Boeing

Boeing needs the 787 Dreamliner to run like clockwork. Two problems threaten his plans

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There are times when an industrial program is no longer measured only by the number of units it can manufacture. At Boeing, that role is now occupied by 787 Dreamlinera family of wide-body aircraft characterized by its efficiency and long-haul versatility. We are not talking about a plane pending release: Boeing completed the first delivery of the 787 to All Nippon Airways in September 2011and the Japanese airline operated the model’s first passenger flight a month later, between Tokyo Narita and Hong Kong. What is at stake now is not to prove that the Dreamliner can fly, because we already know that, but that Boeing can manufacture it and deliver it regularly. The objective that Boeing has set for this year is clear: to increase production of the 787 from eight to ten aircraft per month at its North Charleston plant, as explained by its CEO, Kelly Ortberg, on May 27. at an investor conference. The problem is that this leap depends on two fronts that still do not advance at the pace the company needs. FlightGlobal points outOn the one hand, delays in engine deliveries GEnx from GE Aerospaceone of two engine families available for the 787 along with the Rolls-Royce Trent 1000and, on the other, delays in the certification of business class seats with doors, which are blocking some deliveries. A plane that Boeing needs to deliver, not just manufacture That nuance is important because Boeing does not arrive at this phase in a vacuum. The company continues to drag the shadow of the 737 MAX, a program marked first by a global safety crisis and then by the Alaska Airlines 737 MAX 9 door plug incidentwhich brought back to the table a very damaging conversation about quality controls, documentation, supervision and industrial culture. The NTSB investigation Regarding this latest episode, he pointed to internal failures at Boeing and pointed out deficiencies in “adequate training, guidance and supervision.” The FAA, for its part, toughened pressure on the manufacturer after detecting systemic safety and quality control problems. That history does not directly affect the Dreamliner, but it does change the reading of any new instability: Boeing needs the 787 to be a test of order. To understand why this increase in pace matters so much, you have to look at the recent history of the Dreamliner itself. The inspector general of the US Department of Transportation remember that Boeing paused deliveries of the 787 in 2020 due to quality problems in manufacturing, with delays that ended up accumulating almost two years. In addition, those problems led to rework valued at more than $5.8 billion for Boeing and its suppliers. Jammed seats are easier to overlook, although they have a very concrete effect. Some business suites with doors require more complex certifications, and Boeing and its suppliers miscalculated approval times. According to FlightGlobal, there are 787 already built and with those seats installed that still cannot be delivered because the documentary authorization is missing. Another element is added to this pressure: 777XBoeing’s next big widebody plane, has yet to enter commercial service. The 777X family is set to occupy the top of the company’s long-haul catalog, but its schedule has been shifting due to certification delays. AP reported in October 2025 that Boeing had delayed the first delivery until 2027 and that this postponement implied a charge of $4.9 billion in the third quarter. And the pressure is not just internal. Boeing has improved its deliveries, to the point of reaching 600 aircraft in 2025, its best record since 2018. But Airbus is still ahead in deliveries: the European manufacturer reported of 793 commercial aircraft that same year and a record total portfolio of 8,754 orders, with a specific maximum in wide-body aircraft. For Boeing, the 787 has to be one of the pieces that helps reduce that competitive pressure. If the Dreamliner has demand and orders, the challenge is no longer in convincing the market, but in transforming that traction into constant deliveries. Images | Tienko Dima In Xataka | Brazil has achieved something more historic than its sixth World Cup: being the first in Latin America to have its own supersonic combat aircraft

Airbus instead of Boeing

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The tanker aircraft They don’t usually make the big headlines, but without them many military operations simply wouldn’t go as far. They are what allow fighters, surveillance aircraft or strategic transports to remain in the air longer without returning to a base. And that is why, when a European country decides to renew this capacity, the choice matters more than it seems. In a moment of growing tension between Europe and the United Statesthe Italian movement fits with something we have been seeing more and more on the continent: when a mature European alternative exists, some defense programs begin to look more inward. This movement already has figures and a supplier. According to Aero Space Global NewsRome has confirmed its plans to acquire six Airbus A330 MRTT in an operation valued at 1.4 billion euros, with ten years of integrated logistical support included in the package. The purchase will allow you to replace the Boeing KC-767 of the Italian Air Force and closes, at least on paper, a modernization that had previously taken place through another means: that of Boeing KC-46 Pegasus. The choice not only changes planes: it returns the Italian program to a European platform. The A330 MRTT gains weight on the European board The path to the current decision was much less linear than it might seem. Italy began looking towards a continued expansion of its refueling capacity, with the announcement in 2021 of two additional KC-767s. Then came the shift towards the KC-46 Pegasus, which no longer meant adding more aircraft to the existing scheme, but rather replacing it with six units for about 1.1 billion euros. But that plan was not consolidated either: in 2024 it was suspended with a deliberately broad formula, “changing and unforeseen needs.” The abandonment of the KC-46 cannot be explained with a single confirmed cause, because Rome did not publish a closed list of reasons. Aero Space Global News notes that industry reports spoke of costs, uncertainty in delivery times and technical difficulties. And that last part is not minor: the KC-46 had problems in its refueling system, especially with the rigidity of the boom, in addition to limitations in the Remote Vision Systemthe system of cameras and screens that the operator uses to guide refueling, due to image distortion, poor depth perception and sensitivity to changes in light. Furthermore, the A330 MRTT is not an aircraft designed only to refuel other aircraft in flight. Derived from Airbus A330-200 commercial and is conceived as a multi-mission platform: it can transport up to 111 tons of fuel, carry troops, move cargo or set up for medical evacuations. In the Spanish case, we already explained that The model can reach up to 16,000 kilometers and operate with refueling systems using a rigid pole or hose and basket. This dual compatibility is especially useful in Europe, where American and European combat aircraft with different refueling systems coexist. The key here is not only which plane Italy buys, but who it will be able to operate best with from now on. The A330 MRTT has been consolidating itself as a common platform between several European allies, also within the multinational NATO fleet based in Eindhoven. That reduces one of the great frictions of any shared military capability: that each country ends up with systems, training, spare parts and procedures that are too different. In an air refueling mission, where margins are tight and coordination matters a lot, speaking the same technical language can be almost as important as having more aircraft. Spain is already traveling part of that path. The Air and Space Army has three units of the A330 MRTT planned, of which Airbus delivered the first in April 2025 and the second in October of that same year. The comparison is useful because here we do know a detail that in Italy is not yet publicly closed: the Spanish devices came from Iberia and were transferred for later military conversion. That is, we are talking about commercial aircraft converted for resupply and transport missions. In Italy, that point remains open. The technical documentation of the Italian Ministry of Defense indicates thatto allow for a timely acquisition, it is acceptable for the six aircraft to be second-hand military tankers or airline-derived civil aircraft for later conversion, provided they meet the 30-year life cycle requirement. It is an important phrase because it allows us to understand the real scope of what was announced: Rome has already chosen a platform and supplier, but it has not publicly tied the specific origin of the cells. The election, therefore, reinforces the European turn of the program, although it still retains a relevant unknown. Images | Airbus (1, 2, 3) | Air Force In Xataka | The Comac C919 symbolizes China’s aerial dream: the trade war threatens to clip its wings in mid-takeoff

the day Naples rejected a Boeing 787 with 200 people on board because it would not enter the airport

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It hasn’t been long since dawn and the passengers are stretching one day in June 2025 thousands of meters above sea level. They left Philadelphia last night and are about to land in Naples. They are about to discover that, whether they slept better or worse, they are going to have a bad awakening. And when they approach eight hours into the trip and already see the Italian coast on the screens in their seats, a voice informs them that they will not land in Naples. There is not much to fear, everything is in order. All. Except for a small bureaucratic error that is currently diverting them to Rome. They will probably find out about that later. All they know is that their flight from Philadelphia to Naples has had to be diverted. And this time it was not due to a breakdown, a storm or a health emergency. The reason is simple: the plane is too big to land in Naples. Two meters, specifically. Two meters that no one noticed The Philadelphia-Naples route operated by American Airlines is a very good option if you want to travel from the United States to Italy and do not have the need to go through the large airports of New York or Rome. It also has the advantage that it flies at night, which makes it easier to deal with jet lag. Encouragement that, surely, was appreciated by the 231 passengers who had to travel on a Boeing 787-8, according to C.B.S.. However, that day, the airline could have put someone else on board. And, for operational reasons, American Airlines used a Boeing 787-9 On that trip June 3, 2025, a plane slightly larger and with greater capacity than usual on a route that It has been operating since 2024. The aircraft are almost carbon copies. Of course, a Boeing 787-8 measures 57 meters long but the 787-9 already extends to 63 meters long. A difference that has implications beyond the number of passengers. And, according to air safety regulations, a Boeing 787-8 can land in RFFS Category 8 airports (Rescue and Fire Fighting Services) or higher. But a Boeing 787-9 does not have it so easy, it needs to do it at airports in Category 9 RFFS. The difference is small but it is substantial. A Category 8 RFFS airport can accommodate aircraft up to 61 meters long. Yes, two meters shorter than the Boeing 787-9. And you can imagine what category Naples airport has. Indeed, about 70 miles awaythe American Airlines flight asks for a runway in Naples but from the control tower someone realizes the problem: the aircraft is not the same as always. For logistical reasons, the airline was using this second, larger version of the Boeing 787 and therefore exceeded the maximum permitted limit of 61 meters. No one in the company updated the documentation or notified of the change. Technically the problem is not in the size of the trackthe problem is in the security measures. And Naples is not prepared to deal with a possible incident involving a plane of this size. Airport categories are not only classified based on the size of the runway, but also take into account their ability to accommodate emergency and firefighting services. From the control tower they see it clearly, there is no choice but to warn the pilots: they must land in Roma Fuimicino. The capital’s airport is the closest airfield where flights the size of a Boeing 787-9 can land and is therefore where the passengers were ultimately taken. From there, they were finally transferred by bus to Naples, a trip that takes between two and three hours. A lesser evil for a problem that would have been much more serious if the aircraft had had a problem when landing. Photo | Dominic Bieri and Flightware In Xataka | The inevitable increase in air travel is leading us to a reality: there are no places, no planes, no planet for so many tourists.

the landing of the Emir of Dubai’s Boeing 747

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Badajoz airport is not exactly the type of airfield that often appears in the news. Badajoz airport received the emir of Dubai’s private Boeing 747 in 2016. The landing forced the runway, stairs and trailers to be adapted to operate the largest aircraft in its global aviation history. According to data collected by OndaZeroit is a modest regional airport, with little more than 107,000 passengers per year and around 4,500 annual operations. But on an afternoon in April 2016, the staff at that airport experienced the three most stressful hours in its history: had to completely adapt to receive the largest private plane that had ever set foot on its runway. What landed that day at the Extremaduran airfield was not a private jet to use. It was a Boeing 747-400 Combi owned by Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Emir of Dubai and Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates. A device designed to transport up to 530 passengers that, in its private version, serves as a flying embassy and residence of the Arab leader. What is an emir like you doing in a place like this? As and how I collected The Gulf Courierthe emir’s visit to the Extremadura airport was not a coincidence. Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum arrived with a delegation of about 30 people to inspect the new farm he had purchased in the vicinity of Táliga, an area of ​​about 200 hectares of oak forest. Although it was the first time that the emir in person made an appearance in Badajoz, the presence of his representatives in the area was not new. According what was published by The Vanguard That same year, several members of royal families from the Persian Gulf had acquired estates in Extremadura, attracted by the extension of the pasture, the privacy of the rural environment and the proximity to high-level equestrian routes. The Olivenza region accumulates several of these properties and, since then, Sheikh Mohammed has visited the area on more than one occasion with the same device. Landing a Boeing 747 at a regional airport is not only an air transport operation, it involves a whole logistical challenge for infrastructure. Unaccustomed to receiving aircraft of such size, the airport authorities had to expand safety zones on the track, the resistance of the pavement and even adapt the taxi route on the runway to guarantee an adequate height. In addition, they had to provide themselves with larger access stairs, because the ones they usually used did not reach to the double deck of the Boeing 747. Something similar happened with towing vehicles, suitable for moving smaller commercial aircraft, but without enough power to maneuver such a colossus. According to details LuxuryLaunchesthe airport also had to enable higher capacity generators to keep the VIP cabin and the plane’s air conditioning system operational while the president’s visit to his Táliga estate lasted. The Badajoz airport met the minimum requirements to operate aircraft of this caliber, but needed to adapt to a very unusual maneuver for a regional airport in Extremadura. The visit lasted three hours. The preparations, much more. A flying presidential residence He Emir of Dubai’s “private jet” It has nothing to do with conventional private jets, and looks more like a flying palace than a commercial airliner. The front area houses the private bedroom with the Sheikh’s suite, lavishly decorated with gold taps and shower. In the center is the majlis, a reception space of Arab tradition, where the emir meets with his council during the journey. In the rear, a dining room functions as a meeting room with capacity for 26 people, and on the upper deck there are eight minisuites with seats that convert into beds to accommodate the entourage that accompanies him on each of his trips. Even the cockpit has its own particular detail: the throttle levers and flap controls are covered in gold. The Combi configuration of the device also allows cargo to be transported in the rear section, with containers enabled for the emir’s horsesthe main reason for the successive purchase operations of land and properties in the Extremaduran pasture. The emir’s intention was use them as breeding spaces for his stud farm and organize private equestrian raids on his land. In Xataka | The Emir of Dubai bought a 500 million superyacht but discovered that it had a serious problem: there was no mobile coverage inside Image | Wikimedia Commons (Cybaaudi, Konstantin Von Wedelstaedt)

The C919 was born to stand up to Boeing and Airbus. Data shows how close (or far) you are from achieving it

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If you have made a medium-haul flight in recent years, it is most likely that you have traveled on an Airbus A320 family or Boeing 737 family aircraft. It is the unwritten rule of many of these journeys: two industrial giants and a market that for decades has seemed almost closed to any applicant. China has been trying for years to gain a foothold in that segment with the C919, its single-aisle aircraft developed by COMAC. And the latest data suggests that the project is beginning to leave behind the phase in which it could only be read as a promise. This jump can be seen in the operational data collected by Flight Master and citated by China Dailand. In April, the C919 completed 3,190 flights, 117.9% more than in the same month of the previous year, and some aircraft recorded up to 10.7 flight hours per day. The accumulated figure also helps measure progress: as of April 30, 2026, the aircraft had exceeded 42,000 commercial flights since its entry into service. While the data does not make the C919 an immediate global rival to Airbus and Boeing, it does show that the program is moving forward. Let’s look back for a moment. The C919 made its first flight test on May 5, 2017, was delivered for the first time in December 2022 and officially entered commercial service in May 2023, with a route between Shanghai and Beijing. Since then, its network has gradually expanded until connecting 29 airports: 28 in mainland China and one in Hong Kong. As we can see, this is a domestic expansion, but it clearly no longer plays the experimental role. C919 flies more and more, but still depends on key parts Okay, but how many airplanes really sustain that growth? According to China Daily, at the end of April China Eastern Airlines operated 15 units of the C919, Air China had 11 and China Southern Airlines had 10. The distribution between the three large Chinese airlines reinforces the presence of the model in the local market. However, the figure forces us to put the progress in perspective: the fleet is still small compared to the usual volumes of Western competitors. That is why the key is not only in how many C919s there are, but in what performance they are giving in operation. According to Flight Master, since the beginning of 2026, 88.5% of C919 activity has corresponded to operations with at least four daily sectors. Zhu Keli maintains that the use of the plane is already close to that of comparable models more common single aisle, which translates into a sign of greater maturity in maintenance, crew scheduling and ground services. The limit appears when you look beyond the daily operation. IBA Group pointed out in August 2025 that international certification continues to advance slowly and keeps the C919 largely focused on the Chinese market. The consulting firm recalled that the European Aviation Safety Agency had confirmed in April 2025 that the validation of the plane would require at least three to six years from the technical familiarization phase. This schedule does not prevent the program from gaining volume within China, but it does help to understand why its international leap is more complicated. LEAP -1C, the Western engine used by the Chinese Comac C919 The most delicate vulnerability is in the engine. The C919 that flies today uses the engine LEAP-1C of CFM International, a joint venture of GE Aerospace and Safran, and that dependence has already proven to be more than a technical issue. Last year, let us remember, the geopolitical and commercial tensions they altered the production of the program, with a temporary suspension of the supply of that engine. IBA Group also identifies the dependence on imported engines and avionics as a relevant limitation. China is trying to close that gap with political support, planned production and more control over critical parts. According to SCMPthe national plan for 2026-2030 places among its priorities the increase in production, the stability of the supply chain and the advancement of the CJ-1000A engine, called to reduce foreign dependence on the C919. IBA Group adds that even if that engine enters service later this decade, matching the performance and reliability of Western engines will be a multi-year process. That’s the real measure of the program: the plane is already flying more regularly, but its industrial maturity is still being built. Images | Comac In Xataka | The Comac C919 symbolizes China’s aerial dream: the trade war threatens to clip its wings in mid-takeoff

Boeing has surpassed Airbus after years behind. That doesn’t mean I’ve regained control.

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The rivalry between Boeing and Airbus has been marking the pulse of commercial aviation for decades, but it cannot always be summarized in a simple classification. Sometimes, a piece of information seems to announce a change of era and, when we look closer, what appears is something much less resounding. That’s just what happens with the first quarter of 2026: Boeing has managed to overcome to Airbus in deliveries, yes, but it is worth looking at what is behind that advantage before reading it as proof that the American manufacturer has left its problems behind. The photography. The start of 2026 is based on a clear difference in deliveries: Boeing placed 143 commercial aircraft in the hands of its customers between January and March, compared to 114 for Airbus. The data has weight in itself because it puts an end to a long period in which Airbus had remained ahead of Boeing in deliveries. In practice, the American giant supported this result especially in the 737, with 114 units delivered, while Airbus once again concentrated the bulk of its activity in the A320 family, with 81 aircraft. The Airbus bottleneck. If we want to understand why Airbus has been left behind at the start of 2026, the focus is not so much on a drop in demand as on a supply problem. According to Reutersthe European manufacturer has a traffic jam linked to Pratt & Whitney, one of its engine suppliers, immersed in the correction of around 1,200 units affected by a manufacturing defect. While that process is still underway, the production of new engines slows down and Airbus can advance the manufacturing of those planes, but not always complete delivery at the expected pace until those systems arrive. Reality, in context.. That Boeing has closed this quarter ahead, in any case, does not mean that it has resolved the core of its problems. Let us remember that the manufacturer comes from years marked by the 737 MAX crisis, triggered by the accidents of Lion Air Flight 610 and Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302in which 346 people died, and for the subsequent stoppage of that program. Added to this are more recent difficulties: Boeing already warned last month that 737 production will slow while it addresses certain wiring issues. Before this long cycle change, Boeing’s position on deliveries was very different. In January 2018, Boeing reported that it had closed 2017 with 763 commercial aircraft delivered, a record for the industry at the time and its sixth consecutive year leading this field. That year also left 912 net orders valued at $134.8 billion at list prices and a portfolio of 5,864 aircraft. Seen from today, that starting point helps to better measure to what extent the balance between both manufacturers changed in very few years. The context is not so far away: It is worth remembering that this rivalry left another very significant milestone in October 2025, when the Airbus A320 became the most delivered aircraft in history by surpassing the Boeing 737. That was not just a symbolic matter: it reflected the extent to which the problems of the 737 MAX had altered Boeing’s trajectory and the extent to which Airbus had managed to keep up with the A320neo family. The next industrial duel: If we project our gaze a little, the board also begins to move at another very specific point: the future entry on the scene of the 777X. Boeing plans to deliver it in 2027 as a late competitor to the A350, after accumulating delays that are already part of the program’s recent history. For Boeing, this arrival could be important because it would open a new opportunity to rebalance forces in the long haul. But Airbus also continues to move forward. Images | Tienko Dima | Jan Rosolino In Xataka | Commercial aviation is based on very old aircraft. The Iran war is going to make it even worse

The Boeing 747 that the Emir of Dubai uses as a private plane is so luxurious that even the pilot’s controls are made of gold

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When we talk about private jetsluxury is already inferred in that same concept, but even within something as exclusive as that, there are airplanes and then there is he Boeing 747 of the emir of dubaia separate category that makes a normal Gulfstream look like a regular bus. Sheikh Mohamed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, emir of dubaidid not limit itself to converting one of the largest airplanes in the world into a flying mansion, it also extended the luxury to the pilot cabin, with the engine control knobs, flaps and brakes covered in gold. Aviation youtuber Sam Chui had access to the interior and documented in detail everything he found aboard this flying palace that has all the luxury and comforts of a five star hotel designed both to satisfy the government needs of its owner, as well as those of the entire entourage that accompanies him. A jumbo jet with a double identity The base of this mobile mansion is a Boeing 747-400 Combi, a variant of the commercial jumbo jet that combines a large passenger area in the front, with cargo capacity in the rear. This duality allows it to transport the head of state, his team and the cargo (luggage, vehicles, etc.) they need on the same flight, something that clearly differentiates it from other private jets. more “modest.” The most striking element of the interior is the majlis, the traditional Arab reception room, adapted in the form of a huge open space in the central part of the plane in which there are a series of very comfortable seats for the president and his governing council. At the front, just below the cockpit, is the master bedroom, which looks more like a the luxury hotel suite than to a cabin at 10,000 meters above sea level. The lighting is warm, the bathroom and faucets are goldand it has a shower that you don’t expect to find on a plane. In the rear, a large dining room serves as a meeting room with capacity for 26 people, turning the plane into a valid space for negotiations or state dinners. On the upper deck there are eight minisuites with large reclining seats for VIP passengers, and a section with business class seats for the staff who accompany the emir on each trip. When luxury reaches the cockpit Most private jets reserve luxury for the passenger and limiting the cockpit to a more practical and austere function. That doesn’t happen on the emir of Dubai’s plane. Just like published LuxuryLaunchesin this private jet right down to the throttle levers, aerodynamic brake controls and flaps They have a gold finishturning each maneuver into a symbolic gesture and reminding pilots what type of aircraft they are flying. The Combi configuration of the aircraft allows cargo to be carried in the rear, including specific containers for the emir’s horsessomething consistent with the sheikh’s well-known love of horse riding. The plane has a range of about 13,500 kilometers, enough to connect Dubai with any part of the world without stops. The sheikh has at least two Boeing 747s like this one. According to Mallorca DiaryIn March 2026, one of them landed in Palma de Mallorca, generating all kinds of speculation about its destination. In Xataka | The Emir of Dubai bought a 500 million superyacht but discovered that it had a serious problem: there was no mobile coverage inside Image | Wikimedia Commons (Ukrainian Government), Sam Chui

To locate the pilot lost in Iran, the US used two tools. One was given by Boeing, the other is science fiction

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The call quantum magnetometry has promised to measure magnetic fields so weak that they border on detectability, using microscopic defects in synthetic diamonds capable of registering imperceptible variations. In the laboratory, these techniques already allow biological signals to be observed at surprising scales, but always in environments controlled and at very short distances. Outside of these ideal conditions, between noise, interference and distance, the great unknown remains the same: how far that sensitivity really goes. The United States claims to have the answer, and it is very difficult to believe. Two tools to find a missing person. Washington has counted that the operation to rescue to the airman shot down in Iran was based on a very specific combination of technologies that, together, made the difference between finding a man or losing him in an immense terrain. On the one hand, the pilot had a standard and well-known system available as Boeing’s CSELa communications device that allows send encrypted signals via satellite and guide rescue teams with relative precision. This type of tool, widely distributed in the armed forces, was key to confirming that he was still alive and limiting his initial position in an extremely hostile environment. The other tool that borders on the implausible. The second element of the rescue is the one that has generated the most interest (and doubts), since different information supported by a exclusive to the New York Post point to the use of a system called “Ghost Murmur” capable of detecting the human heartbeat at long distance using quantum magnetometry combined with artificial intelligence. On paper, the idea is extraordinary in a movie, but apparently also in the real world: identify the electromagnetic signature of a living body in the middle of the desert, isolate it from noise and convert it into an operational coordinate. It happens that the unknowns also begin here, because these types of signals are extremely weak and, until now, they could only be measured at a very short distance in controlled environments, which raises serious doubts about its real range in combat conditions. Between the plausible and the inflated. The context of the rescue itself suggests that, rather than replacing the classic system, this technology would have acted as a complement under very specific conditions: an environment with low electromagnetic interference, few human signatures or signals, and a target forced to briefly expose itself to activate its beacon. That is, not so much an omniscient tool as a very limited capacityuseful in ideal scenarios but difficult to extrapolate to more complex situations. The narrative of “finding someone by their heartbeat from miles away” fits well as a concept or in a Nolan film, but until now it clashed with known physical limitations. The “Venezuelan” precedent. Many skeptical analysts have gone for the jugular of these claims, speaking reverse engineering of another futuristic weapon to achieve the “Ghost Murmur”. Because skepticism does not arise in a vacuum, but in a recent context where technologies wrapped in an almost fantastic halo have already been presented, such as the supposed “discombobulator” mentioned by Trump in the operation against Nicolás Maduro. In that case, experts pointed out that it was probably a mix of capabilities real (electronic warfare, acoustic weapons or directed energy systems) presented as a single almost magical device. The pattern is recognizable: existing technologies reinterpreted or exaggerated in the public narrative. The war is also fought in the technological story. If you also want, as a whole, the rescue reveals something deeper than a simple military operation: the growing importance of technological narrative in modern conflicts. The United States used a tangible tooleffective and proven to locate the pilot, no more no less than a GPSbut he also hinted at another capacity that, real or not in the terms described, projects a image of superiority almost total. And possibly there, between what is technically possible and what is communicated, there is a space where perception matters as much as reality, and where sometimes the border between advanced technology and science fiction becomes deliberately blurred. The rescue movie, of course, has already been practically written. Image | US Air Force In Xataka | The rescue of a fallen US pilot in Iran seems like a science fiction story. And there are elements to think that it is In Xataka | Iran has found a hole in Israel’s shield: turning a missile into an explosive “storm” in full descent

why OpenAI is installing Boeing 747 engines in its data farms

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Just three years ago, Blake Scholl, CEO of aviation company Boom Supersonic, had a linear business plan: He would first build the supersonic plane of the future and, much later, retrofit its engines to generate power. However, a phone call changed the order of factors and revealed the desperation of the technology industry. On the other end of the line was Sam Altman. The OpenAI CEO’s message was a direct plea: “Please, please, please get us something.” Altman wasn’t looking for plane tickets; I was looking for electrical power. This anecdote, reported to the Financial Timessummarizes the state of emergency in the sector: artificial intelligence is advancing at breakneck speed, but it has hit the wall of physical infrastructure. While the AI evolves in monthspermits to connect to the electrical grid can take up to ten years in some regions. Faced with this paralysis, the industry has opted for “Plan B” which consists of bypassing the grid and manufacturing its own energy on site. The tall price of urgency. This strategic shift has profound consequences. The first is economic, the “delay” is expensive. According to BNP Paribas analystspower from a gas plant built for Meta in Ohio costs about $175 per megawatt hour, nearly double the average cost for an industrial customer. The second is environmental. Mark Dyson, from Rocky Mountain Institutewarns that the emissions of these plants are much worse than those of the general network, which combines efficient gas with renewables. Despite this, the urgency is such that the authorities are giving in. In Virginia, the world’s data center heartland, it is considering relaxing emissions rules to allow generators to run more frequently. Even polluting plants that were in retirement, like the Fisk plant in Chicagohave canceled their closure to feed the demand for AI. From the sky to the data center. The most surprising solution comes from aeronautical engineering through aeroderivative turbines. The ProEnergy Company are buying motor cores CF6-80C2 of the iconic Boeing 747 to rebuild them as ground power units. A single one of these turbines generates 48 megawatts, enough for a city of 40,000 homes. It is not an isolated case. GE Vernova already supplies this technology for the gigantic Stargate (OpenAI/Microsoft) data center in Texas. Blake Scholl himself confirmed that it will sell Crusoe turbines “practically identical” to those of his supersonic planes to finance his aeronautical project. The return of diesel. Beyond aviation turbines, the sector is rescuing the most reviled fuel: diesel. The manufacturer Cummins has already sold 39 gigawatts of energy to data centers, doubling their capacity this year. What was once emergency equipment for power outages is now in demand as a primary energy source. The situation has escalated to the US Government. Secretary of Energy, Chris Wright, suggested on Fox News an almost war economy measure: requisition the backup generators from data centers or large stores like Walmart to turn them over to the network when the general system falters. The ignored alternative: Is smoke necessary? Not everyone agrees that the return to the fossil is inevitable. A study by researchers at Stripe, Paces and Scale Microgrids maintains that the future is in “off-grid” solar microgrids. According to their calculations, a system with 44% solar energy is already as cheap as gas, and one with 90% renewables would surpass nuclear projects in profitability. The advantage is speed since these solar farms can be built in less than two years in desert areas from Texas or Arizona. Giants like Google have taken note, buying the electric company Intersect Power for 4.75 billion dollars to protect its clean supply and not depend on the network. However, the majority industry prefers diesel and known gas due to a matter of technical inertia, due to the prosaic fear that the cloud will go out if the sun does not shine. AI goes physical. The industry finds itself in a technical paradox. To power the most advanced software on the planet, big technology companies are resurrecting combustion engines and burning fossil fuels on a massive scale. Although these “bridge turbines” allow AI to continue growing today, experts cited by the Financial Times They warn that this fever could cool as the tech giants reduce their capital spending. For now, the cloud has had to come down to earth. The future of artificial intelligence, ironically, depends not only on brilliant code, but on who controls the underground and who manages to turn on enough “plugs” so that the greatest technological revolution of our era is not left in the dark. Image | freepik and Harpagornis Xataka | The exorbitant deployment of data centers for AI has a new problem: salt caverns

Boeing has come to the rescue

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We have not returned to the Moon since the mission Apollo 17in December 1972. Maybe that mission doesn’t sound particularly familiar to you, and that’s completely normal. Of all the times we have approached or walked by our satellitemost people remember the mission Apollo 11 by Neil Armstrong’s famous quote, “It’s one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind,” and, possibly, the Apollo 13not because it was a success, but because one of the oxygen tanks exploded and, fortunately, the astronauts managed to save themselves. Fifty-three years later, we are closer than ever to revisiting the one that illuminates us when the sun goes down. We will do so with the Artemis II mission, scheduled to launch as soon as February 2026. But this return is not without challenges. And we are not talking about the delays of the Artemis program, which are not always really delaysbut of a piece as common as it is indispensable: the vehicle that takes astronauts from their bedrooms to the spacecraft that will transport them to the Moon. And someone has come to the rescue of NASA. Returning to the Moon is not just a matter of rockets Historically, astronauts have used the well-known Astrovan to get around from the operations building to the launch pad. From the STS-9 mission of the space shuttle Columbia, in 1983, until the end of the program with the STS-135 mission of the Atlantis, in 2011, a Airstream Excella of 1983 modified specifically for the transport of astronauts. And since NASA has not had its own system to launch astronauts into space since the end of the shuttle program, SpaceX and Boeing, the two American contractors that have assumed this role, have used their own vehicles, turning the historic Airstream Excella into a museum piece. The Artemis program became a good excuse to take a step towards modernity and incorporate, of course, an electric vehicle to transport astronauts. Under this premise, NASA announced in July 2022 that the astronauts of the Artemis program would move in vehicles from Canoo Technologies, an American startup. The fleet would be made up of three vans based on the Lifestyle Vehicle (LV), a model that, strikingly, had not even begun to be sold at the time of the announcement. Even so, there was a vote of confidence and, of course, a contract involved that required compliance. The Canoo vehicles that NASA bought Everything seemed to be progressing without visible setbacks, but things were getting complicated inside. In summary, the company published a press release on its website, which can only be consulted on the Internet Archivein which it voluntarily filed for Chapter 7 of the United States Bankruptcy Code. This implies the cessation of its operations and the liquidation of all its assets. The vehicles had already been delivered to NASA, but using them left one question in the air: if a technical problem arose, who would respond? It was time to make a decision. The original Astrovan With the “countdown” underway for the launch of Artemis II, the US agency’s options were not many. Go out and find a new contractor? NASA had already paid for three Canoo vehicles that now lacked operational support. So there were two alternatives at home: use the Tesla Model employed by SpaceX or resort to the Boeing Astrovan II. Finally, NASA opted for this second option, at least as explained by the agency itself. in a statement provided to the Orlando television network Spectrum News 13. The solution is to temporarily rent the Boeing vehicle for, at least, the Artemis II mission, while other options for the future are evaluated. Boeing’s Astrovan II It is worth remembering that, although the transportation of astronauts before a mission may seem like a minor detail, it is not at all. It is a highly tense situation in which everything must flow with millimeter precision, and the comfort and conditions of the crew are key. So much so that these vehicles are adapted to meet NASA’s strict specifications and have everything necessary so that astronauts can move around with the Orion survival system spacesuits. It’s not as simple as getting into any car and that’s it. Boeing’s Astrovan II The Astrovan II is the result of a collaboration between the caravan firm Airstream and Boeing. It is, in essence, a modified Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 4500driven by a Mercedes-Benz 2.0 liter diesel engine and four cylinders with turbo. It features custom seating, USB charging stations, 110V power outlets, and a live TV broadcast system, as well as being ready to welcome astronauts in their suits. As expected, there are those who are in favor and those who are critical of this decision, but on paper it seems the most logical option. And if you’re wondering if the Astrovan II has ever been used before, the answer is yes. The vehicle debuted on the Boeing Crew Flight Test (Boe-CFT) mission, launched on June 5, 2024. Barry “Butch” Wilmore and Sunita “Suni” Williams were transported in it from the Kennedy Space Center to the launch pad of the Starliner Calypso capsule. That was, precisely, the mission in which the capsule had problems and the astronauts ended up returning to Earth aboard a SpaceX ship. Images | POT | Boeing | Canoo In Xataka | We have filled the Earth’s orbit with satellites. And now the risk of a catastrophic collision is very high

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