Boeing has announced that seven airlines – FlyDubai, Continental Airlines, Norwegian Air Shuttle, Malaysia Airlines, TUI Travel, GOL and Lion Air – will be the first to incorporate the new, spacious 737 Boeing Sky Interior starting in late 2010.
The interior features soft, blue-sky-like lighting overhead and draws on the research used to design the interior for the 787 Dreamliner. The interior therefore features 787-style modern sculpted sidewalls and windows aimed at giving passengers a greater connection to the flying experience. The sidewall design integrates the air vent so that before-flight security checks go more quickly for maintenance staff.
The new design offers larger, pivoting overhead stowage bins that add to the openness of the cabin. The bins give more passengers room to store a carry-on roll-aboard near their own seat, adding both extra convenience and extra legroom.
Boeing has redesigned the reading-light switches so passengers can find them more easily and avoid accidentally pressing the flight-attendant call button. And speakers are integrated into each row's passenger-service unit to improve sound and clarity of public address operations, while the new integrated air vent and improved noise-dampening materials reduce overall cabin noise.
Boeing says the changes are more than cosmetic and it is targetting a 2% reduction in fuel consumption by 2011 through a combination of airframe and engine improvements. Aircraft structural improvements will reduce drag, reducing fuel use by about 1%, while CFM, is contributing the other 1% fuel savings through hardware changes to the CFM56-7B engine.
Continental Airlines will make a Next-Generation 737-800 available to Boeing to flight test the performance improvements.
The DoD has changed its structures and is been increasing efforts to facilitate access to loans by companies interested in working with artificial intelligence, advanced materials and semiconductors, biotechnology and quantum science.
India has approved millions of dollars in new military purchases, most of which will go to public sector companies.
The main obstacles to overcoming risks in the region are a lack of a strong cybersecurity culture and inadequate funds to invest in this domain given a widespread Chinese presence in the region.
MBDA is adapting to supply chain pressures as the Russian invasion of Ukraine leads to increased demand for armaments.
Despite the additional funding promised this week, the UK armed forces still look set to face cutbacks, and maintaining international commitments to AUKUS and GCAP may limit the options for other programmes.
This week on the Shephard Defence Podcast, senior naval reporter Harry Lye and military training & simulation reporter Norbert Neumann chat with Professor John Louth.
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