed energy weapons capability into one system," says Boeing spokesperson Elizabeth Merida. "Adding the laser system provides extremely precise targeting ability."

The tie-up … Read more

Building the A380, the world's largest passenger plane

BLAGNAC, France--What would you do with nearly 6,000 square feet of private airplane?

That's the question I'm asking myself as I look up at what will soon be one of the largest private planes in the world--an Airbus A380 slated for an unknown buyer. Two full decks of luxury in the sky, right in front of me, and sadly, I won't get to see what it looks like.

But I do get to see how A380s are made. As part of Road Trip 2011, I've come here to Airbus' Jean-Luc Lagardere plant, just outside Toulouse, … Read more

Boeing, ANA begin flying 787 Dreamliner test routes in Japan

Boeing said late Sunday that ANA, the airline that is the first customer of its 787 Dreamliner, has begun flying test routes in Japan.

In a statement, the aviation giant said that during the step, which it considers a vital one leading to first delivery of the Dreamliner, likely in August or September, ANA pilots flew actual routes in Japan using what it called "airline dispatch and flight rules."

The first 787 landed in Tokyo Sunday at 6:21 a.m. (local time) in front of a thousand ANA employees, press, and airplane fans. The plane is the … Read more

Zap! Boeing builds truck-mounted laser weapon

Boeing recently built key parts of a truck-mounted laser weapon for the U.S. Army that will shoot down short-range projectiles and UAVs and it's set to test it later this year, according to a company release.

Important components of the Army's High Energy Laser Technology Demonstrator (HEL TD) were installed on an eight-wheel Heavy Expanded Mobility Tactical Truck.

It's scheduled to be tested at low power at White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico in the fourth quarter of 2011. … Read more

Paris Air Show: Boeing and a whole lot more (roundup)

For aviation junkies, it doesn't get any better than the biggest air show of the year. CNET's coverage includes on-the-scene reporting from our own Daniel Terdiman.

Siemens hybrid electric aircraft debuts in Paris The serial hybrid electric drive train that powers the glider is similar in concept to that of the Chevy Volt. (Posted in Green Tech by Candace Lombardi) June 23, 2011 10:04 AM PDT

Raytheon sells high-tech situational awareness At Paris show, military contractor is showcasing new technologies, including one intended to allow commanders in the field to triangulate multiple sources of intelligence data. Photos: Aviation world jets into Paris Air Show (… Read more

In Paris, the 747-8 Intercontinental paints the town orange

PARIS--As he neared the end of the nearly 10-hour flight from Everett, Wash., to the French capital and the Paris Air Show here, Boeing chief pilot Mark Feuerstein got some unexpected gratification.

"It was a real quiet flight over," Feuerstein said of the trip that began just an hour north of Seattle, where Boeing builds many of its biggest passenger planes. "But as we approached Paris, it became a big deal. People knew who we were, on the radio. It was exciting. A lot of the pilots in the area saw us and were commenting, asking, 'Is … Read more

Boeing hosts Paris Air Show preview

In two days the annual Paris Air Show opens at Le Bourget Airport just outside the French capital. Aviation geeks of all stripes know the event is the biggest and best air show in the world, with just about every airplane you can imagine. And as it has always done, Boeing will be making the flight from Seattle to Paris to show off its newest aircraft, like the 747-8 and the 787 Dreamliner. There, the company will face off with rival Airbus and a number of smaller manufacturers like Bombardier and Embraer.

As part of his Road Trip 2011 CNET'… Read more

Boeing 747-8F to cross Atlantic on biofuel

Boeing today said one of its 747-8 freighters will be the first commercial jetliner to do a transatlantic flight on "biologically derived fuel."

According to the aviation giant, Boeing's Keith Otsuka and Rick Braun, along with Sten Rossby of Cargolux, will pilot the new plane to the Paris Air Show on Monday using a 15 percent camelina-based biofuel mix. The remainder of the fuel will be traditional Jet-A kerosene.

In a press release, the company described camelina as a plant grown in Montana and processed by Honeywell, and said that the freighter doesn't require any modifications … Read more

New jumbo jet performs ultimate aborted takeoff

There is no plane I feel safer in than a Boeing 747. Its sheer size and its apparent effortlessness offer something no other plane seems to manage: the ability for passengers to relax.

And they don't seem to drop out of the sky all that often either.

However, Boeing is introducing a new and more economical version of the jumbo jet, the 747-8. So, in order to test its capabilities and secure safety certification, Boeing conducted an experiment to see just how well the new plane could abort takeoff.

They loaded it with almost 1 million pounds of weight … Read more

Buzz Out Loud 1461: Sony, you're killing us. (Podcast)

Every company can be hacked, but we didn't expect Sony to tell us that an additional 24 millions users and over 12,000 credit cards were acquired. It's not looking good for you guys.Microsoft and RIM are new BFFs in the mobile space and they need each other, plus new iMacs! Just like we predicted.