Leeham News and Analysis
There's more to real news than a news release.
Odds and Ends from Boeing, Textron, China and the US DOT
By the Leeham News and AIN Teams
July 30, 2025, © Leeham News: It’s time for a few odds and ends in aerospace.
- Boeing and tariffs.
- Textron and the small cargo airplane SkyCourier.
- China certifies the first eVTOL.
- The DOT watchdog focuses on the Newark ATC meltdowns
Boeing on tariffs
Boeing is optimistic that evolving tariff policy by the Trump Administration will continue to exempt aerospace products.
On the Boeing earnings call on July 29, CEO Kelly Ortberg said Boeing previously estimated the impact from tariffs imposed by the US on imported parts would be about $500m.
“One of the key areas for us is the equipment we import from Japan. Getting this Japan [tariff] agreement in place will be helpful for us going forward. We understand that to include zero-for-zero, no input tariffs.
“We still need to see what happens with Italy. We import some fuselage components from Alenia in Italy, so hopefully that will also result in zero-for-zero. My understanding is that is the kind of the baseline negotiation strategy as they go through these bilaterals that we will end up in a zero-for-zero, but [there is] still work yet to do,” Ortberg said.
The trade agreement negotiated in the first Trump Administration between the US, Mexico and Canada is called USMCA. Ortberg said this agreement is very important because of the amount Boeing imports from Mexico and Canada. The second Trump Administration upended the USMCA with new tariff demands.
“As they revisit that USMCA, hopefully, that stays in the same trade situation that we’re in today. We don’t see additional tariffs going forward. But if we continue to see this zero-for-zero, I think we’ll be able to beat that $500 million bogey that we’ve established here.”
From the AIN news team
Textron Aviation Upgrades Depend on Customer Input
By Matt Thurber • Editor-in-Chief
July 29, 2025
The cargo- and passenger-hauling SkyCourier got a lot of attention at the EAA Air Venture show. It surprises people how big it is and how much can fit in it. Textron recently certified the combi version that can split passenger and cargo operations.
The full story may be found on AIN here.
China’s AutoFlight Delivers First CarryAll eVTOL Freighter
By Hanneke Weitering • Science & Technology Editor
July 30, 2025
Chinese eVTOL start-up AutoFlight delivered its first CarryAll autonomous cargo drone to Heli Chuangxing Intelligent last week after receiving airworthiness certification from the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) on July 21. According to the Shanghai-based company, the CarryAll is now the first example of an eVTOL aircraft exceeding a one-ton maximum takeoff weight to achieve CAAC airworthiness certification.
The full story may be found on AIN here.
DOT Watchdog To Probe Shift of Newark ATC Management
By Kerry Lynch • Editor, AIN monthly magazine
July 29, 2025
The U.S. Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General (OIG) is kicking off an audit surrounding the transfer of the terminal radar approach control (Tracon) responsibilities for Newark International Airport to a facility in Philadelphia.
This audit comes in the aftermath of a 90-second radar and radio contact blackout that Philadelphia controllers overseeing Newark airspace experienced on April 28 due to a burnt copper wire. That blackout was followed by another outage on May 9 due to failures of both primary and redundant communication infrastructure.
The full story may be found on AIN here.
For the last, I have come up with a new acronym. FPS. (have to work on that)
Fire People to Succeed. The IG is next of course.;
Oh, we can’t just smash things, that is so unfair.
Not as easy as some think. Phew, 60 Gliders.
https://archive.ph/2eZTF
at least the AB gliders are not lined up for heavy rework 🙂
A little late to the party, here.
Engines are BFE. Airlines gotta pick up the phone and do the screaming.
On tariffs, Ortberg only refers to *parts*.
But there are even bigger tariffs on *materials* — 50% on all steel, aluminum and copper entering the US. At the very least, those tariffs are going to affect Spirit (fuselages), Collins (landing gear) and GE/PW (engines).
Metal prices in the US have already climbed in response, so what’s the impact on BA?
BA has stated what they think is the impact and we will have to wait and see what the nut job has done to things.
You want the true picture from the company that adopts program accounting to fudge its numbers?
On the subject of odds and ends:
Another F35 bites the dust.
July 30: “F-35C Crashes At Naval Air Station Lemoore”
https://www.twz.com/air/fighter-crashes-near-naval-air-station-lemoore
How many F-35 have been lost?
To date, there have been 17 “accidents and incidents involving Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II aircraft, including events that resulted in loss of life, severe injuries, or damaged an aircraft beyond repair.”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_accidents_and_incidents_involving_the_Lockheed_Martin_F-35_Lightning_II
A veritable Quasimodo.
The most advanced fighter jet™??
Junk in…junk out:
“Report: F-35 Struggled With Reliability, Maintainability, Availability in 2023”
https://www.airandspaceforces.com/f-35-reliability-maintainability-availability-2023/
The Chinese are certainly getting a good laugh out of it:
“F-35: Closer Look at Colossally Costly Jet That Just Can’t Seem to Stay Airborne”
https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202309/1298625.shtml
13 Eurofighters in crashes and incidents and the numbers built are a bit over 600.
1200 x F-35 Built
And have you considered the cumulative flight hours for each model?
A quick look on the net found that the Eurofighter was first delivered twelve years ahead of the F-35. Our poster pretend not to know how accident rate is measured.
Poster insists nothing to see here thanks to his undocumented “research”! 😭
F-35 fighter jets: 12 crashes in 7 years raise alarm
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BTW US fighter pilots have much fewer flying hours nowadays thanks to budgetary concerns and lack of parts. Yes, I’ve got my research, trust me. Since the jets are flown less often, do the accidents go down? Apparently not!
The average US fighter jet pilot now gets 120 flying hours a year only – the same as those of the Soviet in their later years!
It’s hilarious poster here tried to compare accident rates of the F-35 with others first introduced in the 70s and 80s. Oh those older fighter jets also went through combat missions orders of magnitude higher than the F-35, who says there’s no impact on the accident rates?? This proves how desperate our poster here is nowadays: the wisdom of “lies, damned lies, and statistics.”
Switzerland got screwed last night with an out-of-the-blue 39% tariff announcement from the WH.
This comes only a month after the Swiss were screwed vis-à-vis the alleged “fixed price” aspects of their F35 contract.
There are currently two motions before parliament to take steps toward binning the contract — which will only incur a penalty of CHF 600M (a fraction of the increased costs after the “fixed costs” clause was reneged upon). Also, under Swiss law, Dassault is now allowed to re-bid, since the contract price that it offered was/is well below the new F35 contract price.
I sense a cancellation coming 🙈
https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/swiss-politics/renewed-controversy-in-switzerland-over-us-fighter-jets-explained/89609720
Any bets as regards Canada?
It got slapped with a 35% tariff last night.
🔥
I dunno. It might take awhile. We’ve stopped visiting the US in droves.
I’m not sure anyone is too eager to hop on a plane and break the bad news to them – might end up in ICE detention.
Maybe a text message to let them know we’re going with the Gripen, which will be licensed built in Canada.
Or a post on Truth Social. That oughta do the trick…
Again to clarify the usual nonsense here, accident rates for the F-35 per flight hour are well below average. But that is expected considering how advanced the avionics are.
Several accidents were not due to any fault in the aircraft. One continued in level flight for many miles after the pilot ejected, and had to be located over several days. Another ingested the inlet cover which was left on the aircraft. Another flew into the wake turbulence of a landing formation.
I’ve researched all the F-35 accident reports, there is nothing to suggest inherent flaws in the aircraft design.
On the subject of “nonsense”, it’s noteworthy how certain commenters offer grand, sweeping “clarifications” without offering any evidence to back them up.
Note I referenced the accident reports, which are publicly available. One might presume you have read them before offering an opinion. Yet you have offered nothing to support your opinion.
There are three F-35 accidents that are attributed to parts failure. None are attributed to design failure. Two are still under investigation. The rest are attributed to human error. That is over a million flight hours across the fleet.
Oh, Great!
Well, then, if that’s the evidentiary standard, then commenting here has just gotten a lot easier. Here we go:
I’ve researched all the F-35 accident reports and they’re replete with evidence of inherent flaws in the aircraft design.
So, there you have it! No further evidence needed: the documents are public, so it’s easy for others to confirm that I’m right 👍
Thanks for the tip 😎
Lol!! You are vying with Pedro for best rant in response to a rational argument. It’s a fun tactic that requires no effort. But contributes nothing to the factual discussion.
Another interesting odds and ends story:
“Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner circles over Pacific, returns to LA with RAT deployed”
“A Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner was in a holding pattern over the Pacific for about an hour before it returned to Los Angeles and made an emergency landing. When the aircraft touched down on runway 25L, its Ram Air Turbine (RAT) was deployed. A video of the same has been going viral on social media.”
“…While it cannot be said with certainty that the fuel supply to the engine was cut off, there was clearly a major loss of normal power sources.”
https://www.financialexpress.com/world-news/us-news/boeing-787-8-dreamliner-circles-over-pacific-returns-to-la-with-rat-deployed-video/3933140/
This incident was reported to be an electronics problem, with the RAT deployed by the crew. Both engines were fine.
The aircraft resumed it’s normal schedule the next day.
https://avherald.com/h?article=52b23183&opt=0
“Boeing proposes revised contract to 3,200 defense workers to avoid strike”
“The union declared that, should the revised offer be turned down, a strike will start at midnight on August 4, 2025. ”
“Boeing’s revised offer includes several important changes. The company has retracted its suggestion for an Alternative Workweek Schedule (AWS), which means that the current overtime rules will stay the same.
“Furthermore, pay increases now include a 50% per hour raise for employees who have reached the top of the pay scale, on an annual basis.
“For those eligible for pensions, the retirement benefit has been modified to provide a full $10 pension multiplier increase in the first year, rather than splitting it into two separate increases of $5 in the second and third years. However, employees must retire after January 1, 2026, to be eligible for the full $10 multiplier.
“The updated offer retains the previously suggested 20% wage increases and a $5,000 ratification bonus, plus current vacation, sick leave and healthcare benefits.
“The new contract proposal follows the overwhelming rejection of Boeing’s earlier offer by defense workers on July 27, 2025. The union said the previous offer “fell short of addressing the priorities and sacrifices of the skilled IAM union workforce”. ”
https://www.aerotime.aero/articles/boeing-proposes-revised-contract-to-3200-defense-workers
“
Noteworthy that:
> In a world first, a China-developed 2-tonne-class eVTOL successfully delivered supplies to an offshore oil and gas platform on Sunday, marking a key step in the country’s land-sea low-altitude logistics. Carrying supplies such as fresh fruits and emergency medicines, the aircraft took off from south China’s Shenzhen and safely landed at a platform 150 km away from the city’s coastline after a 58-minute cross-sea flight.