Fourth Quarter 2007
Oct. 1, 2007
Boeing says its retail surplus store in Kent, Wash., will close after many years of dealing in everything from titanium drill bits to exotic aviation memorabilia. Boeing Site Services will continue to collect and sell unneeded materials and equipment through other channels. "Many factors have been leading us to a new approach," says David Levenson, manager of Boeing Surplus Sales. "Lean manufacturing and Lean office concepts have reduced the flow of a lot of surplus inventory."
Oct. 2, 2007
Boeing donates $10 million to two Chicago museums in support of science education for Chicago-area youth. The donation is being split equally between Chicago's Adler Planetarium and the Museum of Science and Industry and will be used to create educational exhibits and programming that will inspire young people to pursue careers in areas associated with science and technology.
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Oct. 5, 2007
Boeing says it has delivered the first Extended Block II AH-64D Apache Longbow to the U.S. Army in Mesa, Ariz. The Rotorcraft site is remanufacturing 96 A-model Apaches under the extended Block II contract and continues to produce new-build wartime replacement U.S. Army Apaches while working toward the delivery of Block III Apaches beginning in 2011.
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The U.K. Ministry of Defence announces that Thales UK and Boeing -- through its Boeing Defence UK subsidiary -- have been selected as the preferred bidder for the role of System of Systems Integrator for the Future Rapid Effect System program. The FRES program will provide the British Army with a family of medium-weight, network-enabled, air-deployable armored vehicles to meet up to 16 battlespace roles.
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Oct. 10, 2007
Boeing announces a six-month delay in initial deliveries of the 787 Dreamliner due to continued challenges completing assembly of the first airplanes. Deliveries of the strong-selling Dreamliner are now slated to begin in late November or December 2008, versus an original target of May 2008. First flight is now anticipated around the end of first quarter 2008.
News Release
Oct. 11, 2007
Boeing acquires signals from the first Wideband Global SATCOM satellite, a new military spacecraft that will help meet the growing demand for military satellite communications by providing a tenfold increase in telecommunications capacity over the satellite it will replace. The satellite -- the first of five that Boeing is building for the U.S. Air Force -- was successfully launched at 8:22 p.m. Eastern time on Oct. 10 by a United Launch Alliance Atlas V vehicle from Cape Canaveral Air Force Base, Fla.
News Release
Oct. 12, 2007
The A160T Hummingbird unmanned rotorcraft completes a 12-hour test flight. The aircraft carried a 500-pound payload at an altitude of 5,000 feet, simulating a multisensor operational mission. The flight used less than 60 percent of the aircraft's maximum fuel, demonstrating the advantages of the A160's design. In a November test flight it will reach a speed of 140 knots.
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Air India, the U.S. Export-Import Bank and guaranteed lender ABN AMRO Bank sign a $1.2 billion aircraft financing agreement in support of the airline's purchase of 17 Boeing 777 and 737 airplanes and four spare engines. This agreement represents the first phase of Air India's fleet renewal plan -- the Ex-Im Bank has provided financing commitments for all 68 Boeing jetliners ordered by Air India in December 2005.
Oct. 22, 2007
Boeing says the Singapore Ministry of Defence has exercised an option to purchase eight F-15SGs and has ordered four additional aircraft. The option is part of the original contract for 12 F-15SG aircraft announced by Singapore in 2005. The Boeing F-15SG is a derivative of the U.S. Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle, the world's most capable long-range, multirole fighter. It can simultaneously perform air-to-ground and air-to-air missions during day or night, in virtually any weather.
News Release
The Boeing/NAVAIR P-8A Poseidon team says it has completed its 200th live-fire shot at the U.S. Navy's Weapons Survivability Laboratory in China Lake, Calif. The milestone was reached in late September. P-8A live-fire testing is helping reduce risk by providing engineers with reliable data that can be incorporated into the Poseidon's dry bay fire-protection system design.
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Oct. 23, 2007
Flight tests by the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory and Phantom Works show that an unmanned aerial vehicle can be made smart enough to autonomously rendezvous with a tanker aircraft and refuel it. By adding automated aerial refueling capability to UAVs, their combat radius and mission times can be significantly improved while reducing their forward staging needs and response times.
Oct. 29, 2007
Boeing's board of directors approves a new repurchase plan for up to $7 billion of the company's common stock. The plan is part of a balanced cash-deployment strategy and follows the roughly $8 billion of repurchases Boeing made since resuming its stock buybacks in 2004. "Our strong financial performance allows us to return value to our shareholders while continuing to invest in our growth and becoming more productive," says Boeing Chairman, President and CEO Jim McNerney.
Oct. 30, 2007
Boeing delivers Ryanair's 150th Next-Generation 737-800. From its inception, Ryanair has relied on the 737 -- first the 737 Classic and now the Next-Generation 737 -- to help it meet stringent efficiency, environmental, cost and reliability targets that are critical to the success of its business model. Ryanair has replaced all of its older 737 Classics with the newer Next-Generation 737 and has achieved a 50 percent reduction in carbon-dioxide emissions per passenger kilometer since 1998.
News Release
Nov. 5, 2007
Boeing announces that Chile's LAN Airlines will receive 32 787 Dreamliners, worth approximately $4.5 billion. The Santiago-based carrier has ordered 26 airplanes from Boeing, and will lease an additional six 787-9s from International Lease Finance Corp. In addition to the Dreamliner order, LAN also has committed to acquiring four 777 Freighters -- two from Boeing and two to be leased from GE Commercial Aviation Services.
News Release
Nov. 6, 2007
Boeing completes firm configuration of the 747-8 Intercontinental, marking the completion of major studies needed to finalize the airplane's performance and features. The new airplane will incorporate interior features from the 787 Dreamliner, including a new curved, upswept architecture and new lighting technology.
News Release
Nov. 8, 2007
Boeing announces the airlines and maintenance operations that have signed agreements to participate in the Landing Gear Overhaul Repair and Exchange Program. El Al is the launch customer for the services. Pembroke Group, Goodrich and APPH Aviation Services LTD have all signed on to provide services.
News Release
Nov. 11-12, 2007
At the Dubai Air Show, Boeing announces airplane orders from Emirates (12 777-300ERs), Qatar (30 787s and 4 777 Freighters), LCAL (787s), and Royal Jordanian (two 787s). Boeing also signs a proposal acceptance with Dubai Aerospace Enterprise for 100 airplanes, including 30 737s and a mix of 787s, 777s and 747s.
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Nov. 13, 2007
Boeing ships a developmental heat shield for NASA's Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle that is designed to protect future astronauts from extreme heat during re-entry into Earth's atmosphere following lunar and low-Earth orbit missions. NASA Ames Research Center last year awarded Boeing Advanced Systems a contract to deliver a Thermal Protection System Manufacturing Demonstration Unit for the Orion capsule as part of NASA's Constellation program to return humans to the moon and on to Mars.
News Release
Nov. 14, 2007
The Boeing Tour Center welcomes its 3 millionth visitor. Al Varness, 71, from Kirkland, Wash., and his grandchildren, Michael Petter, 11, and Adam Petter, 7, are given a personal tour of the Everett factory. The tour includes a close-up look at a Boeing 747-400 Freighter and a Boeing 777-300ER (Extended Range) jetliner.
News Release
Nov. 20, 2007
Boeing is awarded the Johnston Memorial Trophy for the X-45A Joint-Unmanned Combat Air System. The U.K. Guild of Air Pilots and Air Navigators has given the award since 1931, and it is considered similar in stature to the Collier Trophy. "This is the first time a Boeing program has received this award and the first time it has been bestowed on an unmanned aircraft, which speaks highly of the company and the incredible advances we accomplished with the X-45A," says George Muellner, Advanced Systems president.
News Release
Nov. 26, 2007
Boeing says that it and the U.S. Air Force have successfully demonstrated how application of a technology called active flow control enables -- for the first time -- munitions to be safely released from a weapons bay at supersonic speeds. The breakthrough occurs during a test at the High-Speed Test Track at Holloman Air Force Base, N.M., conducted by researchers from Boeing Phantom Works and the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory.
Dec. 7, 2007
Boeing receives conditional acceptance of its SBInet Project 28 solution from U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Project 28 is a prototype demonstration of the SBInet security solution that networks cameras, radars, sensors and communications along 28 miles of the U.S.-Mexico border near Sasabe, Ariz. Developed as a proof-of-concept of Boeing's overall SBInet technology solution, Project 28 serves as a test and evaluation system in an operational environment.
Dec. 10, 2007
Boeing's board of directors approves a 14 percent increase in the company's quarterly dividend, to 40 cents a share, the fifth time in the past five years Boeing has increased that payout to shareholders. "This dividend increase reflects our strong financial performance, record backlog and significant liquidity," says Chairman, President and CEO Jim McNerney. "Our focus on growth and productivity continues to drive strong financial results, and our balanced cash deployment strategy is serving Boeing and its shareholders well."
Dec. 11, 2007
The Boeing-led P-8A Poseidon industry team celebrates the start of fuselage production at Spirit AeroSystems' Wichita, Kan., facility. U.S. Navy officials and Spirit and Boeing executives help "deliver" the first fuselage components to mechanics on the factory floor, who then install them in a holding fixture.
Dec. 12, 2007
Boeing says it has conducted a successful first mission system flight test of a 737 Airborne Early Warning and Control aircraft for Turkey's Peace Eagle program. During the flight from Boeing Field in Seattle, Wash., Boeing and Turkish industry engineers tested the aircraft's communications system, including establishing links with a ground-based Boeing system integration lab and local air traffic control towers using UHF, VHF and HF radios. Engineers also tested the internal communications system between personnel within the aircraft.
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Dec. 13, 2007
Boeing and GE Commercial Aviation Services (GECAS) announce a 55-airplane order that includes 53 Next-Generation 737-800s and two Boeing 777-300ER (Extended Range) passenger jetliners. The order is valued at approximately $4.5 billion at list prices.
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Boeing completes more than 90 percent of the design work for the new 777 Freighter cargo airplane. Boeing will start assembly of the first 777 Freighter in early 2008 at its Everett, Wash., facility.
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Dec. 14, 2007
Boeing and AWAS announce that the Dublin-based airplane leasing company has placed an order for 31 Next-Generation 737-800s valued at $2.3 billion at list prices.
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Dec. 20, 2007
Boeing and Qantas Airways announce an order for 31 Next-Generation 737-800 jetliners, the largest single 737 order placed by Qantas for Next-Generation 737s. The order is valued at $2.3 billion at list prices. The airline has ordered 51 Boeing jetliners in 2007, including 20 787-9 Dreamliners.
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