The line of demarcation between how Boeing and Airbus
are investing for the future could not be clearer. While
Airbus is investing in a gigantic super jumbo, we are
investing in developing the Boeing 7E7, a highly efficient
200–250-seat airplane that will provide nonstop
service between more city pairs. We believe millions
of busy people, given a choice, will prefer to fly directly
to their destinations rather than endure lengthy stopovers
at major hubs like Narita and Heathrow.
Two new Boeing businesses — Connexion by BoeingSM and
Boeing
Air Traffic Management — have the potential to transform the future of
flight. For passengers on long-distance flights, Connexion will make the airplane
seem more like the office or home, allowing passengers to be connected — any
time, anywhere. Just as important, it will facilitate communications between
the airplane and the ground regarding plane maintenance and security, passenger
health and inclement weather. Two major international carriers began piloting
this broadband service in early 2003. A new global air traffic management system — proposed
by Boeing — is receiving increased attention and focus in world capitals.
It would dramatically enhance the efficiency, capacity, security and safety of
the current ground-based traffic control system.
Although the downturn in the commercial airplane market has affected
Boeing Capital Corporation, we continue to believe in the long-term value of
commercial aviation to the global economy and remain committed to our finance
business. We continue to structure transactions that acknowledge present and
future risk, provide appropriate returns and support our customers. |
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In the defense arena, there are tremendous
opportunities for market-shaping initiatives. The United
States is
now embarked on a major defense buildup. More than that,
the senior leaders of the U.S. armed forces are embracing
sweeping change — or “transformation” — as
a strategic imperative in the post–Cold War, post–September
11 defense environment. They talk of “integrated
battlespace” — a future state in which sensors
and space-based communication systems allow our forces
to know with precision where everything is in relation
to everything else on Earth, in the air and at sea. In
a networked world of interoperable platforms and systems,
sensor-to-action times are reduced from days, or hours,
to minutes, or even seconds. And it is not just commanders
who will possess true situational awareness, but every
soldier, sailor, pilot and crew, and marine in the battlespace.
We can lift the “fog of war.”
And we have established Boeing as the leading industry partner for
the U.S. military’s transformation. A few years ago, we identified a handful
of transformational competitions as key to the future:
 Future
Combat Systems for the Army
Joint
Tactical Radio Systems, a revolutionary communications
system for the Army
FAB-T,
or Family of Advanced Beyond-Line-of-Sight Terminals
for the Air Force
In 2002, we won every one of these transformational contracts. They
are great growth engines for the future. Combined with other wins in missile
defense, Airborne Laser and Future Imagery Architecture, Boeing is the clear
leader among defense contractors in creating the network-centric defense systems
of tomorrow. |
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