The Boeing 747-8 Freighter successfully took to the sky for the first time, on a test flight that began in Paine Field in Everett and ended at the same location just over three-and-a-half hours later. The aircraft underwent tests for basic handling qualities and engine performance.  

Gulfstream G250 Super Mid-Size Jet Gulfstream Aerospace, a wholly owned subsidiary of General Dynamics (NYSE: GD), announced the introduction of its newest super mid-size business jet: the Gulfstream G250. The G250 offers the largest cabin and the longest range at the fastest speed in its class.  

Boeing F-15 Silent Eagle (F-15SE) The Boeing Company unveiled the F-15 Silent Eagle (F-15SE), a new F-15 configuration. Improvements in stealth include coatings and treatments on the aircraft. With the added advantage of redesigned conformal fuel tanks (CFTs) that allow for internal weapons carriage.  

Kawasaki Heavy Industries XP-1 Patrol Aircraft Japan`s defence ministry has taken delivery of Kawasaki Heavy Industries` prototype XP-1 maritime patrol aircraft for a long-term programme of test and evaluation activities. Flown for the first time in 2007, the demonstrator has completed an initial 11-month phase of testing by its prime contractor, which expects to build 70 production P-1s to replace Japan`s KHI/Lockheed Martin P-3C Orions.  

Sikorsky X2 Demonstrator Sikorsky’s futuristic X2 high-speed helicopter technology demonstrator made its first flight today in Horseheads, N.Y., in the hands of chief test pilot Kevin L. Bredenbeck. The single-engined fly-by-wire aircraft features coaxial rotors and a pusher propeller that Sikorsky believes will revolutionize the helicopter world with cruise speeds of up to 250 kts, some 100 kts faster than current production helicopters.