Boeing completes $4.7B Spirit AeroSystems acquisition, reabsorbing key supplier
Spirit Defense, which makes aerostructures for aircraft like the B-21, will be run as a "non-integrated" subsidiary of Boeing’s defense unit.
Industry giving little away regarding interest in UK loyal wingman effort
The British military appears to be in the market for “disposable” one-way drones that can carry electronic warfare (EW) and kinetic payloads, “signature managed” aircraft that could offer “reduced detectability” against integrated air defense systems and “autonomous solutions.”
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Breaking the Pentagon’s new bottleneck of time
As threats evolve, the winning model ties digital engineering to manufacturing capacity and a reindustrialized supply chain.
Army’s FLRAA fuselage production staying in Kansas, Bell announces
Bell Textron has "a lot of experience with composite fuselages, and so they're going to use their experience to potentially design it ... more modular,” Brig. Gen. David Phillips told Breaking Defense.
Bell to manufacture FLRAA fuselage after dumping Spirit AeroSystems ahead of Boeing acquisition
Sources first indicated this summer that Bell would drop Spirit AeroSystems as a supplier due to Boeing’s upcoming acquisition of the embattled aerostructures company.
Milestone B: Army’s FLRAA tiltrotor graduates to engineering and manufacturing development phase
Prime contractor Bell is now tasked with providing six aircraft prototypes, with first flight set for 2026.
Bell to remove Spirit AeroSystems as FLRAA fuselage maker due to proposed Boeing acquisition
“Spirit has had a successful ten-year partnership with Bell on this program and we will continue to work with them to deliver on our joint commitments,” Spirit AeroSystems spokesman Joe Buccino said.
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Not just selling into the kingdom, but building partnership with Saudi Arabia’s defense industry
Partnerships with outside industry are a cornerstone of the kingdom’s ambitious growth strategy.
Boeing to become supplier on B-21, V-280 after $8.3 billion acquisition of Spirit AeroSystems
If approved by US regulators, the agreement would reunite Boeing with the Wichita-based production facilities it spun off in 2005 in a bid to lower costs.
Senator raises defense industry concerns over Boeing’s potential Spirit buy
Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kan., says defense primes need more clarity about what happens to their programs if Boeing buys Spirit.
UK New Medium Helicopter buy reduced to around 30 aircraft: Spirit AeroSystems Exec
The comments are the second time in the span of 10 months that industrial officials have publicly revealed a reduced buy from a max of 44 helos is on the table.
Increasing resiliency of the defense supply chain requires a resilient supply base
Smaller suppliers need larger primes and Pentagon officials to engage more to keep the US supply chain healthy, write Spirit AeroSystems executives Josh Boehm and Wendy Crossman.
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Meeting Zero Trust goals while maintaining information dominance
Balancing security and access to data are critical to providing users with trustworthy, reliable data for real-time decisions.
Pratt Is Making B-21 Engines; Don’t Expect More Tech Info
PENTAGON: Pratt and Whitney, as many assumed, will design and build the engines for the B-21 Long Range Strike Bomber, leaving B-2 bomber engine maker General Electric out in the cold. Air Fore Secretary Deborah Lee James‘ announcement of Pratt’s role, as well as that of six other subcontractors working with prime Northrop Grumman, during […]
V-280 Valor: Bell Starts Building Joint Multi-Role Prototype
Somebody’s finally doing something tangible about the future of Army aviation. Bell Helicopter subcontractor Spirit AeroSystems of Wichita, Kan., has started assembling the composite fuselage for the first prototype V-280 Valor, Bell’s new military tiltrotor. The Valor is sleeker, smaller, and, by design, more Army-friendly than the Bell-Boeing V-22 Osprey, which was built to fit […]