Leeham News
• Scott Hamilton
Bargaining Unit Councils at the Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace voted against a tentative agreement, citing lingering resentment over past contracts, comparisons with the 2024 IAM 751 deal and poor communications. The vote suggests the agreement faces a difficult path to ratification.
Boeing
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Bargaining Unit Councils at the Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace voted against a tentative agreement, citing lingering resentment over past contracts, comparisons with the 2024 IAM 751 deal and poor communications. The vote suggests the agreement faces a difficult path to ratification.
Boeing is divesting its electric aircraft and defense drone units in exchange for a 20% stake in Archer Aviation, valuing the air-taxi company at $5 billion. The transaction shifts Boeing’s exposure to advanced air mobility from direct development to an equity position in Archer.
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Airbus delivered 418 commercial aircraft through July 2026, maintaining its lead over Boeing, which reported 367 deliveries year to date, including 53 in July. The month also brought progress in certification, flight testing, airline partnerships and infrastructure, while BETA Technologies reported second-quarter results after Farnborough.
The U.S. Army is allocating more than $1 billion to extend and modernize its heavy-lift helicopter fleet, including a Collins Aerospace contract valued at up to $472 million for CH-47 avionics engineering, upgrades and sustainment. Boeing separately received $876 million for Block II Chinook production.
Delays in the U.S. Air Force’s VC-25B program could push the replacement aircraft toward obsolescence before entering service, underscoring the schedule and lifecycle risks surrounding the next-generation presidential transport program.
Boeing is promoting an off-the-shelf radar seeker designed to reduce the cost of guided missiles, while Northrop Grumman has introduced Raid Hunter, a 50mm gun-based air defense system for countering drones, cruise missiles and other aerial threats in layered, short-range defense.
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Boeing delivered 53 commercial aircraft in July—39 737 MAXs, 10 787s, three 767s and one 777 Freighter—down from 64 in June but up from 48 a year earlier. Airbus delivered 67 jets, while Boeing reported 30 net orders, including Uganda Airlines and AerCap agreements announced around Farnborough.
Boeing delivered 53 commercial aircraft in July, including 39 737 MAX jets, bringing its 2026 total through July to 367—12% above the 328 delivered during the same period last year. The company reported 38 gross orders during the month.
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