17 WING WINNIPEG, Man. – The Navy, Army and Air Force, supported by the Southport Aerospace Centre, Inc., and Allied Wings, will present Canadian Forces Day on Saturday, May 31 at Southport, south of Portage la Prairie on Highway 240. This free-admission and free-parking event will run from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. “This is an opportunity for us to open our doors and show off what the Canadian Forces do in Manitoba,” said 17 Wing Commander Col. Scott Howden. “And it gives our neighbours an opportunity to meet us.”

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ST. LOUIS, April 29, 2008 — The ScanEagle unmanned aircraft (UA), a joint effort of The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] and Insitu Inc., this month logged a pair of service milestones as it surpassed 50,000 combat flight hours with the U.S. Marine Expeditionary Forces (MEF) in Iraq and 1,000 shipboard recoveries with the U.S. Navy. The long-endurance, fully autonomous ScanEagle entered service with the Marines in July 2004 and provides cost-effective and persistent intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance services. The Navy has used ScanEagle since July 2005 aboard the USNS Stockham, USS Whidbey Island, USS Oscar Austin, USS Oak Hill and the USS Carter Hall.

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In New Delhi today 28 April 2008 Saab, acting through its Gripen International Business Unit, handed-over its compliant response to the Ministry of Defence, government of India Request for Proposal (RFP) for the Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) for the Indian Air Force. Gripen International is proud to offer the Indian Air Force Gripen IN, tailor-made to meet all current and future requirements of the Indian Air Force and employing only the very best and latest technologies from Sweden, Europe and the US. Gripen IN is based on the newly launched Gripen NG, the next generation of Gripen, an enhanced version of the well proven Net Centric Warfare Gripen multi-role fighter, which has unbeatable low acquisition, operation and support costs. Gripen IN provides freedom of choice in weapons and sensors and an unrivalled sustained sortie generation rate through high availability.

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The 48 Gripen fighters that Sweden has offered to Norway meets all the requirements that Norway has specified in the request documentation for the Royal Norwegian Air Force Future Combat Aircraft. The Gripen fighter for Norway is a true swing-role, next generation combat fighter to meet Norway’s needs for the defence of its national territory, including surveillance of the high North, and participation in international, multi-national forces. Gripen is fully NATO interoperable, can carry a wide range of internationally sourced weapons, includes increased combat range and endurance, additional weapons carriage capability and increased payload, a more powerful engine and super cruise capability. The proposal also includes a joint logistic solution and other areas of multi-national co-operation that will reduce the operational cost for both countries.

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At the highly successful Gripen Demonstrator Roll-Out Event 23 April 2008 in Linköping, Swedish Minister for Defence Sten Tolgfors delivered an inspiring speech about Gripen’s continuing success in Sweden and around the world.

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Corporal Willie Apiata, V.C, will gift the Victoria Cross he received for valour in Afghanistan to a New Zealand trust, giving more New Zealanders the opportunity to appreciate the honour. The Victoria Cross for New Zealand was awarded to Corporal Apiata, 35, of the New Zealand Special Air Service (NZSAS), in July last year for rescuing a wounded comrade under heavy enemy fire while on operations in Afghanistan in 2004. The Victoria Cross is the highest award for valour. Corporal Apiata has decided to gift his Victoria Cross to the NZSAS Trust, a charitable organisation dedicated to the welfare of NZSAS personnel and their families, because he says he did not earn it on his own. Three other NZSAS members were also given gallantry awards in July for their actions while serving in Afghanistan. Although very proud to have been awarded the medal, Corporal Apiata says he wears it on behalf of the NZSAS, the wider New Zealand Defence Force, and all New Zealanders.

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PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. – Integrating Reserve component and active-duty personnel in the staffs of North American Aerospace Defense Command and U.S. Northern Command is a critical component in the commands’ success, said the chairman of the Reserve Forces Policy Board during a visit to the commands’ headquarters last week. The Reserve Forces Policy Board is responsible for advising the Secretary of Defense on matters relating to the National Guard and military Reserve components. Chairman G. Kim Wincup and other board members came to NORAD and USNORTHCOM to learn more about the commands’ homeland defense mission. The board is currently concentrating on providing a more future-oriented perspective to Secretary Gates, said Wincup. “We started by kind of looking at all the Reserve components, benchmarking where they are at this point in time,” then investigated probable world scenarios in about the year 2025 and what threats the United States may face at that time.

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ST. LOUIS, April 24, 2008 — The Boeing [NYSE: BA] KC-767 would be a lower-risk aerial refueling tanker for the American military and taxpayers than the Airbus A330-based KC-30, and it would be superior in the areas of cost, production, schedule and capability. An analysis of the evaluation that led to the choice of the tanker proposed by the team of Northrop Grumman and the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company (EADS) reveals that numerous irregularities in the process resulted in a higher-risk, higher-cost aircraft being selected. Those irregularities form the basis of a protest Boeing filed with the Government Accountability Office following the contract award announced on Feb. 29. “We offered a tanker that exceeded the mission requirements, kept the manufacturing risk as low as possible and offered an aircraft that saved billions of taxpayer dollars,” said Gregg Rusbarsky, director of Boeing’s U.S. Air Force Tanker Program. “Compare that with EADS-Northrop, who have never delivered the core technology for aerial refueling — a working air-to-air refueling boom.”

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ST. LOUIS, April 24, 2008 — Boeing [NYSE: BA] today said it has finished installing the hardware for its Space Based Space Surveillance (SBSS) system’s Satellite Operations Center (SOC). The SOC now has the necessary security certification to allow the SBSS program to begin integrated testing. “The SBSS SOC will transform Space Situational Awareness by providing a gateway to a responsive, taskable sensor,” said U.S. Air Force Col. James Jordan, commander of the Space Situational Awareness Group in the Space Superiority Systems Wing at the Space and Missiles Center in Los Angeles. “This capability is key to enabling the event-driven operations concept of the future.”

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ST. LOUIS, April 24, 2008 — The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] today delivered a detailed, 7,000-page proposal offering its advanced F/A-18E/F Super Hornet to the Indian Air Force as part of India’s Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) competition. “Our proposal team worked diligently to fully understand and meet the requirements set out by the Indian Ministry of Defense (MOD). We are offering India the best-value, most advanced and proven multirole combat fighter in production today,” said Jim Albaugh, president and CEO, Boeing Integrated Defense Systems (IDS). India issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) for 126 new multirole combat fighters in August 2007. Boeing completed its proposal before the initial March 3 deadline, which the MOD rescheduled for April 28.

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ST. LOUIS, April 23, 2008 — Boeing [NYSE: BA] Support Systems employees in San Antonio work on a C-130 transport aircraft being modified and upgraded as part of the C-130 Avionics Modernization Program. The aircraft, H3, is the third to receive a fully integrated, night-vision-goggle compatible, digital glass cockpit and a new digital avionics system. The aircraft, assigned to the West Virginia Air National Guard’s 130th Airlift Wing, is one of more than 200 C-130 aircraft that Boeing Support Systems will modify under the AMP initiative. The C-130 AMP provides enhanced digital avionics, significantly increasing situational awareness for the warfighter. The AMP upgrade also brings commonality to the C-130 fleet and offers flexibility in assigning aircrew, regardless of the model design type. The U.S. Air Force awarded Boeing the AMP contract in 2001. Boeing plans to begin Low Rate Initial Production next year.

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“Spring Flag”, the most important annual exercise of the Italian Air Force, in 2008 was hosted by 9° Gruppo and XII Gruppo, with their Eurofighter Typhoons taking the lead in the Air Dominance role. Running from 04 – 16 April, the NATO-organised complex hypothetical scenario featured two combat forces in a “good versus bad” struggle to achieve their operational objectives. All aircraft were fitted with flight recording instrumentation providing the Command and Control teams with real time data monitoring all manoeuvres carried out by each aircraft during the exercise. This information is then used by the exercise co-ordinators for the improvement of aircrew and ground crew training, as well as offering scope for developing the overall organisation of the exercise which, in reality, are the ultimate aims in this kind of operation.

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Today in Linköping, Sweden, Saab and its powerful network of leading international aerospace partners, proudly unveiled the first of the next generation of combat fighters, the Gripen Demonstrator aircraft. In an event attended by over 700 international guests which was broadcast ‘live’ around the world, the Gripen Demonstrator (Demo) aircraft was ‘rolled-out’ in a spectacular ceremony in front of the world’s media. The Gripen Demonstrator programme is the pathfinder for a whole new generation of technologies and capabilities to ensure that Gripen remains at the leading edge of fighter aircraft performance and capability well beyond 2040. The programme includes the development of a new Gripen test flying platform - Gripen Demo - and the Gripen Avionics Rig. The Gripen Demo includes new features such as the General Electric F414G Turbofan engine with increased thrust, a new Saab/Thales active electronically-scanned array (AESA) radar, increased fuel capacity for extended range, improved landing gear, increased weapons and stores capabilities, advanced communications and defensive systems and world-beating avionics structures.

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The first A400M, MSN001, has just left station 40 where all the aircraft systems’ interfaces have been connected and the electrical system has been successfully tested with power-on. These activities are in line with the current programme plan. From station 40 the aircraft has been moved to station 35 where all the systems on board will be checked for compliance with design requirements and data automatically recorded for later analysis and evaluation. This represents an important step forward as station 35 is one of the few stations left before First Flight. In previous operations undertaken at station 40, the complete airframe was assembled with the wings and the vertical and horizontal tail planes being joined to the fuselage. On this particular first aircraft, the work at this station was temporary interrupted to proceed with the required structural ground test prior to First Flight.

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ST. LOUIS, April 22, 2008 — The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] has opened a new F-15E Mission Training Center (MTC) at Royal Air Force Lakenheath, United Kingdom. The center, Boeing’s third, will provide F-15E aircrews with high-fidelity, simulator-based training without the material, personnel and environmental costs associated with training on operational aircraft. “Opening the third F-15E MTC broadens the base of the advanced training capabilities these centers deliver,” said Tony Jones, vice president of Training Systems and Services, a division of Boeing Integrated Defense Systems Support Systems. “The U.S. Air Force’s 48th Fighter Wing will use the system to achieve operational training and readiness for all F-15E squadrons.”

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BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA, April 21, 2008 — Boeing Australia Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA], on April 20 marked the 10th anniversary of its Brisbane headquarters. Boeing Australia Limited President David Withers said the anniversary was a milestone for the company and the city of Brisbane. “We were one of the first aerospace businesses encouraged to relocate to Brisbane, and the move has been a success story for us,” he said. In 1998, the company moved its operations in North Ryde, Sydney, and Avalon, Victoria, to a new headquarters at Boeing House in Brisbane’s Central Business District. Since then, the company’s Queensland work force has increased from 150 employees to more than 1,750 and continues to grow. Withers said locating the company’s headquarters near Brisbane Airport and Boeing’s major defense customers was a huge factor in its growth.

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MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA, April 17, 2008 — Boeing Australia Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA], today opened a component repair business that will be housed in a new AUS$10 million facility at Melbourne Airport, Victoria. The new business will maintain, repair and overhaul a wide range of components for commercial and military aircraft, ranging from the revolutionary Boeing 787 Dreamliner to the Royal Australian Air Force’s F/A-18 Hornet. Boeing Australia Limited President David Withers said the opening of the new business puts the company at the forefront of aircraft composite-repair technologies and significantly expands its capabilities. “Boeing Australia Limited now offers defense and commercial customers the most sophisticated services for composite, bonded and conventional aircraft components in the Asia-Pacific region,” Withers said.

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ST. LOUIS, April 16, 2008 — The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] has delivered the first Laser Joint Direct Attack Munition (LJDAM) kits to the U.S. Air Force. The Precision Laser Guidance Set (PLGS) kits are being produced to satisfy the Air Force and Navy’s urgent need for engagement of fast-moving land targets. The initial $28 million LJDAM contract, awarded in May 2007, will add 600 laser seekers to the services’ existing inventory of 500-pound bombs. The First Article Acceptance Testing (FAAT) of production units was completed in March. The Air Force performed the FAAT guided flight tests at the China Lake, Calif., test range with drops from F-15E and F-16 aircraft. The tests demonstrated LJDAM’s ability to engage and destroy targets moving at up to 70 miles per hour. The Navy also initiated its LJDAM guided flight test program in March with multiple drops from an AV-8B against moving targets. Additional Navy testing is planned from an F/A-18. LJDAM is expected to be operational this year with both the Air Force and Navy. Boeing will deliver the contracted kits by June 2009.

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The countdown is on for the aviation event of the decade – the ‘Roll-Out’ of the next generation Gripen Demonstrator fighter aircraft. On Wednesday 23 April, at exactly midday, the Saab Gripen team will proudly unveil to the world the Gripen Demonstrator aircraft, featuring a range of future technologies and capabilities to ensure that Gripen remains at the leading edge of fighter aircraft performance and capability well beyond 2040. In a spectacular event to be attended by hundreds of invited guests from around the world, and with the full support of our international Gripen customers, the Saab Gripen team and our international industrial partners will present the Gripen Demonstrator programme in a series of high profile events.

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COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Whether tracking wildfires in California or missile launches in North Korea, North American Aerospace Defense Command and U.S. Northern Command count on space-based technologies to conduct their missions, said Gen. Gene Renuart at last week’s 24th National Space Symposium. “Whether it’s things like search and rescue or threat detection, threat response, […]

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ST. LOUIS, April 15, 2008 — The Boeing [NYSE: BA] KC-767 Advanced Tanker would save billions of dollars over the anticipated lifetime of the aircraft compared with the larger Airbus-based KC-30. Nonetheless, the U.S. government selected the larger air tanker from the team of Northrop Grumman and the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company (EADS). Due to irregularities in the competition, such as the cost comparison, Boeing has protested the decision and asked the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to determine if the tanker acquisition process, including the cost analysis, was unfair and flawed. As the GAO reviews the decision, Boeing is also calling on policymakers to question why the comparison of full costs of the new tanker fleet failed to reflect that the Airbus KC-30 tanker is larger, heavier, less fuel-efficient and — according to the Northrop/EADS team itself — more costly to operate.

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The first A400M, MSN001, has just left station 40 where all the aircraft systems’ interfaces have been connected and the electrical system has been successfully tested with power-on. These activities are in line with the current programme plan. From station 40 the aircraft has been moved to station 35 where all the systems on board will be checked for compliance with design requirements and data automatically recorded for later analysis and evaluation. This represents an important step forward as station 35 is one of the few stations left before First Flight. In previous operations undertaken at station 40, the complete airframe was assembled with the wings and the vertical and horizontal tail planes being joined to the fuselage. On this particular first aircraft, the work at this station was temporary interrupted to proceed with the required structural ground test prior to First Flight.

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ST. LOUIS, April 11, 2008 — Boeing [NYSE: BA] today said the U.S. Air Force’s decision to award a contract for the next aerial refueling airplane to the team of Northrop Grumman and the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company (EADS) is at odds with the fact that the Northrop/EADS team’s KC-30 is less survivable and more vulnerable to attack than the Boeing KC-767 Advanced Tanker. The Air Force evaluation cited the Boeing offering to be more advantageous in the critical area of survivability. The evaluators found the KC-767 tanker had almost five times as many survivability discriminators as its competitor. Speaking this week at the Aerial Refueling Systems Advisory Group (ARSAG) Conference in Orlando, Fla., former U.S. Air Force Chief of Staff and retired Gen. Ronald Fogleman stressed that survivability greatly enhances the operational utility of a tanker.

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ST. LOUIS, April 07, 2008 — The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] today announced a teaming agreement with Computer Sciences Corp. [NYSE: CSC] to pursue the multibillion-dollar U.S. Special Operations Forces Support Activity (SOFSA) contract. Both companies are working closely at all levels to design and offer the winning, best-of-industry approach for SOFSA contract management and execution. The SOFSA draft request for proposal is anticipated before the end of April. Located in Lexington, Ken., SOFSA serves as the logistics cornerstone that enables U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) to execute the Special Operations Forces’ global mission.

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EL SEGUNDO, Calif., April 7, 2008 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) — Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) is adding momentum to its commitment to create international second source suppliers for F-35 Lightning II aircraft components by hosting composite manufacturing training for engineers and manufacturing specialists from Danish firm Terma and Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI). The training for approximately two dozen Terma and TAI employees will be conducted in April and May at the company’s Advanced Composites Center in El Segundo, Calif. “This hands-on training is a critical step toward ensuring the successful implementation of high-quality, composite manufacturing processes by our international F-35 suppliers,” said Mark Tucker, vice president and F-35 program manager for Northrop Grumman’s Integrated Systems sector. “Creating an effective global supply chain is one of many ways we’re helping ensure the successful production, delivery and sustainment of the world’s most advanced multi-role combat aircraft.”

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