Aerospace-Defense News Archives

The Boeing Co. says it will lay off 750 Southern California employees following the loss of a lucrative satellite contract to a rival aerospace firm.

Boeing said in a statement Tuesday the cuts will be focused on engineering staff at its El Segundo and Seal Beach plants.

The company said the first 100 employees will be notified this month, with the layoffs to occur in July.

The reduction will take Boeing's satellite division staff from 7,200 employees to about 6,450.

The move comes after Boeing lost a major U.S. Air Force satellite contract to rival Lockheed Martin Corp.

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A Rockwell Collins Inc. executive announced is retiring and the company named an immediate successor.

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GD delivers Unmanned Surface Vessel General Dynamics Robotic Systems has delivered the first 11-meter "Fleet" class Anti-Submarine Warfare Unmanned Surface Vehicle to the U.S. Navy as part of the Littoral ...

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Elbit Systems Ltd., the Haifa, Israel, defense contractor, reported that first-quarter net income rose 68% on 53% higher revenue.

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Bombardier Inc. will sell 35 planes as part of a transaction valued at $1.2 billion with Swiss business-jet operator VistaJet Holding SA, which also agreed to buy Bombardier's charter unit for an undisclosed ...

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NEW YORK - Bill O'Reilly, who hosts a show on U.S. news channel Fox News, is mounting an "extraordinary televised assault" on Jeffrey Immelt, the chief executive of General Electric, the Washington Post ...

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“We're continuing to look at possible defense acquisitions”

PARIS : EADS has drawn up a list of acquisition targets in the United States but does not plan a rival bid for DRS Technologies, a U.S. military contractor, the EADS chief executive, Louis Gallois, said ... via International Herald Tribune

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“It was time to find a CFO for the longer term”

In this Dec. 16, 2002 file photo, Donald J. Carty reacts to a question from the media after meeting in St. via Kansas.com

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Cessna Aircraft Co. , a Textron Inc. subsidiary, is displaying an interior mock-up of the Citation Columbus this week at the European Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition. via Wichita Business Journal

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The Boeing Company announced Monday it reached a key milestone in the Advanced Tactical Laser demonstration program by firing a high-energy chemical laser aboard a C-130H aircraft in ground tests for the first ... via KOAT.com

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The Federal Bureau of Investigation has given General Dynamics Corp. 's information technology division an information technology management contract. via Washington Business Journal

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“If we were to pull out of Iraq next year, what's the worst that could happen, what's the doomsday scenario?”

Bill O'Reilly, the Fox News star, is mounting an extraordinary televised assault on the chief executive of General Electric, calling him a "pinhead" and a "despicable human being" who bears responsibility for ... via Free Republic

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Software engineer Rex Jameson stretches in a robotic soldier suit, being made for the U.S. Army by Raytheon, in Salt Lake City. via Salt Lake Tribune

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“Hundreds of cities across the United States are in the same position”

U.S. markets open with slide Friday NEW YORK, May 16 -- U.S. stock indexes started lower Friday in spite of news that housing starts rebounded 8.2 percent in April. via Daily India

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A former employee is suing Rockwell Collins in Cedar Rapids for violating his civil rights. via KCRG

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A US government contract has gone to the Lockheed Martin to start building a new generation of global positioning satellites. via Myanmar News.net

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“The focus today is going to be the Fed speakers and the economic data -- if there are signs of stabilization, the market could jump”

Stock index futures were little changed on Thursday as reports of a possible spin-off at General Electric offset rising oil prices. via Earth Times

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“The upgrades to Bombardier's ratings reflect improved credit metrics, the company's progress in realizing higher margins and cash flow, and a solid outlook for many of its end-markets”

Bombardier Inc. shares soared yesterday to the highest level in nearly six years as another rating agency upgraded the transportation giant's debt ratings. via Times-Transcript

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“GE has already changed and this is making official what the market has already sorted out.”

By jettisoning one of its most iconic units, General Electric would join a small but high-profile club of companies that famously parted ways with businesses once synonymous with their brand names. via KIRO-TV Seattle

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“I will continue working to help ensure that this provision remains in the final authorization that comes out of conference committee and, ultimately, that the funding for this important project is included in the coming defense appropriations bill”

A key congressional committee is pushing for the construction of the 10th in a series of amphibious warships that are built at Northrop Grumman shipyards in Mississippi and Louisiana, a major manufacturing ... via Sunherald.com

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“Everybody likes the idea of being a superhero, and this is all about expanding the capabilities of a human”

Software engineer Rex Jameson, wearing a robotic soldier suit being made for the U.S. Army by Raytheon, poses next to a mockup statue of a future soldier on Monday, April 14, 2008, in Salt Lake City. via PhysOrg Weblog

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“This is also a vindication of NDS”

Plane maker Airbus and diversified manufacturer Honeywell International said yesterday that they are developing a biofuel that by 2030 could satisfy nearly one-third of the worldwide demand from commercial ... via The Courier-Journal

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“It's a recognition that there is not anything that is untouchable at this point.”

General Electric Co. said Friday that it plans to sell or spin off its iconic appliance business that for a century sold refrigerators, air conditioners and ovens for millions of homes.

The industrial conglomerate said in a statement the move is part of an ongoing plan to exit "slower growth and more volatile businesses."

GE's 101-year-old appliance business, headquartered in Louisville, Ky., has been hurt by the housing slump and economic slowdown in the U.S. The appliance division had revenues of $7 billion last year and employs about 13,000 people worldwide. Read more

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Wall Street turned higher in erratic trading Thursday as a batch of reports pointed to an economy that is hurting, but not experiencing as rough a time as many investors expected after the near-collapse of the mortgage market.

Some deals at major companies including General Electric Co. and CBS Corp. also helped stocks stay afloat.

"The encouraging news is that the markets have become more functional, and large companies are able to make strategic purchases and sales, which previously was a very difficult thing to do," said Alan Gayle, senior investment strategist for RidgeWorth Capital Management. Still, he added, "the market is still trying to digest the severity of the slowdown." Read more

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Brazilian airplane-maker Embraer is expected to announce today that it will build a factory in Brevard County that could bring hundreds of new jobs to the Space Coast, according to people familiar with the ...

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“We have had a great response to this project”

A renewable energy company founded by billionaire T. Boone Pickens said Thursday it's buying 667 wind turbines from General Electric Co. to start what it expects will be the world's largest wind energy project.

Mesa Power says the Pampa Wind Project will be in the Texas panhandle and will use GE turbines that can each produce 1,000 megawatts of electricity.

The project's $2 billion first phase -- one of four planned -- will make enough to power more than 300,000 average U.S. homes. When completed in 2014, it will become the world's largest wind energy project, with more than 4,000 megawatts of electricity, enough for 1.3 million homes, Mesa Power said. Read more

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“If the Air Force determines that the subsidy did impact the competition, then it must find a way to remove the impact from the competition to ensure the fairness of the process”

The head of the U.S. House of Representatives Armed Services Committee is conditionally seeking a review of any illegal subsidies' role in a $35 billion refueling-aircraft contest lost by Boeing Co, a committee ... via Reuters

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General Electric CEO Jeff Immelt May Have Hard Time Finding Buyers for Finance Units; Investors Want Immelt to Reduce Dependency on Finance Units; GE Operations Update Set for May 21st via ClipSyndicate

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A version of the Company's Rotapower engine is designed in such a way that the engine's two rotors operate in series rather than parallel. via PR-inside.com

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General Electric Co is looking to sell its appliance unit in an auction that could bring in $5 billion to $8 billion, The Wall Street Journal reported on its website on Wednesday. via Reuters

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“Our lightweight .50 caliber machine gun represents a new generation of weapon systems”

General Dynamics has won a contract to develop a next generation .50 caliber machine gun for the U.S. Army . via Washington Business Journal

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Raytheon Company has teamed with Swift Engineering, Inc. to provide the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps with an unmanned aircraft system for their respective Small Tactical Unmanned Aircraft Systems and Tier 2 ... via Alert 5

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“Customers around the world recognize the inherent technological and economic advantages of a driverless rail system that is capable of negotiating steep grades and tight corners while providing short headways”

- Bombardier Transportation has announced the sale of 14 more vehicles to Vancouver's SkyTrain transit network.

The Berlin-based railway equipment division of Bombardier Inc. (TSX:BBD.B) said Tuesday the Vancouver order - exercising an option linked to a 34-vehicle contract signed in November 2006 - raises the number of ART units sold worldwide to 610.

Raymond Betler, president of the transit systems division, said the fact that more than 250 vehicles have been ordered in less than four years indicates strong demand for the ART system and its linear-induction-motor technology. Read more

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Italy's biggest defense company Finmeccanica agrees to buy DRS Technologies to win more contracts with Pentagon. via ClipSyndicate

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“We're committed to transforming Mobile into the centerpiece of an expanding aerospace corridor.”

Posted by George Talbot May 13, 2008 9:31 AM Categories: Breaking News Northrop Grumman Corp. via Alabama Live

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“Boeing's tanker protest has convinced the Air Force that it must have a very compelling case ready when it makes a contract award”

The Air Force is expected this week to award either Lockheed Martin Corp. or Boeing Co. via Chicago Tribune

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“We're honored that Savi's asset management software has earned the trust of the U.S. Army through its nine-year track record of ensuring that soldiers know precisely where munitions are stored to meet the needs of war fighters in the field”

Savi, a Lockheed Martin company, has been awarded a contract with the U.S. Army Joint Munitions Command for a government-developed, automated information system that supports depot-level ammunition logistics ... via Imaging Magazine

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American International Group Inc. isn't the first company that comes to mind when one thinks about innovation. via Insurance News Net

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“A higher level of sales activity this quarter was offset by foreign exchange translation adjustments”

- MacDonald Dettwiler and Associates Ltd. (TSX:MDA), which had the sale of its space division to a U.S. defence contractor officially blocked by Ottawa last week, said profit in the first quarter rose 23 per cent, but revenues fell due to the appreciation of the loonie.

Vancouver-based MDA reported first-quarter earnings of $26 million or 64 cents per share on revenues of $290 million for the quarter ended March 31.

That compared to profit of $21 million or 49 cents per share on revenues of $306 million for the first quarter of 2007. Read more

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Italian aerospace company Finmeccanica Spa confirmed it is to make a friendly takeover bid worth $5.2 billion for DRS Technologies Inc of the United States. via Earth Times

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The U.S. space agency says its Phoenix Mars Lander is on course for a May 25 landing on Mars. via The Post Chronicle

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Shares of Willis Lease Finance Corp . , are treading higher this morning after the lessor of commercial jet engines said before the opening bell that first-quarter revenues and earnings grew 19%, as demand for ... via All Stories

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SEATTLE : The Boeing Co. has announced the completion of an order by El Al Israel Airlines for four 777-200ERs. The extended-range passenger jets are worth $850 million at list prices, although customers ... via International Herald Tribune

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International Lease Finance Corp, a unit of American International Group , is worried by the insurer's financial troubles and mulling a split from it, the Wall Street Journal said on Monday, citing people ... via Reuters

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“PICS is intended to alert Army commanders in a matter of milliseconds of the location of a potential ground-based threat launch to enable defensive systems to effectively neutralize the threat”

Northrop Grumman Receives Contract to Develop 360-Degree Warning System to Detect Ground-Based Threats Source: PrimeNewswire Publication date: 2008-05-06 LINTHICUM, Md., May 6, 2008 -- Northrop Grumman ... via Military Officer

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“Continued growth in all sectors of the aerospace industry, and relative stability in foreign exchange rates that impact Magellan, allowed Magellan to increase revenue and profit in spite of temporary slowdowns in selected pre-production programs.”

- Magellan Aerospace Corp. (TSX:MAL) said Friday it earned a first-quarter profit of $2.1 million, compared with a loss of $1.7 million a year ago.

The company, which makes aircraft parts and does aircraft maintenance work, said the profit amounted to two cents per share for the three months ended March 31 compared with a loss of two cents per share a year ago.

Quarterly revenue was $161.1 million, up from $144.1 million.

"The first quarter of 2008 showed improvement over previous periods, and was consistent with the performance expected by Magellan management," the company said. Read more

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“This programme will strengthen our footprint and allow us to deliver C2 capability into every NATO country”

LONDON, May 6 /PRNewswire/ -- Northrop Grumman Corporation announced that it has been selected by the NATO C3 Agency to provide hardware and software support services for the roll-out of the Maritime Command ... via Earth Times

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A maintenance contract has been signed between Skywest Airlines and Bombardier Services Corporation , a subsidiary of Bombardier Inc., under which BSC will perform C checks, other heavy maintenance and ... via Aircraft Maintenance Technology

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Thales UK released photos of the new Watchkeeper UAV maiden flight in Northern Israel after permission to publish the pictures had been blocked for three weeks because of political considerations, according to ... via CNET News.com

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“The aerospace and oil and natural gas industries each require high performance components that operate over wide temperature ranges”

Honeywell announced today that its Aerospace business has unveiled a new high temperature Silicon On Insulator electronic component with dual applications in the aerospace and oil industries. via Intelligent Enterprise

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U.S. space shuttle Discovery will undergo a terminal countdown test this week in preparation for its STS-124 mission to the International Space Station. via The Post Chronicle

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“The news is surprisingly optimistic, and if you put everything together this looks fairly encouraging”

Northrop Grumman Corp.'s military contract to build a new robotic plane could be a boon for the company and Southern California, experts say. via Daily India

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“He was subject to the control of the people who held him, but there were things he could do to maintain his honor and control himself”

Streamers are released following the christening of the Arleigh Burke Class Destroyer Stockdale Saturday, May 10, 2008 at Bath Iron Works in Bath, Maine. via The Florida Times-Union