Boeing
US aerospace giant; excluded from USAF CCA production franchise; Artemis SLS core stage contractor.
On 17 June, Boeing lost the US Air Force's first funded autonomous combat aircraft production contracts to Anduril and General Atomics, exposing pressure on its defence business from faster-moving rivals.
Last refreshed: 22 September 2026 · Appears in 3 active topics
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Boeing is a US aerospace and defence manufacturer whose work spans commercial aircraft, military platforms, munitions and space hardware. Its role in the Space Launch System makes it a contractor on NASA's Artemis programme, with its Michoud-built core-stage tank assembly scheduled to move towards Kennedy Space Center on 20 April.
Founded in Seattle in 1916 and now headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, Boeing builds 737, 777 and 787 airliners. Its defence portfolio includes military aircraft and GBU-series munitions. This breadth makes Boeing a longstanding integrator across civil aviation, national security and crewed spaceflight.
Its significance rests on that industrial reach, but it also faces buyers who increasingly judge suppliers on cost and delivery speed. The Air Force's 17 June autonomous-aircraft decision left Boeing outside its first funded production awards. NASA's roughly $4bn cost per Space Launch System flight also keeps attention on the economics of Boeing's space work.
Boeing loses autonomous aircraft contest
On 17 June, the US Air Force selected Anduril and General Atomics for its first funded Collaborative Combat Aircraft production contracts. Boeing competed alongside Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman, but none of the three established aerospace groups won.
The decision matters to Boeing because the programme favours aircraft priced below $30m, against $82.5m for an F-35A. Anduril had already shipped its first Fury aircraft four months early in March, giving the Air Force evidence of production speed before the award. Boeing's established manufacturing scale did not secure it a place in the first production tranche.
Boeing advances Artemis launch hardware
On 16 April, NASA said the liquid-hydrogen and liquid-oxygen tank section that Boeing assembled at Michoud Assembly Facility would leave for Kennedy Space Center on 20 April. The movement placed Boeing's Artemis III core-stage work on a visible delivery path.
That work carries weight because Boeing supplies hardware for a programme facing intense cost pressure. Acting NASA administrator Sean Duffy put the cost of each Space Launch System flight at about $4bn, while total Artemis spending through 2025 stood at roughly $93bn. Boeing's core-stage role therefore ties it to both the programme's physical progress and scrutiny of its expense.
Reference
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Written with AI from Lowdown's published reporting. Not individually reviewed by an editor. Updated 22 September 2026. Editorial standards.