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Magazine Issue

Aviation Week & Space Technology November 17, 2014

Defense

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Redesigned Tailhook Tests Well In F-35 Sea Trials

Nov 17, 2014
A pair of Lockheed Martin F-35Cs have successfully completed their first series of arrested landings and catapult takeoffs from the carrier USS Nimitz this month, marking the start of the developmental test program for the U.S. Navy’s first stealthy piloted aircraft.

Feedback

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Letters From Our Readers (Nov. 17, 2014)

Nov 17, 2014
Tone Deaf to Risk? I disagree with the editorial “Commercial Space Still the Way to Go” (AW&ST Nov. 3/10, p. 74), which contends: “We must resist the idea that space is inherently difficult, expensive and risky. Aviation once seemed so, too.” The editorial fails to differentiate between the users of aviation and space (airlines, passengers, space services providers) and the people that design, build, test, manufacture and maintain aviation and space products. For users, aviation and space have indeed become less risky.

Who's Where

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New Positions, Promotions, Honors and Elections (Nov. 17, 2014)

Nov 17, 2014
Pierre-Olivier Bandet (see photo) has become executive vice president-public affairs for Air France. He remains vice president of the chairman’s office.

Up Front

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Opinion: Reengining Works Great. What About Retrofits?

Nov 18, 2014
It has been decades since anyone reengined an in-service jetliner. Can engine retrofits make a comeback?

Commander's Intent

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Opinion: Pentagon Moves Complicate Fighter Plans

Nov 17, 2014
Selling military airplanes is not just about hardware. It is the start of a decades-long relationship.

Inside Business Aviation

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Vast Majority Of Aircraft Operators Are Slow To Embrace ADS-B Despite Deadline

Nov 17, 2014
The FAA estimates that just 10% of general aviation aircraft and only 3% of the major air carrier aircraft will be ADS-B compliant by year-end. That means 200,000 light planes, business turboprops and jets and airliners have yet to equip.

Airline Intel

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Big Investors May Be Wary Of Virgin America’s IPO

Nov 17, 2014
Virgin America reiterated in an updated prospectus filed this month with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission that it will focus much of its attention in the near future on five airports—Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York LaGuardia, Washington National and Dallas Love Field—but it is not clear that this strategy will pay immediate dividends.

In Orbit

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Back-To-Back Spaceflight Failures Were A Coincidence, Not An Indictment

Nov 19, 2014
The inevitable has happened in the U.S. attempt to move the economy off the planet. That it happened twice in a week is driving a needed element of reality into the endeavor.

Washington Outlook

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Intelligence From The U.S. Capital

Nov 17, 2014
Senators square off over USAF’s proposed retirement of A-10s, against backdrop of air strikes in the Middle East

Space

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Orbital Sciences Maps Antares Failure-Recovery Approach

Nov 17, 2014
Orbital Sciences remained mum on a replacement engine for its ISS cargo carrier last week, but Russian news outlets have identified the new kerosene-fueled RD-193 developed by NPO Energomash as the chosen one.
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SpaceShipTwo Probe Focuses On Human Factors, Test Procedures

Nov 14, 2014
While the SpaceShipTwo crash investigation continues, the full impact on the vehicle’s design and operations, as well as the effect on Virgin Galactic’s schedule, remains unclear.
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Despite Difficult Landing, Europe’s Comet-Chasing Mission Is Historic

Nov 14, 2014
The tricky landing of a 100-kg probe on the comet’s surface Nov. 12 marks the crowning achievement in an already stunning exploration campaign.

Air Transport

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IAG Ahead Of European Legacy Peers In Adjusting To Life In Low-Cost Era

Nov 19, 2014
The difference between IAG and other European legacies could well be that Willie Walsh is at the helm and making some bold management decisions.
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Rolls-Royce Slashes Aerospace Segment, Fires CFO

Nov 17, 2014
Customer deferrals, trade sanctions and a deteriorating economic outlook have forced Rolls to accelerate a planned restructuring, which will mainly affect its U.K. civil aero-engine workforce, even though many of the issues are afflicting the company’s Land & Sea division, which produces nuclear energy and power systems.

Zhuhai 2014

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Avic Proposes C-130-Size Y-30 Airlifter

Nov 14, 2014
A Chinese airlifter as big as the Lockheed Martin C-130 Hercules will go into service in the 2020s if the factory behind the project, Shaanxi Aircraft, is given a go-ahead, as expected.
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Trends In Chinese Defense Technology Highlighted At Zhuhai Show

Nov 17, 2014
While eyes are on China’s stealth aircraft, much more work is being carried out on missiles and radars. Will that pattern be sustained?

Face to Face

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Pentagon’s Kendall On Maintaining U.S. Technological Edge

Nov 17, 2014
Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics Frank Kendall talks with Senior Pentagon Editor Amy Butler about challenges keeping existing programs on track while looking to the future.

Defense Procurement

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U.S. Navy Keeps Competition Keen For Ship Buys

Nov 17, 2014
Use of innovative contracting techniques encourages competition for U.S. Navy shipbuilding, reducing acquisition costs
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Israel Finally Moving To Privatize Defense Industry

Nov 17, 2014
Domestic budget pressures are leading Israel to proceed with privatizing government-owned defense companies, despite security concerns
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Industry, Pentagon Lock Horns Over New Policies

Nov 17, 2014
Some industry pundits say Pentagon changes will try to force more buy-in from industry on research and development and more competition between companies, among other elements, as the government tries to stretch scarcer dollars.
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U.S. A&D Industry Is Leaving America Behind

Nov 19, 2014
American aerospace and defense companies are following growth overseas and trying to become just as “local” there as they are stateside.

Twenty20s

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Highlighting Twenty Outstanding Students Pursuing A&D Professions

Nov 17, 2014
The future of A&D is looking good judging by the accomplishments and drive of the young innovators—the lifeblood of the next generation—in this Aviation Week-Raytheon feature.
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Twenty20s to Watch: Aniceto-Niederwieser

Nov 17, 2014
B.S. candidate in Aerospace Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Class of 2016
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Twenty20s to Watch: Picon-Stern

Nov 17, 2014
B.S. in Mechanical Engineering, Class of 2009; M.S. in Mechanical Engineering, Class of 2015, both from Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Aerospace Calendar

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Upcoming Events (Nov. 17, 2014)

Nov 17, 2014
Dec. 8-10—Middle East Business Aviation. Dubai. See www.meba.aero Feb. 1-3—Routes Americas. Denver. See www.routesonline.com/events/172/ routes-americas-2015 Feb. 3-6—National Business Aviation Association Schedulers and Dispatchers Conference. San Jose, California. See www.nbaa.org/events/sdc/2015
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Conferences & Exhibitions

Nov 17, 2014
Nov. 19-20—A&D Programs, Litchfield Park, Arizona. Jan. 13-14—MRO Latin America, Buenos Aires. Feb. 2-3—MRO Middle East, Dubai. March 5—Laureate Awards, Washington. April 14-16—MRO Americas, Miami.

Viewpoint

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Opinion: Abandoning Kiowa Is A Huge Mistake

Nov 20, 2014
The removal of the Kiowa Warrior from the Army aviation inventory marks the end of an era of an astounding combat-proven aircraft that was fundamental to mission success in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The World

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Offset Plan Coming

Nov 17, 2014
The so-called Third Offset, a new Pentagon strategy for pursuing and developing military technologies to overcome the likes of China and Russia, could accordingly provide a blueprint for industry to focus on and make business moves such as acquisitions, divestitures and research spending. Advance technologies highlighted by defense officials in recent years include hypersonic weapons; unmanned; cyber; long-range strike; intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance; “big data,” and “cloud” computing.
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Analysts: JSF Here to Stay

Nov 17, 2014
Recent developments in the Lockheed Martin Joint Strike Fighter program have convinced some analysts that the nearly $400 billion multirole stealth jet has seen its worst days. For instance, a key credit-rating analyst covering the Western aerospace and defense industry says the eighth low-rate initial production contract for the F-35 signals definitive long-term viability of the program after years of doubts.
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India Names Defense Minister

Nov 17, 2014
Manohar Parrikar, a graduate in metallurgical engineering, has become the new defense minister of India, which is in the midst of a $100 billion military modernization program. Parrikar, who replaces part-time Defense Minister Arun Jaitley, is faced with the onerous task of expediting the country’s pending defense deals as the new right-wing Bharatiya Janata Party government in India, headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, tries to establish a speedier acquisition system.
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China Moon

Nov 17, 2014
China’s Xiaofei testbed collected this image of the Moon’s far side, with the Earth beyond, on Oct. 28 during a lunar loop-around flight aimed at validating the reentry technology for the Chang’e-5 sample-return mission scheduled to launch as early as 2017.
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Air New Zealand Revamping Regional Fleet

Nov 17, 2014
As part of a major overhaul of its regional operations, Air New Zealand plans to retire its 19-seaters and bring in additional, larger turboprops. The airline’s 17 Beechcraft 1900Ds are to be phased out by August 2016. Air New Zealand has converted options for four more 68-seat ATR 72-600s (see photo), boosting its orders to nine. It already operates four ATR 72-600s and 11 -500s, with 23 50-seat Bombardier Q300s also in its regional turboprop fleet.
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The Other Comet

Nov 17, 2014
A heavy load of dust cast off by the comet Siding Spring 2013 as it hurtled past Mars last month could have damaged the fleet of scientific orbiters circling the planet, had they not tweaked their orbits to be as far away from potential danger as possible. Preliminary results from the Oct. 19 encounter revealed far more dust entering the Martian atmosphere as the planet passed behind the comet than planetary scientists had expected.
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JetRanger X First Flight

Nov 17, 2014
Bell Helicopter conducted the maiden flight of its new Model 505 JetRanger X on Nov. 10. The helicopter, FTV1, took to the air at the company’s Mirabel facility outside Montreal. Test pilots Yann Lavalle and Eric Emblin conducted a low-speed controllability assessment of the aircraft before flying two laps of the traffic pattern with a total flight time of 30 min. and reaching 60 kt. The company has already received 240 letters of intent to purchase, and wrote an order for 50 more from Chinese firm Reignwood Investment Ltd. at the Zhuhai Airshow on Nov. 12.
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France Deploys NH90s

Nov 17, 2014
The French army has deployed two of its new NH90 Caiman utility helicopters to Africa after achieving initial operating capability. The aircraft have begun operational missions in Mali as part of the French government’s ongoing counter-terror operation in the Sahel region of Africa. The two NH90s arrived Nov. 3 after being ferried through Spain and with refueling stops.
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China Driving A350 Pace

Nov 17, 2014
Chinese demand is a factor behind Airbus’s keenness to build the A350 faster than the 2018 target of 10 aircraft per month. “We don’t have many early delivery slots to offer customers in China,” and none before 2020, Eric Chen, president of Airbus China, says. He adds that more A350s would have been sold to Chinese airlines had slots become available. This year, A350 production is increasing to three from two per month. By the end of 2015, it should reach five a month, with the full-rate target of 10 a month expected in 2018.
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From the Wok to the . . .

Nov 17, 2014
Boeing and Commercial Aircraft Corp. of China have opened a facility that will turn waste cooking oil, commonly referred to as “gutter oil” in China, into sustainable aviation biofuel. The companies estimate that 500 million gal. of this biofuel could be made annually in China. Biofuel produced by the China-U.S. Aviation Biofuel Pilot Project is expected to meet international specifications approved in 2011 for jet fuel made from plant oils and animal fats. This type of biofuel has been used for more than 1,600 commercial flights.
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FAA Loosens Pilot Age Rule

Nov 17, 2014
FAA will stop enforcing requirements that U.S. carriers have at least one pilot under age 60 on international flights. The rules, put in place in 2007 when the pilot retirement age was raised to 65, matched those of the International Civil Aviation Organization. In March, ICAO voted to drop the requirement, allowing any two qualified pilots to be paired.