In addition to the military-grade missile defense system, armor plating and bullet-proof windows featured on Roman Abramovich's new 557-ft. Eclipse (above), the world's largest and most expensive privately owned yacht, the Russian oligarch has installed a high-tech anti-photo shield designed to keep the paparazzi at bay. The system relies on lasers to block any digital camera lenses nearby, the London Times reports. Infrared lasers will detect the cameras' electronic light sensors, known as charge-coupled devices (CCDs), and then fire a focused beam of light at the camera, disrupting its ability to record a digital image. The Times, which also claims the total cost of the Eclipse has now ballooned over the $1 billion mark, reports the yacht set off on a sea trial last week with 150 engineers and maritime experts aboard who will put it through its paces over 10 days. Abramovich, who just paid $89 million for a villa in St. Bart's, is due to take delivery of the yacht on December 22.

Regular Luxist readers have followed the saga of the Eclipse, Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich's newly launched megayacht which at 557 ft. is the largest private yacht in the world. Now anyone with $500 million to spend can top his triumph by nearly 100 ft. with the 656 ft. Everest designed by Donald Starkey. Rumors about the Everest have been kicking around for a while but it seems the ship, which ushers in a new class of "gigayachts", is actually under construction in Fort Lauderdale and is slated for completion next year, meaning Abramovich has only a few months left to enjoy his naval supremacy. The Everest will be longer than two football fields and have five decks serviced by two elevators, a helipad, a submarine and accommodations for 36 passengers in 17 apartments, including an owner's private penthouse suite on the top deck.

[via JustLuxe]

Back in April we reported that despite the economic crisis Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich planned to complete work on the 557-ft. Eclipse, the world's largest and most expensive privately owned yacht. Now the ocean-going behemoth has been launched on its maiden voyage to test operational systems before the finishing touches are applied, at a reported final cost of close to $500 million according to the London Daily Mail. As the all-white megayacht glided out of the Blohm & Voss shipyard (above) in Hamburg, Germany the other day, it dwarfed a navy destroyer it passed along the way.

The Eclipse, which features a military-grade missile defense system, armor plating and bullet-proof windows, will literally eclipse the recently-debuted $350 million, 531-ft. Dubai owned by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, the Emir of Dubai. The ship also has a submarine that can be launched underwater and dive to a depth of 160 ft. that doubles as an escape pod, as well as two helicopter pads. Abramovich already owns several other superyachts, including the 377-ft. Pelorus, the 282 ft. Ecstasea and the 160 ft. Sussurro, which cost him $25 million a year to maintain, and apparently plans to keep them all.

Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich's new $355 million, 555-ft. Eclipse, designed to be the world's biggest, will have a military-grade missile defense system to keep the oligarch safe. My colleague Deidre Woollard first reported on initial plans for the Eclipse back in January. Now further details are emerging about the megayacht (rendering above), which when completed next summer will be 25 ft. longer than Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid's 530-ft. Platinum, currently ranked as the biggest yacht in the world. Secrecy surrounds the Eclipse, but sources tell the London Times that an antiballistic missile defense system is being installed by AST, a company with close ties to both the Blohm + Voss shipyard in Hamburg, where the yacht is being built, and the German defense ministry.

The Eclipse is also being equipped with armor plating surrounding the bridge and Abramovich's master suite, as well as bullet-proof windows. There's also a submarine that can be launched underwater and dive to a depth of 160 ft. that doubles as an escape pod, as well as two helicopter pads. Civilian ships are not allowed to carry weapons and so have to limit themselves to defense systems, but Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz gets around this by having his 482-ft. yacht registered as a Royal Saudi Navy vessel, said to be equipped with French-made Exocet missiles. Pirate attacks on luxury craft are on the rise of late. Abramovich owns three other megayachts already: the 377 ft. Pelorus, the 282 ft. Ecstasea and the 160 ft. Sussurro.

As the production of the Eclipse 500 Jet has ramped up I had to wonder how they were going to train eager pilots to fly the planes. One answer seems to be the new Eclipse 500 flight simulator which is manufactured by Florida's Opinicus Corp. The Federal Aviation Administration has certified Eclipse Aviation Corp.'s first flight simulator with a Level D Full Motion Device certification which is the highest qualification the FAA grants for simulators. This means that Eclipse can type certify student pilots without having them train in the Eclipse 500 jet. Eclipse hopes to be able to start offering their first simulator training classes soon and plans to have three of these simulators in customer operation by April.

If you've been itching to get your hands on your own Eclipse 500 private jet, today is your lucky day. That's right, Eclipse is listing on of their first Eclipse 500 private jets up for auction on eBay starting today. The list price is $1,719.942.60 and the reserve will be $1,633.945.47. Your money gets you serial # 000038 of the new very light jet. And the company just started making deliveries of the six-passenger jet last December so you will likely be the first on your block to have one. To claim your prize you have to pick up the plane at the Eclipse plant in Albuquerque, New Mexico and the winning bidder also receives participation in Eclipse's Type Rating Training program for one person. The auction ends on August 10.

[via Technobabble]

Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich is at it again, the Wall Street Journal has a piece on the building of the Eclipse, Abramovich's latest yacht, which when it is finished should be the largest privately owned yacht in the world. As we've mentioned before, Abramovich has one of the most impressive yacht collections in the world including the 377-foot Pelorus.

Details are shrouded in secrecy of course but the article reports that Blohm & Voss is building Eclipse somewhere in Germany, which got me thinking. Nearly a year ago, we saw an article on GizMag about the M-147, a megayacht with multiple helicopter pads and an integrated submarine, two features that have been said to also be included on the Eclipse. At that time Abramovich's name was bandied about as well and so I think it is a safe bet that Eclipse will most likely look a lot like the M-147 shown here. The M-147 also has a swimming pool, a cinema and a disco. It would have a capacity for 24 in six guest suites, five VIP suites and an owner's cabin. Last year, a 250 million euro price tag was being bandied about. It certainly seems that Abramovich doesn't share Larry Ellison's frustrations about where to dock a megayacht.

We've been waiting for this news since mid 2005 when we first started covering this company, Eclipse Aviation has finally delivered their first very light jet, the Eclipse 500, and just before the end of 2006 too. AV Web reports that the first Eclipse 500 was delivered to a customer on Sunday, New Year's Eve. A formal delivery ceremony will follow at the company headquarters in Albuquerque, N.M. The first customer Eclipse 500 went to co-owners David Crowe, a private owner, and Jet-Alliance, a shared jet ownership company. Crowe is planning to fly recreationally and the jet will be part of Jet- Alliances shared ownership program. Eclipse has another 37 planes currently on the line and goal of delivering 500 planes before the end of 2007 but with a backlog of 2,500 orders you may have to wait a while for yours.

One down, 2,399 to go. This week, Eclipse Aviation started production on their first Eclipse 500 jet for a customer. The first customer, pilot David Crowe, was there to start the automated welder and will receive his Eclipse 500 this summer. The FAA is expected to certify the Eclipse in late June.  Eclipse is expects to employ 1,000 people by the end of the year and hopes to have 130 planes built. By 2008, the company plans to produce 1,000 planes per year. Once the Eclipse jets start to flood the market we will finally get to see if the predictions of air taxis ruling the skies.

It's been an exciting year for aviation and 2006 looks to be a break-out year. The aviation market seems to be moving in two opposite directions. First of all there are the megaplanes, led by the behemoth doubledecker Airbus A380 and the Boeing 777. These larger planes lead to the need for increased runway size. In fact several airports have had to lengthen runways in order to accommodate the A380. And while they are making the runways larger they are also making the airports more luxurious as well, adding additional features like better restaurants, spas, luxury shopping and lounges worthy of wiling away a few hours.

On the flip side are the little planes: the Eclipse, the Mustang, the Adam A700, and the Javelin are just some of the planes we have been tracking and which should end up taking to the skies in large numbers in 2006.  Because many of these planes are geared for short distances we could see a rise in air taxi services and private ownership. There has already been an increase in private plane clubs. Fractional ownership, which we noticed was big last year, has increased even more and we have also seen the rise of fractional clubs for those who are interested in being pilots instead of passengers (a trend born out by celebrities likeAngelina Jolie taking to the skies). All this small jet activity has also led to the rise of more and more private airports, posh private hangars with amenities that resemble boutique hotels and even homes which are designed so that you can park your plane in the driveway.

What's in the future? As we've seen by the latest moves from Richard Branson and Virgin Galatic space flight is definitely on tap for the next few years. "Space tourism" is currently still pricey but it is expected that the prices will fall eventually. And with the creation of the Rocket Racing League, we may well have NASCAR in the skies. But what I am really excited about for next year is the VTOL, that is the Vertical Take Off and Landing vehicles. The most-talked about is the Moller Skycar which made the pages of the Neiman Marcus Christmas Book this season but there are other vehicles such as the Bell/Augusta "impossicopter" and the Carter Copter that offer the advantages of a plane and a helicopter. And NASA is still offering that $250,000 prize for a flying car. Could this be the year of the flying car? Let me know your predictions for 2006 in the skies.