Leeham News and Analysis
There's more to real news than a news release.
Leeham News and Analysis
- Boeing defends 787, 777 against whistleblower charges April 17, 2024
- Dissecting Boeing CEO’s statement next new airplane will cost $50bn April 15, 2024
- Bjorn’s Corner: New engine development. Part 3. Propulsive efficiency April 12, 2024
- A350-1000 or 777-9? Part 2 April 11, 2024
- Pontifications: Boeing “transparency”–not so much. April 9, 2024
Tankers: to split or not to split
Update, May 4: Veto threat over split tanker effort: read all about it. Update, May 3: US Rep. John Murtha (D-PA), chair of a House appropriations committee, has dropped (for the moment) his effort to insert into the… Read More
Gates on split tanker buy: over my dead body
US Defense Secretary Robert Gates said there will be a split buy on the KC-X tanker program over his dead body. “I’m laying my body down across the tracks,” Aviation Week quotes as saying in this short article…. Read More
GE Boss seeks tanker compromise
The head of GE backs a plan to split the acquisition of the KC-X USAF aerial tanker between Northrop Grumman and Boeing, according to this interview done by the Cincinnati Enquirer. GE Aviation will supply the engines on… Read More
Boeing takes hard hit on DOD budget
Boeing took a hard hit on the Defense budget announced today by Sec. Robert Gates. The C-17 program will be canceled after the current contract is filled. The CSAR-X helicopter procurement is canceled. The Airborne Laser system based… Read More
Major shift on split tanker contract
Update, April 3: The New York Times has this long piece on the prospect of a split procurement. Original post: It is a subtle but major shift on the controversial proposal to split the KC-X aerial tanker contract… Read More
As the World Churns
Only a few days ago, President Obama’s Office of the Management and Budget suggested delaying the tanker competition for five years. Now the Wall Street Journal reports that another House Member wants to split the tanker acquisition. You… Read More
Obama to delay tanker, says report
CQ Politics reported late Monday night that the White House has told the Pentagon to delay procurement of the KC-X tanker. See the story here. Update, March 10: DOD Buzz has this item speculating the suggestion to cut… Read More
KC-X procurement faces deferral
The controversial KC-X aerial tanker procurement will likely be deferred, predicts Goldman Sachs. So will several other Boeing programs, according to Goldman: the Airborne Laser, the Ground-Based MidCourse Missile Defense System and the Boeing/SAI Future Combat Systems. Goldman… Read More
Boeing and the Southern strategy?
Steve Wilhelm of the Puget Sound Business Journal (Seattle) has a long story about Southern states “eyeing” Boeing in the wake of the IAM strike. Speculation has been rampant (in peaks and valleys) that Boeing might be fed… Read More
767 sales keep line alive for tanker
Boeing last week announced an order for four more 767s (in this case, -300ERs) that help keep the line alive pending a new competition for the USAF aerial tanker. Boeing previously booked an order for nine 767s for… Read More