Twenty years ago, the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) created the Joint Advance Strike Technology (JAST) program. The goal of JAST was to develop aircraft, weapons and sensor technology that would replace disparate United States and United Kingdom aircraft with a single family of aircraft.
EVERETT, WA—Inside Boeing’s assembly plant here, two robots glide along tracks on either side of a 106-foot wing for the 777. The robots wash the wing, apply solvent to remove dirt, rinse and then spray two different types of paint. They even reach into complex spaces inside the open wing root that must be painted for corrosion protection.
PITTSBURGH—A 12-year study by the University of Pittsburgh has found no statistically significant elevations in overall cancer rates among the workforce at the Pratt & Whitney jet engine assembly plant in North Haven, CT. The investigation was begun in 2000 after several workers were diagnosed with brain cancer.
NEWARK, DE—GE Aviation will invest $27 million to expand its assembly plant here to boost production of ceramic matrix composites, which are used to make advanced aircraft engine components. The move will create 70 jobs.
EVERETT, WA—As battery woes kept the 787 grounded, Boeing workers picked up the pace, enabling the company to roll out this week the first Dreamliner built at the rate of seven aircraft per month.
MIAMI, FL—U.S. manufacturers are targeting an aggressive 1.5 percent reduction in cost of goods sold for 2013 in an effort to drive margin growth, according to a new study from The Hackett Group Inc.
AUBURN, AL—GE Aviation has opened a $75 million assembly plant here. The 300,000-square-foot factory will produce parts for commercial and military jet engines. It will employ 50 initially and up to 400 workers by the end of the decade.
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