Aerospace Daily & Defense Report, August 21, 2014

More than half of the U.S. Air Force’s F-16D fighter have been grounded due to cracks found during inspections.

HOUSTON—Planet Labs’ Flock 1B collection of 28 CubeSats for commercial Earth observations began launching in pairs from the International Space Station’s (ISS) Japanese Kibo module on Aug. 19-20. As the latest “Doves” depart the ISS in the coming days, they will join the San Francisco startup’s Flock 1 collection of CubeSats deployed from the station in February and others launched previously aboard Ukrainian Dnepr and Russian Soyuz rockets, bringing the Planet Labs’ camera-toting, orbital CubeSat population to 71.

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (Darpa) is taking an X-plane approach to developing technology for a next generation of combat vehicle that will be more mobile, survivable and affordable. The agency’s new Ground X-Vehicle Technology (GXV-T) program will investigate whether mobility and technology can reverse the need for more armor to protect fighting vehicles from advanced weapons.

BEIJING — Avic rotorcraft specialist Avicopter completed first flight of its AC311A light helicopter, an upgrade of the aircraft offered for the key 2-ton market. The flight of the aircraft, which introduces the Turbomeca Arriel 2B1A engine to the AC311 series, lasted 10 minutes and took place at Jingdezhen, the home of Changhe Aircraft, a long-established Chinese helicopter maker now part of Avicopter.

NEW DELHI—Russia and India have completed the preliminary design stage of their joint-venture multipurpose transport aircraft, a prototype of which is expected to be rolled out in 2017.

HOUSTON—Lengthy spaceflight alters the human immune system in yet to be understood ways, according to results of two complementary studies carried out on 28 astronauts assigned to missions of about six months aboard the International Space Station. The findings raise concerns for plans to send human explorers on longer deep-space missions as well as to destinations far from traditional health care settings.

Engineers in NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD) are using data on supersonic retro-propulsion generated by SpaceX in its Falcon 9 flyback first-stage testing as a substitute for government-funded flight tests aimed at landing large payloads on the surface of Mars. With space-technology budgets tight, the STMD is using partnerships wherever possible to save money on its extensive basket of exploration-enabling technology-development efforts, and SpaceX fit the bill, according to Michael Gazarik, associate administrator for space technology.

McCAIN IN MESA: Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), a leading member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, will speak at an Aug. 22 town hall meeting at Boeing’s Mesa, Arizona, facility, where the company produces AH-64 Apaches, A160T Hummingbird UAVs and key components for other aircraft. The facility is a major employer in McCain’s home state.

NAVAL BASE VENTURA COUNTY, California — For the first time, media have been allowed to observe “Black Dart,” the military’s large-scale, live counter-unmanned aerial system (CUAS)/air defense exercise. Black Dart, which takes place within and around Naval Base Ventura County, California, (formerly NAS Point Mugu, merged with the adjacent Port Hueneme Naval Base and San Nicholas Island), began in 2004 as a classified exercise.

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