Leeham News and Analysis
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AI: “The precipice of an absolute technology revolution”
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By Scott Hamilton
Part 4
In 2017, Boeing published “Innovation Quarterly”, covering a wide range of company efforts in new technology–including Artificial Intelligence. Credit: Boeing.
April 23, 2026, © Leeham News: Expanding the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) will be an important part of developing Boeing’s next new airplane, whatever it is.
During an appearance last month at the Pacific Northwest AIAA (American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics), Boeing’s VP of Product Development outlined how AIAA may be used in the future. Brian Yutko declined to specifically tie AI to any specific new airplane program. However, he addressed how this and other new technology applies to new aircraft development.
In addition, LNA has been independently learning from its sources how Boeing will use AI for its future airplane programs.
Yet for all the growing attention about AI in today’s world, it’s hardly new. As far back as 2017, Boeing began telling the world about its interests in AI. In June that year, Boeing announced that its Boeing HorizonX venture capital arm acquired a Texas firm, SparkCognition, a machine-learning company.
“SparkCognition has established itself as a machine learning technology leader, developing a cognitive, data-driven analytics platform for the safety, security and reliability of data technology for customers in energy, oil and gas, manufacturing, finance, aerospace, defense, telecommunications and security,” Boeing said in its press release.
A search of Boeing’s archives reveals announcement after announcement about AI investment, research and activities.
On perhaps a more mundane level, the maintenance monitoring systems on Boeing, Airbus and other airplanes have long been a money-saving part of operations. As airliners are enroute, these systems monitor the “health” of the aircraft. If something “wrong” is detected, a message can be sent to the airline’s maintenance department to be ready with a solution as soon as the aircraft arrives at its gate.
Related Articles
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- What will Boeing’s next new airplane be?
- New technology for Boeing’s next airplane
- WISK technology for Boeing’s next airplane
Boeing 1Q2026 Earnings: Defense business is booming due to Iran War
By Karl Sinclair
April 22, 2026, © Leeham News: “We’re already seeing higher demand in our defense business given the increased operational tempo, which over time will be a good offset to any potential commercial MRO weakness that results from these higher fuel prices,” The Boeing Company (BA) CEO Kelly Ortberg said today on the 1Q2026 earnings call.
He elaborated further on what the war means financially for the corporation.
“Let me give you a couple of examples of areas where I think this new defense budget is going to benefit us as well. We see $5bn in the budget for F-47. Increasing KC-46 production, $4bn. F-15EX, $3bn. The enhanced strategic SATCOM of $2bn. Massive increases in weapon systems as well. If you look at the backdrop of this, while it is funding new capability, it is really funding additional production of existing systems, which should be low risk for us,” he said.
While the defense sector appears to be the financial beneficiary of the conflict, Boeing sees little downside to commercial orders in the Middle East region.
“Fourteen percent of our unit backlog is in the Middle East for customers, but two-thirds of that backlog delivers out in 2030 and beyond. We have pretty good ability to re-sequence airplanes in the 12 to 18-month timeframe, so I think we will be okay,” he explained.
RTX Q1 2026 Earnings: Conflict Drives Defense Focus as RTX Delivers Strong Start, Pratt Responds to Airbus in A320 Glider Spat
By Chris Sloan
April 21, 2026 © Leeham News: RTX opened its 2026 financial reporting with a robust first quarter, but the earnings call was dominated by the implications of the conflict in the Middle East following the launch of Operation Epic Fury on Feb. 28. The late-quarter timing limited any material impact on first-quarter results, but the discussion quickly shifted to how the evolving situation could influence both commercial demand and defense spending.
Analysts pointed to RTX’s diversified structure as a key advantage in this environment. Vertical Research Partners said, “while investors may not be huge fans of diversification, RTX’s 1Q results have shown that sometimes it can work out,” citing “aftermarket growth at Pratt, OEM growth at Collins, and munitions growth at Raytheon” as drivers of strong performance, with the latter “driving the upside to the 2026 guidance.”
As a prime contractor across propulsion, avionics and defense systems, RTX sits at the center of the defense response. Demand for defense products and services remained robust, with increased focus on munitions production, replenishment cycles and sustained operational tempo across U.S. and allied forces.
President and Chief Executive Officer Christopher Calio said adjusted sales were $22.1bn, up 10% organically, with growth across all three segments. Adjusted EPS of $1.78 increased 21% year-over-year, driven by 14% growth in segment operating profit, while free cash flow reached $1.3bn, up $500mn from a year ago.
Orders reflected this strength. Calio shared the book-to-bill was 1.14, with backlog reaching a record $271bn, up 25% year-over-year, supported by both commercial and defense awards. The defense side, particularly munitions and systems, was a key contributor to growth and visibility.
RTX Q1 2026 Earnings Slide
GE Aerospace Q1 2026 Earnings: Conflict in the Middle East Overshadows Strong Start to 2026
By Chris Sloan
April 21, 2026, © Leeham News: GE Aerospace opened 2026 with a strong quarter, but the earnings call was dominated by the impact of the conflict in the Middle East following the launch of Operation Epic Fury on Feb. 28. Chief Executive Officer Larry Culp said the company was “embracing today’s reality,” even as performance remained solid. The late-quarter timing limited the impact on first-quarter results, but the disruption began to shape expectations for the balance of the year.
Culp pointed to a robust start, with orders up 87%, revenue rising 29%, and operating profit increasing 18%. Growth was led by Commercial Engines & Services (CES), with services revenue climbing 39% and total engine deliveries increasing 43%. The CEO credited FLIGHT DECK execution for improved output across programs including LEAP and GEnx.
Chief Financial Officer Rahul Ghai highlighted strength in equipment, with revenue up 20% and engine deliveries increasing 50%, including a 63% rise in LEAP units. Widebody deliveries also increased more than 25%, driven by GEnx, with additional contribution from GE9X ramp activity.
How Boeing’s WISK technology may apply to its next new airplane
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By Scott Hamilton
Part 3
April 21, 2026, © Leeham News: In 2000-2001, Boeing revealed the concept it called the Sonic Cruiser.
This sleek, futuristic airplane was conceived to cruise just below the speed of sound. Once an airplane crosses this threshold, it flies at supersonic speeds. The Sonic Cruiser’s concept cruising speed was 0.97 Mach.
In 2000-2001, Boeing floated the Sonic Cruiser as a possible new airliner. Cruising just below the speed of sound, the concept died after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Airlines wanted efficiency, not speed. Technology from the Sonic Cruiser were shifted to what became the Boeing 787. Credit: Boeing.
There are all sorts of technical challenges for cruising just below the speed of sound, but this isn’t what killed the project. The terrorist attacks of 9/11 were a game-changer for airlines. They became more interested in dramatically lower fuel consumption. The Sonic Cruiser would burn the same fuel as 1982’s Boeing 767.
So, Boeing scrapped the Cruiser and began applying technology from this to a new idea, the 7E7. Thus, a new, all-composite airplane with an advanced wing design and a spacious, futuristic-looking interior was born: the 787.
Airlines wrecked the spaciousness by putting nine economy seats in a space designed for eight, but the 787 went on to become the best-selling twin-aisle airplane in the world.
Applying new technology from a design that never went beyond the concept stage is not new. Boeing today continues to follow this pattern with its WISK four-passenger autonomous eVTOL.-
Brian Yutko, VP of Product Development for Boeing Commercial Airplanes. Credit: Leeham News.
Brian Yutko, Boeing Commercial Airplanes’ VP of Product Development, last month outlined how WISK’s new technology is likely to migrate to the next new airplane, whatever it is. He spoke at the Pacific Northwest chapter of AIAA (American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics).
WISK is Boeing’s four-passenger autonomous eVTOL. The first test flight was at the end of last year. There were no squawks, he said.
Related Articles
- Boeing’s 30 year march to a new airplane
- What will Boeing’s next new airplane be?
- New technology for Boeing’s next airplane
Preview 1Q2026: How quickly things can change: this time, it’s not Boeing
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By Karl Sinclair
April 20, 2026, © Leeham News: At the very least, The Boeing Company (BA) can point to external forces beyond its control this time for a setback in its road to recovery.
Just when it seemed that a difficult six-year stretch was finally in the rearview mirror, along comes another crisis to spoil the party.
Skyrocketing jet fuel prices caused by an ill-advised “special military operation” into Iran, initiated by President Donald Trump and combined with a blockade of a blockade is throwing an entire industry predicated on long-term projections and steadiness in the markets, into the dustbin.
It is hard to find any positives in what is coming.
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Pontifications: Don’t give Spirit a bailout
Commentary
By Scott Hamilton
April 19, 2026, © Leeham News: News broke on Friday that US ultra low cost carrier (ULCC) Spirit Airlines wants a few hundred million dollars from the federal government to save it from liquidation.
The reason: the price of jet fuel more than doubled since Feb. 28 when Donald Trump directed the military to bomb Iran. Trump didn’t ask Congress for authority to commence this war. Israel simultaneously undertook its own bombing.
Iran responded by bombing Israel and just about every other country in the Middle East, and by attacking a US aircraft carrier and unarmed oil tankers. The Strait of Hormuz was closed, cutting off the supply of about 20% of the global oil.
As someone who began his aviation career with the first Midway Airlines in Chicago in 1979, I have a natural affinity for low fare carriers. I support new airlines and for the most part, I oppose industry consolidation that results in making the mega-carriers even bigger and stronger.
That said, the US government shouldn’t bail out Spirit.
Like the clock striking 12, the Trump Administration blamed the Biden Administration for Spirit’s current plight. Biden’s Justice Department rejected a merger between JetBlue and Spirit on anti-trust grounds, concluding that the combination would be anti-consumer.
I opposed the merger when it was proposed in 2022. Spirit was such a basket case even then that I concluded Spirit would drag JetBlue into bankruptcy. Before the weekend, JetBlue’s founder, David Neeleman (who left the airline years ago) opined that JetBlue would be in bankruptcy before the end of this year. The airline was struggling in 2022, and it was struggling before the current Iran War began.
Diamonds are an MRO’s best friend
Science & Technology Editor
AIN
The small dark circles on these titanium components contain diamond nanoparticles whose random orientation creates a fingerprint no counterfeiter can replicate. DUST Identity’s new Theseus platform uses them to give MROs independent proof of a part’s identity and provenance.
April 18, 2026, © AIN: DUST Identity, a Massachusetts company whose Diamond Unclonable Security Tag (DUST) technology uses diamond particles to authenticate objects, has launched a new platform that it says will help maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) providers identify fraudulent aircraft parts.
Called Theseus, the platform combines a physical material marking with AI-assisted verification of airworthiness documents, allowing MROs to independently confirm the identity and provenance of incoming aerospace parts. Company CEO Ophir Gaathon announced the platform’s launch this week at the Titanium Europe 2026 conference in Toulouse, France.
Supply-chain fraud poses a growing threat, and MRO operators bear the most direct exposure. The FAA estimates that roughly 2% of the 26 million parts installed on aircraft each year may be counterfeit, or more than 500,000 parts annually.
Bjorn’s Corner: Blended Wing Body Airliners. Part 6
By Bjorn Fehrm
April 17, 2026, ©. Leeham News: We have started a series of articles on the Blended Wing Body (BWB) as a potentially more efficient design for passenger-carrying airliners than the classical Tube-And-Wing (TAW) configuration.
In the fifth article last week, we discussed how the drag characteristics of the BWB are different from a classical Tube-And-Wing airliner. The dominance of air-friction drag over induced drag results in a 10,000ft higher optimal cruise altitude compared with an equal-capacity TAW.
We compared JetZero’s Z4 project to a 250-seat variant of Boeing’s NMA that we have analyzed several times with our Aircraft Performance and Cost Model, APCM. Both aircraft use modern composite structures, aerodynamics, and systems, resulting in similar overall weights and drag.
Figure 1. The JetZero Z4 BWB. Source: JetZero.
The difference is how the drag is partitioned between the wetted area caused drag (air friction drag) and drag due to weight (induced drag). The difference between drag and optimal cruise altitudes has consequences for engine choice. Here is how.