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Magazine Issue

Aerospace Daily & Defense Report, November 3, 2014

VOL. 250 NO. 21 November 03, 2014

Programs

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SpaceShipTwo Crashes After In-Flight Anomaly

Nov 04, 2014
LOS ANGELES — Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo (SS2) crashed in the Mojave Desert after experiencing an in-flight “anomaly” during the first test of a new hybrid rocket motor at Mojave, California, on Oct 31. Reports so far indicate that one of the two test pilots on board survived after bailing out of the suborbital spacecraft, which was making its fourth powered flight. The other pilot did not survive the crash.
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Burn-In,’ ‘Pre-Trenching’ Fixes Approved For F-35 Test Jet Engines

Nov 04, 2014
Within the next three months, all 19 F-35 test jets will incorporate a fix to avoid a recurrence of the excessive friction in the third-stage integrally bladed rotor (IBR) that prompted a June fire in a Pratt & Whitney F135 engine in June, says U.S. Air Force Lt. Gen. Christopher Bogdan, F-35 program executive officer.
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Ship-To-Shore Connector Completes Production Readiness Review

Nov 04, 2014
The U.S. Navy has completed the production readiness review of the Ship-to-Shore Connector (SSC), U.S. Naval Sea Command (Navsea) officials confirmed earlier this month. The review, along with the previously completed critical design review, provide for a smooth transition to the start of production for the first craft (craft 100) in mid-November, Navsea officials say. The SSC will serve as the evolutionary replacement for the existing fleet of Landing Craft, Air Cushion (LCAC) vehicles, which are nearing the end of their service life, officials say.
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F-35 Chief Backs International ‘Block Buy’

Nov 04, 2014
The Pentagon will back a plan to sell F-35s to international customers through a foreign “block buy,” F-35 Program Executive Officer USAF Lt. Gen. Christopher Bogdan says.
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Bechtel Awarded U.S. Navy Nuclear Propulsion Contracts

Nov 04, 2014
The U.S. Navy awarded Bechtel Plant Machinery a combined total of about $807.4 million in two deals earlier this month — a cost-plus-fixed-fee contract and a similarly constructed contract modification — for naval nuclear propulsion components as the service gears up for submarine and aircraft carrier construction programs. The awards are for $612.8 million and $206.7 million in fiscal 2015 U.S. Navy funds. No completion date or additional information is provided on Naval Nuclear Propulsion program contracts.
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NATO E-3 To Fly With Flight-Deck Upgrades In 2014

Nov 04, 2014
By the end of 2014, a NATO Boeing E-3 Sentry will have flown with the first comprehensive flight-deck upgrade since the type began full production in 1976. Engineering and development have gone forward under the joint U.S. Air Force/NATO Diminishing Manufacturing Sources Replacement of Avionics for Global Operations and Navigation (Dragon) program.
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Competitiveness Of Long March 7 In Question

Nov 04, 2014
BEIJING — The commercial viability of China’s forthcoming medium-heavy space launcher, the Long March 7, looks doubtful in the face of competition from Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX). SpaceX sees its keenest competition for low Earth orbit (LEO) launch services coming from China. But it looks like CASC, the Chinese government’s main space industrial group, cannot match the prices of SpaceX with the Long March 7, which is in the class of the SpaceX Falcon 9 and, according to a 2013 schedule, due to fly this year.

SpeedNews Defense & Space

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SpeedNews Defense & Space

Nov 04, 2014
AIRBUS DEFENCE AND SPACE and TATA ADVANCED SYSTEMS teamed to offer the C295 to Indian air force to replace 56 Avro RJ aircraft used for medium transport missions; first 16 would be delivered in flyaway condition with remaining 40 built in India. MACDONALD, DETTWILER AND ASSOCIATES has A$40m contract amendement to provide RAAF with UAV operations and related services in Australia through end of 2017; deal follows company’s completion of currently contracted services in Afghanistan.

In Brief

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Boeing Debt Rated High

Nov 04, 2014
In nearly identical affirmations last week, Standard and Poor’s Ratings Services and Moody’s Investors Service assigned “A” and “A2” ratings, respectively, to Boeing’s upcoming $850 million debt issuance. The rating agencies gave high-ranking credit scores to Boeing’s unsecured notes despite a newly forecast softening in so-called free cash flow, which could pinch near-term returns to shareholders and investors.

Technology

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U.S. Navy Taps NASA Tech For Unmanned Swarm Boat

Nov 04, 2014
NASA technology has helped the U.S. Navy develop unmanned small boats the service says it can use to “swarm” enemy forces.

Calendar of Events

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Upcoming Event

Nov 04, 2014
To list an event, send information in calendar format to Donna Thomas at [email protected]. (Bold type indicates new calendar listing.) Nov. 3-5 — SpeedNews 19th Annual Regional & Business Aviation Industry Suppliers Conference, Montelucia, Paradise Valley (Scottsdale), Ariz. For more information go to www.speednews.com/all/conferences Nov. 3-5 — 52nd Annual SAFE Symposium, Caribe Royale Hotel & Convention Center, Orlando, Florida. For more information go to www.safeassociation.com