Boeing adheres to its ‘keep it simple’ rule in developing the 737 MAX

Three decades after CFM International and Boeing revolutionized the single-aisle market by putting a high-bypass turbofan under the low-slung wing of the 737, the two partners are on track to evolve the combination to a whole new level.

Whether the U.S. Navy's first demonstration of a biofuel-powered fleet represents a one-off effort or the potential start of a new industry may now rest in the hands of the U.S. Senate. The Navy bought 450,000 gal. of fuel— made from algae or other crops—for about $27 per gallon to power its “Great Green Fleet” in the Rim of the Pacific exercises scheduled to start later this month. But if the defense authorization bill passed by the Senate Armed Services Committee stands, the biofuel-powered fleet will run aground next year.

Do not be surprised if Defense Secretary Leon Panetta secures a $1.4 billion deal to sell India 22 Boeing-made Apache Longbow attack helicopters during his trip there this week, say Center for Strategic & International Studies analysts.

Manufacturers are hanging ever-larger engines under the wings of their airliners in the quest for higher bypass ratio and lower fuel burn, and bigger fans lie ahead. Will there come a time in the pursuit of ever-higher efficiency when the trend must reverse? NASA thinks so, and is pursuing research into distributed propulsion, where many smaller fans are integrated into the airframe so as to not only provide thrust, but to reduce drag and potentially augment lift for short takeoff and perform flight control.

Whether it is highly integrated antennas that reduce drag, certifiable data links for unmanned aircraft or simulation tools for NextGen airspace research, it is not often that a major manufacturer takes the wraps off its internal R&D. But Aviation Week was given a glimpse inside Rockwell Collins' Advanced Technology Center (ATC)—and a look into the avionics company's future—during a visit to Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

Technical and management problems abound and wages are skyrocketing.

As the first engine maker to attach a fifth-generation civil turbofan to a more-electric aircraft's all-composite primary structure wing, Rolls-Royce says its Trent 1000 experience on the Boeing 787 gives it a significant advantage in the race for ever greater levels of engine-airframe integration.