Boeing’s business struggles were laid bare in the company’s most recent financial update, with commercial aircraft delivery and certification targets having been missed and a raft of high-profile defence projects also continuing to drag on its results. We ask whether its bold ambition to return to pre-pandemic production rates and profitability by the middle of this decade could match reality.
Our striking cover image highlights FlightGlobal’s 2023 World Air Forces directory, which details more than 53,000 military aircraft in active use around the globe. Download the full report now.
Also this issue, we investigate mounting evidence of potential 5G interference on airliner systems in the USA, detail the EU’s latest environmental investments, and look ahead to Lockheed Martin’s pending resumption of F-16 deliveries from next year.
In our Italy special, we visit Avio Aero, Elettronica and Logic, and check on the latest developments in the Leonardo M-346 programme, including a status report on the nation’s International Flight Training School venture.
Also this issue, Uncle Roger has compiled our fiendish festive quiz: try it now, or (if you stand not peeping) wait and test your Total Aviation Person credentials in our online version from early December.
Use the links below to access our latest issue’s content in web-optimised format, and subscribers can view our “page-turner” digital replica of the magazine and download a pdf version at the foot of the page. Subscribers can also access our archived issues by clicking on the filing cabinet drawer symbol next to the search icon.
Our annual World Air Forces directory – published in association with Embraer – details the military aircraft fleets of 162 nations, and analyses the main events of the last 12 months.
We highlight some of the most notable national fleet retirements recorded in the 12 months since we published our last World Air Forces directory at the end of 2021.
Boeing aims by mid-decade to be delivering 800 aircraft and taking in revenue of $100 billion annually, though its ability to actually meet those goals remains uncertain due to unresolved troubles that have kept its 2022 targets out of reach.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) suspects new 5G cellular networks may have caused roughly 80 instances of aircraft system interference this year, with pilots reporting a range of malfunctions since the latest generation of mobile connectivity went live in January.
EU-funded programme’s first tranche of research projects will go live in coming months but many will take advantage of existing R&D programmes, as initiative focuses on ambitious greenhouse gas-reduction goals.
Instead of dying out as Lockheed Martin’s fifth-generation F-35 Lightning II scoops up an increasing number of international orders, the manufacturer’s older F-16 is enjoying a late-life revival.
One of the world’s three big aero engine players has owned it for almost a decade, but Avio Aero remains a proudly independent Italian manufacturer, developing its own proprietary products and playing a key role in Europe’s strategic autonomy in military propulsion.
Alessandro Franzoni is mid-way through a 10-year plan to grow fivefold the electronics specialist he became chief executive of in 2016. His aim is to turn Milan-based Logic into a tier one supplier with €100 million ($98 million) revenues and a presence beyond Italy.
In a field dominated by industry giants, Italy’s Elettronica stands out. Not only is it very good at what it does – thanks largely to a pinpoint focus on everything related to electronic warfare (EW) – but it remains a family-run business.
A little over a decade since the first customer example of Leonardo’s M-346 advanced jet trainer was handed over, the type is now in service with six nations, and supporting the instruction of new pilots for multiple other air forces.
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Having never professed an interest in aviation, Angela Ng secured a job in the sector and was hooked. She is now a director of development for the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore.
The lighter side of Flight International.
While ambitious goals are commendable, Boeing has a great deal of work to do if it is to clear a path to reaching them.
