Boeing 737 Production Increase: Boeing increases 737 production pace as quality, safety culture improves, ET TravelWorld
Advt
Advt
Join the community of 2M+ industry professionals Subscribe to our newsletter to get latest insights & analysis.
Download ETTravelWorld App Get Realtime updates
Save your favourite articles
Scan to download App
Boeing expects to stabilize 737 MAX production at 38 airplanes a month over the next couple of months, its Commercial Airplanes Vice President of Quality Doug Ackerman told reporters on Tuesday. The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration capped output at 38 airplanes a month after a mid-air panel blowout in a nearly new 737 in January 2024. Prior to that, monthly production of its best-selling airplane had bounced between the teens and the thirties but Boeing struggled through a series of crises and controversies that have battered its finances, strained employee morale and shredded public trust. After losing nearly $12 billion last year, the U.S. planemaker needs to increase 737 production to bring in more cash.The company is on track to produce about 38 of the popular single-aisle airplanes this month, two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters. A Boeing spokesperson declined to comment on the production rate for May.Boeing chief executive Kelly Ortberg previously said that the company needs to prove it can maintain production at that level for several months before it asks the FAA to lift the cap.Once production is running smoothly, the company would also resume work on adding a fourth production line, Ackerman said.Boeing is making steady progress on all six production quality and safety metrics created by the company and regulators, according to its annual Chief Aerospace Safety Officer Report, which was released on Wednesday.Safety concerns submitted by employees to the company's Speak Up reporting system rose by 220% from 2023 to 2024, according to the report.Ongoing changes continue to make the program more effective, Chief Aerospace Safety Officer Don Ruhmann said during the media briefing on Tuesday.For example, safety concerns are now evaluated by managers from other sections who are more likely to be impartial, rather than those who oversaw the work in question.Boeing is also using machine learning to catch quality problems in its supply chain before they become widespread. While it is still "fine tuning" the approach, it is seeing statistical correlations between the data and the likelihood of supply chain issues, Ackerman said.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
2 days ago
- Time of India
What it would take to convert a jet from Qatar into Air Force One to safely fly Trump
President Donald Trump really wants to fly on an upgraded Air Force One - but making that happen could depend on whether he's willing to cut corners with security. As government lawyers sort out the legal arrangement for accepting a luxury jet from the Qatari royal family, another crucial conversation is unfolding about modifying the plane so it's safe for the American president. Installing capabilities equivalent to the decades-old 747s now used as Air Force One would almost certainly consign the project to a similar fate as Boeing's replacement initiative, which has been plagued by delays and cost overruns. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 새로 나온 '실비보험' 최적가 가입추천! "주요 보험사별 맞춤견적+가성비 굿"... 굿리치 보험대리점 (등록번호:제2006038313호) 가입하기 Undo Air Force Secretary Troy Meink told lawmakers Thursday that those security modifications would cost less than $400 million but provided no details. Satisfying Trump's desire to use the new plane before the end of his term could require leaving out some of those precautions, however. Live Events A White House official said Trump wants the Qatari jet ready as soon as possible while adhering to security standards. The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, did not provide details on equipment issues or the timeline. Trump has survived two assassination attempts, and Iran allegedly also plotted to kill him, so he's well aware of the danger he faces. However, he seems willing to take some chances with security, particularly when it comes to communications. For example, he likes to keep his personal phone handy despite the threat of hacks. He boasted this week that the government got the jet "for free," saying, "We need it as Air Force One until the other ones are done." Here's a look at what it would take to make the Qatari plane into a presidential transport: What makes a plane worthy of being Air Force One? Air Force One is the call sign for any plane that's carrying the president. The first aircraft to get the designation was a propeller-powered C-54 Skymaster, which ferried Franklin D. Roosevelt to the Yalta Conference in 1945. It featured a conference room with a bulletproof window. Things are a lot more complicated these days. Boeing has spent years stripping down and rebuilding two 747s to replace the versions that have carried presidents for more than three decades. The project is slated to cost more than $5.3 billion and may not be finished before Trump leaves office. A 2021 report made public through the Freedom of Information Act outlines the unclassified requirements for the replacement 747s under construction. At the top of the list - survivability and communications. The government decided more than a decade ago that the new planes had to have four engines so they could remain airborne if one or two fail, said Deborah Lee James, who was Air Force secretary at the time. That creates a challenge because 747s are no longer manufactured, which could make spare parts harder to come by. Air Force One also has to have the highest level of classified communications, anti-jamming capabilities and external protections against foreign surveillance, so the president can securely command military forces and nuclear weapons during a national emergency. It's an extremely sensitive and complex system, including video, voice and data transmissions. James said there are anti-missile measures and shielding against radiation or an electromagnetic pulse that could be caused by a nuclear blast. "The point is, it remains in flight no matter what," she said. Will Trump want all the security bells and whistles? If the Qatari plane is retrofitted to presidential standards, it could cost $1.5 billion and take years, according to a U.S. official who spoke on the condition of anonymity to provide details that aren't publicly available. Testifying before Congress this week, Meink discounted such estimates, arguing that some of the costs associated with retrofitting the Qatari plane would have been spent anyway as the Air Force moves to build the long-delayed new presidential planes, including buying aircraft for training and to have spares available if needed. In response, Rep. Joe Courtney, D-Conn., said that based on the contract costs for the planes that the Air Force is building, it would cost about $1 billion to strip down the Qatar plane, install encrypted communications, harden its defenses and make other required upgrades. James said simply redoing the wiring means "you'd have to break that whole thing wide open and almost start from scratch." Trump, as commander in chief, could waive some of these requirements. He could decide to skip shielding systems from an electromagnetic pulse, leaving his communications more vulnerable in case of a disaster but shaving time off the project. After all, Boeing has already scaled back its original plans for the new 747s. Their range was trimmed by 1,200 nautical miles, and the ability to refuel while airborne was scrapped. Paul Eckloff, a former leader of protection details at the Secret Service , expects the president would get the final say. "The Secret Service's job is to plan for and mitigate risk," he said. "It can never eliminate it." If Trump does waive some requirements, James said that should be kept under wraps because "you don't want to advertise to your potential adversaries what the vulnerabilities of this new aircraft might be." It's unlikely that Trump will want to skimp on the plane's appearance. He keeps a model of a new Air Force One in the Oval Office, complete with a darker color scheme that echoes his personal jet instead of the light blue design that's been used for decades. What happens next? Trump toured the Qatari plane in February when it was parked at an airport near Mar-a-Lago, his Florida resort. Air Force chief of staff Gen. David Allvin was there, too. The U.S. official said the jet needs maintenance but not more than what would be expected of a four-engine plane of its complexity. Sen. Tammy Duckworth, an Illinois Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee , said it would be irresponsible to put the president and national security equipment aboard the Qatari plane "without knowing that the aircraft is fully capable of withstanding a nuclear attack." "It's a waste of taxpayer dollars," she said. Meanwhile, Boeing's project has been hampered by stress corrosion cracks on the planes and excessive noise in the cabins from the decompression system, among other issues that have delayed delivery, according to a Government Accountability Office report released last year. Boeing referred questions to the Air Force, which said in a statement that it's working with the aircraft manufacturer to find ways to accelerate the delivery of at least one of the 747s. Even so, the aircraft will have to be tested and flown in real-world conditions to ensure no other issues. James said it remains to be seen how Trump would handle any of those challenges. "The normal course of business would say there could be delays in certifications," she said. "But things seem to get waived these days when the president wants it."
India.com
3 days ago
- India.com
F-47 sixth generation fighter jet of US likely to get its first buyer, not India, Pakistan, Israel, Ukraine, UK, France, Saudi Arabia, it is...
F-47 will be the first American-made 6th gen fighter jet. (File/Wiki) Amid Russia and China rapidly advancing their military technologies, especially the development of sixth-generation fighter jets, the United States has announced that it was building F-47– the country's first 6th-gen fighter jet. Sharing the news, US President Donald Trump described the F-47 as the 'most advanced and powerful jet' ever built. 'The F-47 will be the most advanced, most capable, most lethal aircraft ever built,' Trump said, while his Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said the 6th-generation aircraft was a 'clear message' to US' allies and enemies. 'It sends a very clear message to our allies that we're here to stay—and to our enemies that we will continue to project power globally without any obstacles,' said Hegseth. F-47 – US' first 6th-generation fighter jet Developed and manufactured by American aerospace giant Boeing, the F-47 is the US' first officially-announced 6th-generation fighter jet designed to supplement and support its older platforms, such as the F-15, F-16, F-18, F-22, and F-35 fighters. Notably, China is already developing two two sixth-generation fighter jet prototypes, the J-36 and J-50, one of whom was showcased at the Zhuhai Airshow in late 2024. The Chinese 6th-gen fighter jets feature advanced stealth capabilities with a unique tailless airframes, and will be powered by three engines. Japan to be first buyer of F-47? Interestingly, Japan may become the first country to acquire the F-47 fighter jet from the US. According to a report by the Eurasian Times, Japan is considering to add the sixth-generation aircraft to its air force fleet. Additionally, several media reports have claimed the Donald Trump had personally offered F-47 jet to Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba during a phone call last month. However, Trump said the export variant of the F-47 which will be sold to US allies will be a 'toned down' version of the aircraft. 'Our allies are calling constantly. They want to buy them also. And we will be selling to certain allies—perhaps toned-down versions,' Trump said.
The Hindu
3 days ago
- The Hindu
In row with Trump, Musk says will end critical U.S. spaceship program
SpaceX chief Elon Musk said on Thursday (June 5, 2025) he would begin "decommissioning" his company's Dragon spacecraft — vital for ferrying NASA astronauts to and from the International Space Station — after U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to terminate his government contracts. "In light of the President's statement about cancellation of my government contracts, @SpaceX will begin decommissioning its Dragon spacecraft immediately," Mr. Musk wrote on X. In light of the President's statement about cancellation of my government contracts, @SpaceX will begin decommissioning its Dragon spacecraft immediately — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 5, 2025 The comments — which the mercurial billionaire later appeared to walk back — came after Mr. Trump and Mr. Musk's nearly year-long political alliance imploded in spectacular fashion, with the two trading public insults on social media. Also Read | Musk reignites conspiracy theory with Trump-Epstein claim SpaceX's Crew Dragon — a gumdrop-shaped capsule that flies atop a Falcon 9 rocket and splashes down in the ocean — is currently the only US spacecraft certified to carry crew to the ISS under a contract worth more than $4.9 billion. A variant, Cargo Dragon, delivers supplies, as the name suggests. Following Musk's announcement, NASA spokeswoman Bethany Stevens said on X that the government space agency would "continue to execute upon the President's vision for the future of space." "We will continue to work with our industry partners to ensure the President's objectives in space are met," she said. NASA had hoped to certify Boeing's Starliner for crewed missions, but that program has faced severe delays. Also Read | Does escalating spat with Trump pose regulatory threat for Musk businesses? Its most recent test flight last year ended in failure after the spacecraft experienced propulsion issues en route to the orbital lab with its first astronaut crew. The Starliner ultimately returned to Earth empty, while the two astronauts were brought home by SpaceX earlier this year. Crew Dragon's certification in 2020 ended nearly a decade of US reliance on Russian Soyuz rockets to transport astronauts following the retirement of the Space Shuttle program in 2011. American astronauts still fly aboard Soyuz rockets, while Russian cosmonauts ride on Crew Dragons under a longstanding seat-swap agreement. In addition to NASA missions, Crew Dragon also flies private missions -- most recently Fram2, which carried tourists over the Earth's poles. The next scheduled crew launch is Tuesday's Axiom-4 mission, which will see a Crew Dragon transport astronauts from India, Poland, and Hungary to the ISS.
