A Boeing and Saab partnership completed the first digital splice of the forward and aft sections of a new trainer aircraft the two companies are building for the U.S. Air Force. Saab assembled the T-7A Red Hawk's aft fuselage in Sweden and delivered the hardware to a Boeing facility in St. Louis, where aircraft mechanics completed the joining process in less than 30 minutes, the Chicago-based aerospace and defense company said Thursday.

Redwire has built and supplied a pair of roll-out solar arrays to Boeing for installation on the International Space Station as part of a NASA initiative to modernize the orbiting laboratory's power system. Boeing, the prime contractor for NASA ISS operations, received two of the six iROSAs after the hardware completed the acceptance testing phase, Redwire said Thursday.

Boeing has delivered the final piece of hardware that will complete NASA’s Space Launch System rocket intended to launch Artemis I, an uncrewed mission to the moon with the Orion spacecraft. Aboard the Pegasus barge, the 212-foot-tall rocket core stage arrived at Kennedy Space Center to be stacked with the upper stage, twin rocket boosters, a launch vehicle stage adapter and Orion, the company said Thursday.

Eglin Air Force Base has received an early delivery of the second F-15EX aircraft manufactured by a Boeing-led industry team. The new F-15EX, the intended replacement for the F-15C fighter jet, features a new digital infrastructure, modern payload and updates for boosted range and speed, Boeing said Wednesday.

Boeing expects the U.S. Army to award a first production contract for the new variant of its CH-47 Chinook helicopter in fiscal year 2021, Defense News reported Thursday. “At this time, we really see no technical or programmatic challenges standing in the way of rewarding the Lot 1 production contract this fiscal year,” Heather McBryan, Boeing’s director of global sales and marketing, said of the CH-47F Block II variant. “We’ve been working closely with the Army to lay out a plan to meet all of our milestones and show a low-risk path to a first unit equipped in 2025, which was, you know, as planned originally."

A Houston-based space exploration learning center has received more than $2 million from Boeing since 1992 as part of the company's investment in educational programs to promote the science, technology, engineering and math fields to young people. Space Center Houston initiatives have drawn at least 250,000 educators and students worldwide each year, Boeing said Thursday.

A fleet of military production tiltrotor aircraft made by Textron subsidiary Bell Textron and Boeing has flown over 600,000 hours while providing warfighters support to maintain their mission readiness and provide transportation for cargo and personnel. The Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey aircraft's range, speed, maneuverability and logistical capability provide warfighters with versatile and cost-effective service, Bell said Wednesday.

Boeing has commenced an effort to update the U.S. Navy's fleet of EA-18G Growler aircraft, which operates to jam the communications of enemy forces. The company said Friday it will modify the aircraft's architecture in both mission system and structural aspects over a five-year period.

Boeing's Insitu subsidiary held a flight demonstration for the ScanEagle3 unmanned aerial vehicle in December to evaluate the drone's initial performance traits such as climb rate and aerodynamic characteristics. The company said Sunday the UAV was equipped with an all-electric, hydrogen-fueled proton exchange membrane fuel cell during the test to power its flight.

Boeing has completed a hot-fire test of the cryogenic core stage the company built for NASA's Space Launch System rocket. The company and NASA performed the test at Stennis Space Center in Mississippi on Thursday as part of the Green Run test campaign and collected data that will be used in the certification of the core stage for flight.

The U.S. Air Force is working with Boeing, Raytheon Technologies and the latter company's Collins Aerospace business in efforts to modernize communication systems of the E-4B strategic command and control aircraft platform.

The Loyal Wingman, an unmanned aircraft Boeing developed for the Australian air force, took its first flight to demonstrate system functionality and design for crewed-uncrewed teaming missions. “We're honored to be opening this part of aviation's future with the Royal Australian Air Force, and we look forward to showing others how they also could benefit from our loyal wingman capabilities," said Leanne Caret, president and CEO of Boeing's defense, space and security business and a 2021 Wash100 awardee.

Leanne Caret, president and CEO of Boeing Defense, Space & Security, received the Wash100 Award, the most prestigious award in all of government contracting (GovCon), for the fifth consecutive time after being named to the 2021 Wash100. Be sure to visit GovConWire to read Leanne Caret's full 2021 Wash100 Award profile.

Astronics has received subcontracts from Boeing to deliver electronic circuit breaker units and exterior lights in support of the U.S. Navy's MQ-25 aerial refueling drone fleet.

Boeing and the University of Queensland in Australia have concluded testing activities for a surface coating on the International Space Station that works to mitigate infections caused by elements like the SARS-CoV-2 virus.