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Magazine Issue

Aviation Week & Space Technology October 20, 2014

VOL. 176 NO. 37 October 20, 2014

Technology

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Skunk Works Reveals Compact Fusion Reactor Details

Oct 15, 2014
The device is conceptually safer, cleaner and more powerful than much larger, current nuclear systems that rely on fission, the process of splitting atoms to release energy. Crucially, by being “compact,” Lockheed believes its scalable concept will also be small and practical enough for applications ranging from interplanetary spacecraft and commercial ships to city power stations and, potentially, large aircraft.
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Meet The Leader Of Skunk Works’ Compact Fusion Reactor Team

Oct 20, 2014
Just seven years into his career, Thomas McGuire is leading a Skunk Works project to find the “Holy Grail” of low-cost and low-impact energy in the form of nuclear fusion.

Feedback

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Letters From Our Readers (Oct. 20, 2014)

Oct 20, 2014
LED + NVG Could Spell Trouble

Who's Where

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New Positions, Promotions, Honors And Elections (Oct. 20, 2014)

Oct 20, 2014
Walter Heerdt has been named senior vice president-VIP and executive jets for Lufthansa Technik. He succeeds Hans Schmitz, who will be retiring. Heerdt has been senior vice president-marketing and sales for the Lufthansa Technik Group.

Up Front

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Opinion: Government, University Commitments Keys To Aerospace Engineering

Oct 20, 2014
Last month, Michigan celebrated the centennial of aeronautical engineering in the U.S.

Leading Edge

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Sikorsky, Bell Tout Flying Characteristics Of JMR Rotorcraft Candidates

Oct 20, 2014
Rotorcraft candidates for the U.S. Army’s Joint Multi Role mission are concentrating on many “wow factor” characteristics above and beyond speed

Reality Check

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Opinion: The Declining State Of Air France

Oct 20, 2014
Air France has been slow to embrace the changing environment of air travel, and this has contributed to its long list of woes

Airline Intel

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Opinion: Airlines Growing More Efficient At Parts Management

Oct 20, 2014
Projecting airline traffic demand is usually straightforward: As GDP goes, so goes passenger activity.

In Orbit

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Aerospace/JPL Team Proposes Piggyback Mars Microprobes

Oct 20, 2014
The CubeSat movement may make it to the surface of Mars, possibly within a decade, allowing low-cost, minituarized secondary payloads on missions carry rovers and other high-priced gear.

Washington Outlook

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Hagel Suggests Army Take on Coastal Defense Role

Oct 20, 2014
Despite ongoing budget cuts that are forcing the Army to shrink, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel says U.S. land forces will remain relevant now and into the future. The Army will be tapped to respond to potential threats in Eastern Europe, the Middle East and the Pacific—often thought of in terms of air- and sea-based response.

Space

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NASA, SpaceX Share Data On Supersonic Retropropulsion

Oct 20, 2014
An innovative partnership between NASA and SpaceX is giving the U.S. space agency an early look at what it would take to land multi-ton habitats and supply caches on Mars for human explorers, while providing sophisticated infrared imagery to help the spacecraft company develop a reusable launch vehicle.
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NASA Works To Keep Webb Telescope To Revised Schedule

Oct 20, 2014
NASA’s $8.8 billion James Webb Space Telescope program was rebaselined in 2011 and has since adhered to its revised cost and schedule estimates for a planned launch atop an Ariane 5 ECA rocket in 2018, but technology challenges could threaten the agency’s ability to keep it on track.

Air Transport

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Russian Airlines Look At Capacity And Cost Cuts

Oct 20, 2014
Russia’s deteriorating economic situation and political tensions over the crisis in Ukraine are posing serious challenges for the country’s airlines. Growth rates for Russian carriers ballooned in the last decade, but there are signs these times are over.
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Ebola Outbreak Highlights Aviation’s Lack Of Common Approach

Oct 20, 2014
Concerns over Ebola are causing operational trouble for the world’s airlines and are becoming an issue even for carriers not operating to West Africa.
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Inmarsat Details The Forensic Search For MH370

Oct 20, 2014
The search for MH370 has resumed with refined Inmarsat data in play, although skeptics maintain that searchers still do not have all the information they need

Defense

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F135 Fix Still Not Firm

Oct 20, 2014
The Lockheed Martin F-35 aircraft, fielded for training and operations around the country, continue to fly under a restricted envelope following a June 23 engine fire in an F-35A. The Pentagon has yet to announce a definitive path to dealing with the design problem on the Pratt & Whitney F135 engine that prevented the F-35 from making its international debut at the Royal International Air Tattoo and Farnborough air show in July.
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Procurement Problems Add To Germany’s Armed Forces Woes

Oct 20, 2014
German military dealing with persistent readiness and procurement issues
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Neuron Weapon-Drop Trials Set For Next Year

Oct 20, 2014
France, U.K. agree to study new jointly developed UCAV platform
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Army Eyes Improvements For Apache Helo

Oct 20, 2014
The fiscally challenged U.S. Army is enhancing the capabilities of its frontline attack helicopter—the AH-64D/E Apache
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Bell Helicopter Adds More Partners To Its U.S. Army Joint Multi Role Demo Roster

Oct 20, 2014
Bell Helicopter bulks up its tiltrotor team as it pursues the U.S. Army’s Joint Multi Role technology demonstrator
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Safety And Life Upgrades For USAF F-16s

Oct 20, 2014
Auto-collision avoidance enters service on U.S. Air Force F-16s as life-extension plan firms up

Face to Face

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Face To Face: Dassault’s Trappier On Bizjet Focus

Oct 20, 2014
Dassault Aviation Chairman and CEO Eric Trappier talks to Aviation Week about the market, the company’s hefty R&D investments and why he is confident Dassault will gain ground on Gulfstream in China. Since since taking the top job in January 2013, he has focused intensely on the company’s business-jet dossier, which accounts for 70% of sales. The 5X and 8X mark Dassault’s expansion into the super-midsize and long-range markets.

Business Aviation

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Gulfstream Launches New Large-Cabin, Long-Range Jets

Oct 20, 2014
The new jets share features with the flagship ultra-long-range G650, including wing aerodynamics, fly-by-wire controls and systems.
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Chinese Bizjet Sales Drop With Corruption Crackdown

Oct 20, 2014
Political headwinds push back China’s business aircraft boom

Flying the Citation Sovereign+

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Sovereign+ Builds On Cessna Marque’s Reputation As A Sensible Option

Oct 20, 2014
Senior Editor/Chief Pilot Fred George puts the Cessna Sovereign+ through its paces and files a comprehensive pilot report about the experience

Aerospace Calendar

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Conferences & Exhibitions

Oct 20, 2014
Nov. 4-6—MRO Asia, Singapore. Nov. 19-20—A&D Programs, Litchfield Park, Arizona. Jan. 13-14—MRO Latin America, Buenos Aires, Argentina. Feb. 2-3—MRO Middle East, Dubai. March 5—Laureate Awards, Washington. April 14-16—MRO Americas, Miami.
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Upcoming Events (Oct. 20, 2014)

Oct 20, 2014
Oct. 27—Avsec World. Grand Hyatt Hotel, Washington. See www.iata.org/events/Pages/avsec.aspx Oct. 27-29—AAS Wernher von Braun Memorial Symposium. Huntsville, Alabama. See www.astronautical.org Nov. 3-5—52nd Annual SAFE Symposium. Caribe Royale Hotel & Convention Center, Orlando, Florida. www.safeassociation.com

Viewpoint

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Opinion: U.S. Needs A Rocket Engine Competition

Oct 20, 2014
Opinion: USAF has the rare opportunity to improve U.S. national security, impose costs on an aggressive foreign power, promote American technological innovation and create jobs at home.

The World

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Future Fan Starts Flight Tests

Oct 20, 2014
Rolls-Royce has begun flight tests of its composite carbon/titanium (CTi) fan blade, which will be a key feature in the company’s next-generation Advance and UltraFan engine designs.
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Maven at Mars

Oct 20, 2014
First-light imagery from the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (Maven) orbiter displays some of the components of the planet’s upper atmosphere that the spacecraft will study as they interact with the Sun. The three views captured by the probe’s Imaging Ultraviolet Spectrograph offer “the most complete picture of the extended Martian upper atmosphere ever made,” says Mike Chaffin of the University of Colorado, Boulder, a member of the Maven remote-sensing team.
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Big Aircraft Gain for Russia

Oct 20, 2014
As part of Russia’s effort to strengthen its military, the air force received many new aircraft in 2014, according to figures revealed earlier this month during a joint acceptance day held by the defense ministry. On the same day, the air force also took delivery of three Sukhoi Su-35 multirole fighters, two Su-30SM2 two-seaters and three Mil Mi-8MTV5-1 military transport helicopters. Russian manufacturers also have delivered nine Su-30SMs, a domestic version of the export bestseller Su-30MKI two-seat fighter and four Su-30M2s, according to air force Cmdr. Lt. Gen. Victor Bondarev.
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KC-390 Rollout This Week

Oct 20, 2014
Embraer plans to formally roll out the first prototype of its KC-390 military transport aircraft during a ceremony at its Gaviao Peixoto facility near Sao Paulo on Oct. 21. The aircraft will be the largest built in Brazil. The company hopes to fly the IAE V2500-powered aircraft by year-end.
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Qatar Buys PAC-3 Interceptors

Oct 20, 2014
Qatar has agreed to purchase 152 PAC-3 Cost Reduction Initiative (CRI) interceptors and 15 launcher modification kits from Lockheed Martin for $595 million. Twelve U.S. allies have purchased the Patriot air defense system. Of those, the Netherlands, Japan, Taiwan, United Arab Emirates, Germany and Kuwait already have the CRI interceptor. The company is in talks for sales of the CRI to Saudi Arabia, Poland and South Korea. Lockheed recently received U.S.
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Norwegian Night Nano

Oct 20, 2014
Prox Dynamics has unveiled a night-capable version of its PD-100 Black Hornet unmanned air vehicle, believed to be the smallest operational military UAV. The 18-gram single-rotor helicopter is fitted with a Flir Systems infrared camera and a day video sensor, and can transmit video streams or high-resolution still images via a digital datalink with a 1-mi. range. More than 3,000 PD-100s have been delivered, the company says. The system has been used in Afghanistan by British Army units since 2013.
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First E-2D Squadron Prepped

Oct 20, 2014
The U.S. Navy has declared its new Northrop Grumman E-2D Advanced Hawkeye carrier-based airborne command and control aircraft operational. The first five aircraft—one full squadron—has been fielded and initial operational capability was declared Oct. 10. The first squadron will deploy next year on the USS Theodore Roosevelt. The Navy plans to buy 75 E-2Ds to replace 52 E-2Cs now in service, in a $19.9 billion, 10-squadron program, says Capt. John Lemmon E-2/C-2 program manager for the Navy.
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Gecas To Buy Milestone

Oct 20, 2014
GE Capital Aviation Services is set to take over helicopter-leasing specialist Milestone Aviation Group in an agreement valued at $1.775 billion. The deal, revealed on Oct. 13, is likely to shakeup the still-fledgling helicopter leasing business, which was rebooted by the formation of Milestone in 2010.
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New Horizons Targets

Oct 20, 2014
Scientists operating the New Horizons probe to explore Pluto and its moons plan to ask for an extended mission to a Kuiper Belt Object (KBO), now that the Hubble Space Telescope has spotted three of the tiny faint bodies at the outer reaches of the Solar System that the nuclear-powered probe may be able to reach after it passes Pluto. The KBOs are 15-34 mi. across, and one of them is “definitely reachable,” according to the program team. All lie at least 1 billion mi.
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Heathrow Selling Airports

Oct 20, 2014
The owner of London Heathrow Airport is selling Aberdeen, Glasgow and Southampton airports to a consortium of Ferrovial and Macquarie in a deal worth £1.048 billion ($1.68 billion). The long-awaited sale by Heathrow Airport Holdings announced on Oct. 16 is expected to close in 2015. Ferrovial currently owns the controlling share of 25% of Heathrow Holdings through a subsidiary called FGP Topco Ltd.
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New NASA Deputy

Oct 20, 2014
President Barack Obama has nominated Dava Newman, a professor of aeronautics and astronautics and engineering systems at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, to be deputy administrator at NASA. Best known for innovative spacesuit designs, Newman joined MIT’s faculty in 1993. Pending approval by the Senate, she will follow Lori Garver, who resigned in September 2013 to become general manager of the Air Line Pilots Association.