November 5, 2025 - No. 45 In This Issue : Hawkers Could Be Grounded by FDR Failures, Duncan Warns : Gulfstream Implements Voluntary SMS Programs for US MROs : Griffon Aerospace pushes low-cost strike drone for US Forces : The Air Force’s ‘New’ B-1B Lancer Super Bomber Is Coming Soon : Building Tomorrow's Workforce Today at GE Aerospace : How it started, how it's going - From prop to stealth, the evolution of the American flying wing. : Rolls-Royce Uses Derby Capacity To Advance Trent 1000 Durability Work : Boeing brings in new electronic standard for parts authentication : Blade-out design for CFM’s RISE; 2nd A320 line in Mobile : Boeing Program Targets Used Parts Inventory Increase : Boeing To Offer 747-8 VIP Conversions Hawkers Could Be Grounded by FDR Failures, Duncan Warns Duncan Aviation is seeking a customer to provide a Hawker 750/800XP/850XP/900XP for development of an installation package for a new cockpit voice flight data recorder (CVFDR) that will enable Hawkers to avoid grounding due to FDR obsolesence issues. The factory-installed FDRs in these Hawker models under the original supplemental type certificate (STC10001SC-D) contain main system components that are no longer available. “The digital flight data recorder, flight data acquisition unit, linear potentiometers, and the accelerometers are no longer available for purchase or repair, and there is no longer a method of support for any of these critical FDR components,” according to Duncan Aviation. “The concern is that due to regulatory requirements in other countries, particularly Mexico, Hawker aircraft with the original FDR risk being grounded for extended periods of time when any of those components fail.” Duncan Aviation’s upgrade with a BendixKing Aerocorder FDCVR will apply to Hawker models with the original Collins Pro Line 21 avionics, but the Collins flight deck modernization package will be a minimum requirement. “If you own a Hawker aircraft that is registered in the United States, we would love to discuss opportunities with you that will be available for our launch customer for this new STC,” said Matt Nelson, Duncan Aviation’s manager of satellite operations. Gulfstream Implements Voluntary SMS Programs for US MROs Gulfstream Aerospace's maintenance, repair, and overhaul network has demonstrated compliance with the FAA Safety Management System Voluntary Program (SMSVP), a milestone reached ahead of a year-end deadline. Under a bilateral agreement with the EU, US-based repair stations that have EASA approvals must comply with an SMS as outlined in the SMSVP by December 31, Gulfstream said. Compliance is also in alignment with safety and quality control standards across the Gulfstream Customer Support network, the company added. “Gulfstream's high safety and quality standards are cornerstones of our culture, and operating at the highest levels of safety is our first priority,” said Gulfstream Customer Support senior vp Lor Izzard. “We were one of the first OEMs to establish a safety management system nearly 20 years ago, laying the groundwork to complete this new compliance ahead of schedule.” Gulfstream's original SMS program was established in 2007, positioning it for the update to ensure that it exceeds the SMSVP requirements for all its US repair stations in Mesa, Arizona; Long Beach and Van Nuys, California; Palm Beach, Florida; Savannah and Brunswick, Georgia; Westfield, Mass.; St.Louis; Appleton, Wis.; and Dallas and Fort Worth, Texas. In addition, Gulfstream has incorporated the SMSVP at its repair and overhaul centers in Lincoln, California, and Fort Worth. This complements the SMS program implemented at Gulfstream's Farnborough Service Center in 2024, the company said. Griffon Aerospace pushes low-cost strike drone for U.S. Forces By Colton Jones Oct 25, 2025 Modified date: Oct 25, 2025 Note: See photos in the original article. Arrowhead MQM-172 drones. Photo courtesy of Griffon Aerospace. Key Points • Griffon Aerospace is promoting a one-way attack variant of its MQM-172 Arrowhead drone for strike and attritable missions. • The Arrowhead can carry payloads up to 100 pounds and supports modular integration with customer guidance systems. Griffon Aerospace, a U.S. defense firm known for its aerial target systems, is promoting a new variant of its MQM-172 Arrowhead drone configured as a low-cost, one-way strike weapon. While originally developed as a realistic target drone for military training, the company now markets the platform’s adaptability for loitering munition roles with configurable payloads and streamlined integration. Daniel Beck, Airworthiness Manager and Program Manager at Griffon Aerospace, described the Arrowhead’s performance as reliable and adaptable. “The Arrowhead MQM-172 continues to prove itself as a dependable training and target platform engineered for repeatable performance and easy integration into live-fire and test programs,” Beck said. “Griffon’s design and support make fielding simple and predictable.” According to Beck, Griffon has developed a one-way strike version of the MQM-172 using the same airframe. “We also offer a one-way attack configuration built on the same proven Arrowhead airframe — a cost-effective, rapidly fieldable option for strike and attritable-effects missions,” he said. “It supports configurable mission payloads up to 100 lbs and modular integration with customer guidance and fuzing architectures.” The company is positioning this version of the Arrowhead as a versatile solution for both training and operational scenarios. “If you’re evaluating target drones or considering one-way attack solutions, I’d welcome a conversation about capabilities, timelines, and how Griffon can tailor a solution to your mission,” Beck added. The Arrowhead, officially designated MQM-172, features a distinctive delta-wing design and is engineered for high-performance target simulation. The platform can be launched through multiple methods, including pneumatic launch, RATO (Rocket Assisted Take Off), or truck-mounted systems. A rugged belly-landing system allows for repeatable use during sustained training cycles. A pneumatic launch system for Arrowhead MQM-172 drone. Photo courtesy of Griffon Aerospace. Griffon says the Arrowhead is designed to emulate threat profiles encountered in modern aerial warfare. Its operational flexibility, the company claims, makes it well suited to simulate enemy drone threats or provide strike capabilities in denied environments. While Griffon refers to the Arrowhead as a target system, analysts and open-source observers have drawn comparisons between its silhouette and the Iranian Shahed-136 loitering munition. The visual similarity, combined with its low cost and potential for mass production, has led some to describe it as an “American Shahed.” The adaptation of training drones into combat-capable loitering munitions reflects a broader trend in U.S. defense innovation. Cost-effective, attritable systems capable of swarming or precision strike roles are being actively explored by military branches and industry partners alike. Griffon Aerospace has not publicly confirmed whether any U.S. or allied military services have adopted the one-way Arrowhead for operational use, but the promotional shift suggests growing interest in dual-role unmanned systems that can serve both training and combat applications. The Air Force’s ‘New’ B-1B Lancer Super Bomber Is Coming Soon By Kris Osborn Published October 25, 2025 B-1B Lancer. Image Credit: Creative Commons. Note: See photos in the original article. Key Points and Summary – The U.S. Air Force is significantly upgrading its “legacy” B-1B Lancer bomber fleet to bridge a “bomber deficit” until the new B-21 Raider arrives in sufficient numbers. -Despite its age, the B-1B is a workhorse that is receiving a massive overhaul, including new engines, targeting pods, and communications. B-1B Lancer Bomber. Image Credit: Creative Commons. -Most critically, its weapons bay is being reconfigured, increasing its internal payload from 24 to 40 weapons and giving it the new ability to carry hypersonic missiles. -This transforms the B-1B into a formidable standoff “missile truck,” ensuring its relevance for decades. Super B-1B Lancer Is Coming to the U.S. Air Force In recent years, the Air Force has also reconfigured the B-1B Lancer’s weapons bay to carry more weapons, increasing its magazine capacity from 24 to 40. The adjustments to the bomb bay will also enable the B-1B to carry hypersonic weapons, significantly increasing the aircraft’s lethality. The bomb bay itself has been massively reconfigured in anticipation of weapons that do not yet exist. Accommodating larger hypersonic weapons into a B-1B bomb bay brings several strategic implications; not only does it massively increase the target envelope and range, but also allows for more extended mission “dwell” time over targets to sustain attacks. Integrating hypersonic weapons serves two key Air Force aims: accelerating their deployment to war and sustaining and upgrading the B-1B to the fullest extent. Integrating large hypersonics also aligns with the Air Force’s broader intent to rapidly integrate innovations from the science and technology realm into operational use.B-1B Lancer Bomber. Image Credit: Creative Commons. B1-B Lancer Many Years of Service The famous B-1B Lancer bomber may be many decades old. Yet, the classic platform has surged into the future with a wide range of evolving attributes, including new avionics, communications technologies, engines, and even hypersonic bombing capability. While a legacy platform heading toward eventual retirement and “end-of-service,” the B-1B has been preserved and sustained due to what the Air Force refers to as a “ For many years, the service has maintained that its bomber fleet is insufficient to meet combatant commanders’ demands worldwide, a circumstance that has led to extensive service-life extensions for many of its platforms. The strategy has been clear, as the Air Force wants to sustain its op-tempo of critical Bomber Task Force deployments and deterrence missions with its existing f The overall approach is grounded in considerable measure upon the recognition that airframes from legacy aircraft often remain viable for decades after what may have been anticipated. With some maintenance and structural reinforcement, older airframes can endure for decades to come, remaining relevant and operational. B1-B Work Horse The Air Force’s B-1 B bomber may capture fewer headlines than a sleek-looking, stealthy B-2 or F-35, yet the decades-old bomber has performed a massive volume of missions in recent years. The B-1, which had its combat debut in Operation Desert Fox in 1998, went on to drop thousands of JDAMS during the multi-year wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The B-1 can hit speeds of MACH 1.25 at 40,000 feet and flies a ceiling of 60,000 feet. It fires a wide range of bombs, including several JDAMs: GBU-31, GBU-38, and GBU-54. It also fires the small-diameter bomb, the GBU-39. Therefore, despite its age, the B-1B has remained in service as part of a key strategy to retain a viable and effective bomber fleet until larger numbers of the new B-21 Raider arrive. B1-B Lancer Overhaul This is why the Air Force has been pursuing a massive technical overhaul of the B-1B, giving the aircraft an expanded weapons ability along with new avionics, communications technology, and engines. The engines have been refurbished in recent years to retain their original performance specs, and the B-1 has also been getting new targeting and intelligence systems. A new Integrated Battle Station includes new aircrew displays and communication links for in-flight data sharing. Another upgrade, called The Fully Integrated Targeting Pod, connects the targeting pod control and video feed to the B-1 cockpit displays. The B-1B Lancer will also be able to increase its carriage capacity of 500-pound class weapons by 60 percent due to Bomb Rack Unit upgrades. Building Tomorrow's Workforce Today at GE Aerospace October 27, 2025 by Clara Lopez Did you know the U.S. will need to fill 3.8 million manufacturing jobs by 2033? It’s a staggering challenge — and nearly half of those jobs could remain unfilled if additional steps aren’t taken. This number comes from a study conducted by Deloitte and The Manufacturing Institute that highlights the growing skills gap in the U.S. manufacturing sector. But here’s the good news: Action is underway. At two recent events put on by Axios, a digital media outlet, GE Aerospace announced bold efforts to tackle this challenge head-on. In Cincinnati, at the GE Aerospace Customer Technical Education Center, Chairman and CEO Larry Culp announced a new $30 million program from the GE Aerospace Foundation that will train 10,000 people by 2030. Culp emphasized the importance of this initiative. “We’re really doing this as part of an industry-wide effort to make sure that aerospace not only has the capacity but the capabilities to fulfill the missions that we see in front of us,” he said. “We’re excited about the next steps here.” In addition, the GE Aerospace Foundation announced $2.5 million in donations this year to expand existing workforce training programs, helping individuals gain the skills they need to succeed. At Vaughn College in New York, the funding is opening doors for students to pursue aerospace careers and build a stronger workforce pipeline. Sharon B. DeVivo, president and CEO of Vaughn College, said, “This gift provides critical momentum in supporting the success of our talented students as they pursue their career goals within the aerospace sector.” At another Axios event in Raleigh, North Carolina, the GE Aerospace Foundation announced a $500,000 commitment to the Manufacturing Institute’s Heroes MAKE America initiative. This funding will support the creation of a new aircraft and powerplant maintenance technician certificate program. North Carolina Governor Josh Stein praised GE Aerospace’s investment: “Just as our veterans have given so much to us, we must give to them. So I applaud GE Aerospace for investing in our future while strengthening its own workforce at the same time.” The Heroes MAKE America initiative is more than training; it’s about helping service members and veterans gain advanced manufacturing roles as they transition to civilian life. But what do all these programs and efforts look like in real life? Here are two people who have found jobs in advanced manufacturing through existing skills programs. Justin Parra, based in North Carolina, is an example of how programs like SkillBridge are transforming lives. After transitioning from the U.S. Air Force, Parra joined GE Aerospace and now works as an assembly and test technician in Durham, North Carolina. “I wanted to give myself the best chance to find a job and build something sustainable outside of the military. SkillBridge gave me that opportunity,” Parra says. “Being an active-duty service member is kind of your life — it’s all you know. SkillBridge helped me make the transition to civilian life.” Meanwhile, Krystal Godinez, in Lafayette, Indiana, earned her FAA powerplant license through GE Aerospace’s Powerplant Apprenticeship program, proving that with the right support, big dreams can take flight. “The compensation here has completely changed my quality of life,” she says. “I don’t have to worry about making ends meet anymore, and for that I’m very grateful.” Christian Meisner, chief human resources officer at GE Aerospace, highlights the importance of investing in people to address the industry-wide challenge. “We, like the rest of the industry, have a challenge. That is a shortage of skilled workers,” says Meisner. “These skills are not something you learn over the weekend. So, to advance the future of flight, we must invest in the people who build it, and we look forward to working with our partners.” These new skills training programs, donations, and initiatives are about more than the numbers needed to meet GE Aerospace’s future manufacturing challenge. They’re about people — empowering individuals, supporting veterans, and making sure the aerospace industry has the talent and expertise to meet the challenges ahead. So, back to the 3.8 million jobs. It’s a big challenge, but GE Aerospace is stepping up, showing how investing in people today can help shape the future of flight tomorrow. How it started, how it's going - From prop to stealth, the evolution of the American flying wing! A visual timeline underscores key engineering leaps: on X, with comments... Rolls-Royce Uses Derby Capacity To Advance Trent 1000 Durability Work James Pozzi October 14, 2025 Credit: Rolls-Royce DERBY, England—Rolls-Royce is moving ahead with durability enhancements for the Trent 1000 following the opening of a specialist facility at its headquarters in Derby, England, where it plans to undertake the modifications for the program through to 2027. The British engine manufacturer opened the aftermarket support facility (ASF) at the start of 2025 to specialize in quick-turn engine services and to undertake the first durability enhancement package for the Trent 1000 program, one of two powerplant options for the Boeing 787 aircraft, alongside the GE Aerospace GEnx. “The building was identified as footprint that we could quickly adapt to quick turn capacity to complement the certification of the durability enhancement package on the Trent 1000,” says Paul Keenan, Director of Global Aftermarket Operations Civil Aerospace at Rolls-Royce, who says staff additions were also made to ramp up the facility. “We’ve recruited more than 100 people in twelve months, so that we can run at this modification at pace,” he says. The facility formerly operated as a general tooling storage facility for the Derby campus in a building more than 100 years old. Upgrades to transform the building included investments in new high-load capacity cranes, equipment and offices. The Trent 1000 has endured durability issues related to its high-pressure turbine (HPT) blades. The manufacturer inducted its first engine at the quick-turn facility in November last year but, following the announcement of the first of two durability enhancement packages for the Trent 1000 in June 2025, the workscopes at the Derby quick-turn facility changed to incorporate the newly certified blade for the Trent 1000 program. The first durability enhancement package is targeting a 40% increase in cooling air flow to a new HPT blade making it 45C cooler. It updates the combustion system and fuel spray nozzles and also includes enhancements to the engine electronic controller software. “These upgrades are proven—they’re already delivering exceptional results and, in some cases, tripling time on wing on the Trent 7000 since introduction in 2022,” Keenan says. “As a minimum, based on our testing and as already demonstrated on the Trent 7000, we are expecting more than double the time on wing compared to the current entry into service standard of blade.” To prepare and mitigate against any potential supply chain constraints, Keenan says Rolls-Royce readied its inventory levels in advance of the HPT blade certification. “We were fully expecting certification and therefore we've been building up a stockpile and we are now ready to go,” he says. Next year, Rolls-Royce will unveil phase two of the durability enhancement package, which will aim for a 30% improvement for Trent 1000 time on wing beyond the first phase’s gains. Included in the package are further enhancements to the HPT blades, advanced coatings for combustor tiles, and cooling and coating changes to the HP nozzle guide vanes. Also included is a redesigned combustor-to-turbine interface, adapted from the latest Trent XWB-84 EP engine. Keenan adds that the phase two upgrades do not require flight testing. Close to the ASF is Rolls-Royce’s Engine Overhaul Services (EOS) facility, which undertakes heavier engine work scopes and is staffed by around 700 people. Keenan says having the two facilities operating separately from one another—albeit under the same support functions and leadership—enables the ASF to create a targeted facility which “optimizes its methods, equipment and workforce around a standard work scope to drive significant benefits to turnaround time to deliver the durability enhancement package to customer fleets.” Keenan adds that it will continue to recruit people in line with its growth plans for Derby along with its facility in Dahlewitz, near Berlin in Germany, which has also seen a recruitment drive following the resuming of commercial engine services at the site late last year. Across both shops, the British engine-maker invested £55 million ($70 million), with about half of the investment and two thirds of the jobs created in Derby. “This facility, like Dahlewitz, has taken approximately one year from being approved to being operational. This includes, labor, methods, new tooling and regulatory approval,” Keenan says. The investment led to a recruitment drive, with the creation of more than 300 front-line operations roles. To prepare for this, the company trained technicians and engineers within its aftermarket network. To Train staff, Rolls-Royce utilized the EOS and ASF sites in Derby, along with the Arnstadt, Germany-based N3 Engine Overhaul business, a Trent-focused MRO joint venture between Rolls-Royce and Lufthansa Technik. Boeing brings in new electronic standard for parts authentication By Web Team October 23, 20252 Mins Read Boeing, in partnership with Southwest Airlines and Aeroxchange, has completed what they say is the aerospace industry’s first parts shipment accompanied by a digital 8130-3 certificate (an electronic version of the FAA-governed 8130-3 Authorized Release Certificate). Boeing says this electronic certificate can improve supply chain security by preventing unapproved spare parts from entering the aerospace aftermarket. “Together with Southwest Airlines and Aeroxchange, we are transforming how the industry ensures part authenticity and supply chain security,” said William Ampofo, senior vice president, parts & distribution and supply chain, at Boeing Global Services. The FAA Form 8130-3 certifies the airworthiness of aircraft parts, components and articles. The digital 8130 certificate replaces the traditional paper certificate with a secure, encrypted file that authenticates the authorised signer’s identity in order to ensure document integrity. Boeing led a pilot project to generate and gain authorisation for this digital solution. Recently, a battery serviced at Boeing’s product repair services centre in Davie, Florida, was the first part shipped using the electronic form, transmitted using the Aeroxchange eARC platform. Southwest Airlines received the battery at its Dallas facility, verifying its authenticity and airworthiness through the new digital process. “The security benefit of electronic forms aligns to Southwest’s value of a safety-first culture and will be of significant benefit in the aviation industry,” said Landon Nitschke, senior vice president, technical operations, Southwest Airlines. Leveraging X.509 security protocols, public/private key encryption, and blockchain-ready formats, the digital 8130 certificate is designed to create an immutable, verifiable record of part authenticity throughout its lifecycle. “Aeroxchange is honoured to have partnered with Boeing and Southwest Airlines to transmit this first-ever eARC document providing a highly secure, verifiable digital record of the Authorized Release Certificate, Form 8130-3,” said Al Koszarek, president and CEO of Aeroxchange. “This landmark event is a milestone on the industry’s journey to prevent unapproved parts from entering the aviation supply chain.” Boeing will continue rolling out the use of the digital 8130 certificate across all nine of its product repair services centres, as each centre receives authorisation from the FAA to use electronic systems for recordkeeping, electronic signatures and electronic manuals. Expanding the use of digital authorised release certificates was a key recommendation from the Aviation Supply Chain Integrity Coalition (ASCIC), a cross-industry group dedicated to preventing unapproved parts from entering the aviation supply chain. Boeing, Southwest Airlines and Aeroxchange are active members of the ASCIC. Blade-out design for CFM’s RISE; 2nd A320 line in Mobile By Scott Hamilton Arjan Hageman. Credit: GE Aerospace. Oct. 22, 2025, © Leeham News: The Open Rotor engine and its evolution, the Open Fan, promise dramatically lower fuel consumption compared with evolutions of the ducted fan engine. The Open Rotor has counter-rotating fans, while the Open Fan has a single rotating fan with stators that do not rotate behind it, which can be adjusted or pivoted for maximum efficiency. Open Rotor testing in the 1980s proved noisy, offered slower cruising speeds than conventional jet engines, and caused vibration that transferred to the vertical tails of the Boeing 727 and McDonnell Douglas MD-80 test beds. Questions about maintenance and concerns over blade failure were paramount. Developers of the Open Fan, GE Aerospace, and Safran, under the CFM International brand, say objections to the Open Rotor design have been overcome. The noise is lower than that of the CFM LEAP engine, according to testing. The cruising speed is now projected to be comparable to today’s Airbus A320neo and Boeing 737 MAXes. Maintenance durability, reliability, and dust ingestion testing aims to overcome entry-in-service maintenance shortcomings of the LEAP and competing Pratt & Whitney GTF engines. Related Story • GE Advances testing on Open Fan dust ingestion However, industry and airline officials LNA talks to aren’t yet convinced that blade out concerns have been resolved. “We’re designing for blade-outs,” GE’s Arjan Hageman, vice president for the future of flight at GE, said in an interview with LNA earlier this month. Composite blades key to Open Fan GE Aerospace points to its history of composite fan blades as a key reason to reassure the airlines, lessors, Airbus and Boeing about the reliability of the Open Fan blade out concerns. Credit: GE Aerospace. A slower-rotating fan, about the size of the propeller on the ATR-72 turboprop, reduces energy in the event a blade separates. The RPM of an ATR-72 propeller is about 1.2k; GE says the RISE’s RPM is about 1k. The top RPM of the props on the Airbus A400M is about 860. A conventional ducted turbofan RPM is more than 2.5k, GE says. Blade separations on the ATR have been rare, and none have been reported on the A400M. There have been rare cases of blade separation on a variety of ducted fan engines. “We’re building on our composite blade experience,” Hageman says. “This will be the sixth-generation composite blade. We’re able to make them super strong, but super light, and very low weight. “You have a low-velocity, low-weight fan blade. That means there’s a low level of energy. It’s six times lower than a comparable ducted engine,” he says. Hageman says that normally, the fan is contained in the fan case. “So, there’s armoring that sits in these ducts that contain that fan blade. Now I need less of that, because I have six times less energy in these blades. I simply take that armoring from the fan case and apply it to the fuselage of the aircraft in the local area next to the engine. And that is the protection from a failed blade event. If you have a blade failure, a slowly rotating fan means that blade has a lower velocity.” Boeing Program Targets Used Parts Inventory Increase Sean Broderick October 21, 2025 Credit: Getty Images Boeing is bolstering its used parts inventory through a comprehensive aircraft end-of-life program that sees the company manage tear downs and part-outs and share resulting revenues with customers. Under its Aircraft Recycling Program, operators consign soon-to-be retired aircraft to Boeing. The manufacturer then taps a network of part-out specialists to tear aircraft down. Valuable parts are offered for sale or added to spares pools, and the original operator gets a cut of the revenue. Boeing touts the program as addressing several needs. It helps ease pressure on suppliers who are struggling to keep up with parts demand and offers sustainable end-of-life services for retired equipment. “We are working with the airlines to identify high-value parts and tear down those aircraft, go through the certification [and repair] process,” Boeing SVP of parts and distribution and supply chain William Ampofo said at the recent Aviation Week MRO Europe conference in London. “While these suppliers continue to get healthy, we’re offering an alternative path to providing parts to them and doing it in a responsible, sustainable way.” Part-out specialist ecube is Boeing’s first announced partner in the program. Boeing plans to add more, and each will carry Aircraft Fleet Recycling Association accreditation, the company said. Increasing its used serviceable material (USM) activity is one of several steps Boeing is taking to better support the in-service fleet. It also is expanding the number of parts pool locations to ensure materials are more readily available. “We’re making an investment not only in inventory, but there’s a huge [localization] push for us,” Ampofo said. “We’ve got a warehouse and distribution network all over the world. We just recently opened a warehouse in Cologne, [Germany,] in response to the customer saying, ‘I need faster turnaround times, and I don’t want to go back to the [U.S.] to get something that I need in Europe.’” Boeing To Offer 747-8 VIP Conversions Guy Norris October 16, 2025 Credit: Boeing LAS VEGAS—Boeing is setting up a “turnkey” service to acquire former passenger 747-8I Intercontinental aircraft and convert them into long-haul business jet and VIP transports with custom designed and built interiors. Although 747-8 production ended with the delivery of an -8F freighter model in January 2023, the final 747-8I passenger model out of 48 built was delivered to Korea Air in May 2017. Of these, around 31 remain in active passenger service with the bulk–some 19 aircraft–operated by Lufthansa. Several 747-8Is were also delivered as purpose-built Boeing Business Jet (BBJ) or head-of-state VIP aircraft. The final 747-8 BBJ, a previously owned aircraft, was delivered to Qatar Amiri Flight in 2023. This aircraft was subsequently given to the U.S. for use as an executive airlift support, arriving in Waco, Texas, for modification work in August. Aside from Qatar, other VIP versions have been delivered to the governments of Brunei, Egypt, Kuwait, Morocco, Oman, Saudi Arabia and Turkey. As a VIP aircraft, Boeing says the 747-8 incorporates nearly 5,000 ft.² of cabin space “that can be designed and completed with oversight of a dedicated team under a single Boeing contract.” The company adds the 747-8 VIP can fly 75 passengers with a range of 8,500 nm. Curt Lewis