VENTURE CAPITAL POST

US Defense Secretary Ash Carter on August 8 gave $75 million to FlexTech Alliance, a consortium of giant tech and research firms, to develop an electronic device small enough for soldiers to carry.

With an objective of taking additive manufacturing (3-D printing) to further advance level, America Makes has drawn up plans to support research and development (R&D) with financial funding of up to $8 million.

Hyperloop Transportation Technologies had agreed to work with Oerlikon Leybold Vacuum and engineering design company, Aecom, to build Elon Musk's vision; the Hyperloop tube.

Media reports on Sunday reveal Iran's plans to buy up to 300 units of Boeing and Airbus planes to replace its antiquated fleet by purchasing at least 90 planes annually. An official of Iran's civil aviation agency projected that Iran would need between 400 and 500 planes in the next ten years.

Airbus (AIR.PA) signed an agreement on Thursday to set up its second plant on Chinese soil in a deal that the European planemaker hopes will lead to lucrative new plane orders.

Boeing Co (BA.N) on Tuesday named Dennis Muilenburg as chief executive officer, effective July 1, succeeding Jim McNerney.

Airbus (AIR.PA) won the Paris Airshow with a last-minute $14 billion deal to sell 110 jets to Hungary's Wizz Air on Thursday, diverting attention from a growing industry debate over how quickly a record backlog of jet orders can be built.

Boeing (BA.N) won breathing space for its struggling jumbo jet on Wednesday with a preliminary deal for 20 of its 747-8 freighters from Russian cargo airline Volga-Dnepr Group.

Boeing Co (BA.N) said it expects airline passenger traffic to rise more than 6 percent in 2015, possibly close to 6.5 percent, above its long-range forecast of about 5 percent.

Loss-making Malaysia Airlines is set to undergo a complete overhaul as it is restructured into a new company, with a rebranding that will be unveiled next week and changes planned to its fleet and network strategies.

Citing steady demand from airlines, Boeing Co (BA.N) said on Tuesday it is capable of raising 737 jetliner output by 43 percent to 60 a month, as it gave a rosy outlook despite concerns about orders, overall production and defense spending.

Boeing (BA.N) plans to use newer and more standardised manufacturing techniques for its new 777X jetliner, paving the way for "significant" savings as it gradually feeds the changes back into existing assembly lines, a senior executive said.

The jumbo jet, for many years the workhorse of modern air travel, could be close to running out of runway. Last year, there were zero orders placed by commercial airlines for new Boeing 747s or Airbus A380s, reflecting a fundamental shift in the industry toward smaller, twin-engine planes. Smaller planes cost less to fly than the stately, four-engine jumbos, which can carry as many as 525 passengers.

Airbus (AIR.PA) plans to offer airlines more choice in the way they configure their planes, and sees carriers opting for different levels of comfort within their economy cabins, a senior Airbus executive said on Wednesday.

U.S. planemaker Boeing (BA.N) beat European rival Airbus (AIR.PA) in net new orders and deliveries in the first quarter, according to figures released on Tuesday.