Australian carrier Qantas has ordered eight Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners. These 787-9 Dreamliners are going to be powered by the GEnx-1B engine which will be ready to go by 2017/2018. The GEnx-1B is considered the most widely used engine on the Dreamliner. Read more >>

Sony Corporation, the Japanese multinational conglomerate headquartered in Konan Minato, Tokyo, Japan, has recently announced that they will be starting a new drone subsidiary in order to serve their business customers. Through a joint venture with ZMP Inc., a Tokyo-based startup which specializes in autopilot technology, Sony plans on creating a drone company called Aerosense. Read more >>

Boeing has recently been awarded a patent from the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) for its new type of unmanned aerial drone which has the capabilities of converting into a small submarine. This drone, if ever built, will be adaptable for both water and flight travel as it has been designed to rapidly deploy in water or air. The water and air vehicle would be powered by a propeller, wing, and stabilizer. Launching this vehicle would require a large carrier aircraft in order to reach the deployment area. The remotely piloted aerial drone would then detach from the carrier aircraft, at which point it would operate on its own with the option of diving into the water. Read more >>

South Korean display maker LG announced that they will invest around USD$8.47 billion into organic light-emitting diode (OLED) displays through 2018. The money will primarily be used to develop OLED displays suitable for television sets and mobile devices such as smartphones, tablets and wearables. The company is also interested in looking into using OLED technology in signage and auto manufacturing. A small part of the funds will also be allocated to liquid crystal display (LCD) products destined for the premium and luxury markets. Read more >>

Embraer announced that they have received type certification from the Brazilian Civil Agency (ANAC) for its Legacy 450 mid-light executive jet. The company was granted certification at the Latin American Business Aviation Conference and Exhibition (LABACE) in São Paulo, Brazil. The approval campaign included two prototype aircraft featuring flight test instruments and production-conforming interiors, respectively. Read more >>

At the beginning of the week, the International Airlines Group (IAG) announced that they have placed an order for a total of 31 Airbus aircraft which are worth around USD$5 billion. IAG owns both British Airways and Iberia. The purchase is made up of 3 wide-body A330-200s, 8 A350-900s, and 20 A320neos. IAG said that the A350s and A330s will be used by the Spanish airline Iberia for its fleet modernization to serve new long-haul routes and the 20 A320neos will be used for their own fleet replacement. Read more >>

Harris Corporation announced that they have been awarded a two-year full rate production contract by the United States Navy to deliver key avionics components. The contract which is worth around USD$29 million, will deliver components that will improve flight crews’ targeting capabilities on the US Navy's and Australia's F/A-18 E/F Super Hornet fighter aircraft and EA-18G Growler electronic attack platform. Read more >>

At the start of August, the United States Marine Corps’ CH-46 Sea Knight medium-lift assault helicopter has officially been retired from service after completing its last flight, conducted by Reserve Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron (HMM) 774. Manufactured by Boeing and commonly known as the Phrog, the CH-46 Sea Knight helicopter served the US Navy and USMC medium-lift assault community. Read more >>

After winning the bid in the Joint Strike Fighter competition nearly 15 years ago, the first squadron of Lockheed Martin F-35B Joint Strike Fighters has been cleared for active combat by the US Marine Corps. The F-35B is the short take-off and vertical-landing (STOVL) variant of the platform. Read more >>

The Tokyo-based multinational conglomerate Toshiba has found itself in the middle of one of Japan’s largest accounting scandals. This scandal arose after accusations that the chief executives of Toshiba have driven the company to overstate its earnings over the last seven years by $1.2 billion. This billion dollar amount is equivalent to almost a third of Toshiba’s pretax profits that they reported during this seven year time span. In many people’s eyes, Toshiba’s chief executives were held in high regard as civic leaders, as the company was thought to have had combined profitability with modern governance. Read more >>