Boeing plans its first overseas aircraft assembly plant
If the Loyal Wingman project gets a green light, the ATS will be manufactured at a new facility in Toowoomba, Australia. (Boeing)
Should the RAAF proceed with its Loyal Wingman programme, the unmanned aircraft will be built in Australia.
Boeing has selected Australia as the preferred location to set up a final assembly line for the Airpower Teaming System (ATS), also known as the Loyal Wingman UAV, according to a statement released on 22 September.
Boeing and the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) have been cooperating on this project since 2013. An ATS mock-up was unveiled at the Avalon Air Show in 2019, with the project proceeding under the auspices of Air Force Minor Program DEF 6014 Phase 1.
The would-be site for establishing the assembly plant is Toowoomba in Queensland, 125km west of Brisbane. Boeing’s first such facility
Already have an account? Log in
Want to keep reading this article?
Read this Article
Get access to this article with a Free Basic Account
- Original curated content, daily across air, land and naval domains
- 2 free stories per week
- Daily news round-up email service
- Access to all Decisive Edge email newsletters
Unlimited Access
Access to all our premium news as a Premium News 365 Member. Corporate subscriptions available.
- Original curated content, daily across air, land and naval domains
- 14-day free trial (cancel at any time)
- Unlimited access to all published premium news
More from Air Warfare
-
![US Congress limits F-35 procurement]()
US Congress limits F-35 procurement
Restrictions cover new purchases of the three variants of the multirole fighter and require the DoD to correct issues in the acquisition programme.
-
![Spain makes order for 25 Eurofighter Typhoons]()
Spain makes order for 25 Eurofighter Typhoons
Known as the Halcon II programme, the order covers 21 single-seat and four twin-seat aircraft, set to be delivered between 2030 and 2035.
-
![T-6 Texan II trainers deepen their footprint in Asia]()
T-6 Texan II trainers deepen their footprint in Asia
Textron Aviation Defense has said it is confident it can continue to grow orders across Asia as Japan selects the T-6 Texan II to replace the Fuji T-7.
-
![Northrop gets $3.5 billion contract to integrate mission systems for E-6B successor]()
Northrop gets $3.5 billion contract to integrate mission systems for E-6B successor
The E-130J aircraft will take over the E-6B for the US Navy’s Take Charge and Move Out system.
-
![Bell selects Fort Worth site to build V-280s for the FLRAA programme]()
Bell selects Fort Worth site to build V-280s for the FLRAA programme
The facility will work towards readiness for Low-Rate Initial Production on the V-280 by 2028.
