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Magazine Issue

Aviation Week & Space Technology October 13, 2014

VOL. 176 NO. 36 October 13, 2014

Propulsion

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CFM Focuses On Leap Production Readiness

Oct 13, 2014
Production readiness for Leap engines initiates at GE and Snecma facilities around the world
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Orbital Delivers Clean-Sheet Engine For ScanEagle UAS

Oct 13, 2014
Insitu taps Australia’s Orbital to develop a new, more reliable engine for Scan Eagle UAV
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CFM Marks 40th Anniversary With Leap-1 Flight Test

Oct 13, 2014
The first CFM Leap-1 engine begins flights tests; Airbus and Boeing versions will be following soon
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Airlines Show Interest In Amyris/Total Biofuel

Oct 13, 2014
Brazil’s capacity to grow sugar cane as an energy crop is helping to bolster airlines’ interest in sugar-to-jet biofuel

Up Front

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Opinion: Greatest Long-Term Threat To Boeing Is The Loss Of Talent

Oct 13, 2014
The problem is that Boeing corporate management is taking a one-size-fits-all approach to labor relations.

Commanders Intent

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Opinion: How Secrecy Will Kill The Next Bomber

Oct 13, 2014
The current security policy all but guarantees that the Air Force won’t get its new, Long Range Strike Bomber.

Inside Business Aviation

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Orlando’s Showalter Flying Service Ready To Host Its Ninth NBAA

Oct 13, 2014
New aircraft and increasing government intervention mean a changing game for Fixed Base Operators (FBO).

Airline Intel

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Opinion: American’s Delayed Entry In Asia Could Be To Its Benefit

Oct 13, 2014
Of the big three U.S. carriers—American Airlines, Delta Air Lines and United Airlines—American’s route network in Asia-Pacific is by far the weakest, but recent moves by the Dallas-based carrier suggest the fastest-growing air travel region in the world is again in American’s sights.

In Orbit

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65th IAC Shows How Hard It Is To Cooperate

Oct 13, 2014
Some of the answers were on display at the 65th International Astronautical Congress (IAC) just concluded in Toronto, both in the remarks of many participants and the actions of the host government in Ottawa.

Washington Outlook

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Obama Reaches Out For Pentagon Support On Budget

Oct 13, 2014
Obama attempts to rally the military brass to urge Congress to loosen its purse strings

Space

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French Forces Tout Use Of European Satellite Imagery In Action

Oct 13, 2014
Pan-European cooperation in military Earth observation could see progress by the end of this year as France presses for allied contributions to the next-generation Optical Space Component (CSO) system in exchange for access to its high-resolution imagery.
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Final Powered Tests Beckon For SpaceShipTwo

Oct 13, 2014
Virgin Galactic is finally on the verge of full-duration powered test flights and the start of commercial suborbital flights in 2015. Providing a rare glimpse of progress on a second spacecraft under assembly at sister organization, The Spaceship Co., Virgin Galactic Vice President of Operations Mike Moses says, “we are ready for space.”
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Iodine Offers Advantages Over Xenon For Electric Propulsion

Oct 13, 2014
The goal of deep-space exploration is driving many technological benefits, including a high-efficiency iodine-fueled RF ion microthruster

Defense

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USAF, Navy May Part Ways On Next-Generation Fighters

Oct 13, 2014
While the Air Force and Navy programs will share elements and technologies, the two services have distinct requirements that likely cannot be reconciled into a single program. Still, the two services continue to pursue a joint analysis of alternatives to fully vet the need for separate programs.
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Iraq Ops Prompt Re-Think On Tornado Retirement

Oct 13, 2014
Royal Air Force (RAF) commanders may be revisiting their strategy on the rapid removal from service of the Panavia Tornado GR4. Less than six months before the disbandment of a third squadron of the aircraft in the past year, officials have decided to postpone their plans so that Tornados and crews are available to fly missions to counter Islamic State forces in Iraq and Syria.
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Raytheon’s GaN Work Behind 3DELRR Win

Oct 13, 2014
Raytheon’s win of USAF’s Three-Dimensional Expeditionary Long-Range Radar competition has larger ramifications for rivals Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman

Air Transport

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State-Owned Banks Prop Up Superjet Program

Oct 13, 2014
Russia’s banking system is finding access to capital markets harder because of sanctions imposed as a result of the Ukraine conflict. But the government nonetheless has told two state-owned banks to support the country’s most critical civil aircraft program, the Superjet 100.
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CSeries Testing Ramps Up

Oct 13, 2014
Bombardier’s CSeries test fleet is rebuilding momentum and will soon be joined by the first aircraft to be configured with a full interior, marking two welcome developments for the hard-pressed Canadian manufacturer and its engine supplier, Pratt & Whitney.
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Mitsubishi Preparing To Rollout First MRJ Regional Jet

Oct 13, 2014
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries is performing system checks on the first MRJ in preparation for a first flight due in the second quarter of 2015. Nearby in the same Nagoya factory building, MHI technicians have progressed far into final assembly of the second aircraft and started working on the third.
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Virgin Atlantic's New Direction Without Little Red

Oct 13, 2014
Virgin Atlantic’s decision to jettison Little Red goes beyond financial considerations; it partly stems from a new focus on transatlantic routes
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Etihad Launches Its Own Alliance Around Equity Partners

Oct 13, 2014
Etihad, with it establishment of Equity Partners, an alliance-type arrangement, has sent a powerful signal that the game has changed
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Boeing Issues 777X System Requests

Oct 13, 2014
Firm configuration of the 777X-family design is coming together, as witnessed by Boeing’s pending announcements of contracts and production sites
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Boeing And Airbus Field Tracking/Locating Systems Ahead Of Mandates

Oct 13, 2014
High-profile air accidents have triggered a search for enhanced location devices on aircraft, as have ICAO mandates

Army Aviation

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U.S. Army Testing More MUM-T Technology

Oct 13, 2014
Momentum is solidly behind fielding manned-unmanned teaming technologies for Army aviation assets. Combining video feeds and weapons of manned and unmanned platforms provides significantly better situational awareness to troops on the ground and dramatically improved efficiency in focusing weapons to support ground elements.
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U.S. Army Fielding Upgraded Textron RQ-7B Tactical UAS

Oct 13, 2014
The RQ-7Bv2 incorporates several improvements, including extended endurance, encrypted data link and reliability upgrades. The U.S. Army plans to upgrade all of its 102 Shadow systems, each with four aircraft, to the new configuration. The biggest capability change is introduction of the Ku-band tactical common data link, already carried by the Army’s larger General Atomics MQ-1C Gray Eagle UAS.
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Pentagon Poised To Issue RFP For JAGM Development

Oct 13, 2014
Over the past decade, Pentagon plans to replace the AGM-114 Hellfire have been scaled back from joint-service development of an all-new tri-mode missile for launch from rotary- and fixed-wing aircraft, fast and slow, to a dual-mode guidance section upgrade for the AGM-114R now carried by U.S. Army and Marine Corps attack helicopters. Delayed and descoped, the Joint Air-to-Ground Missile (JAGM) finally looks set to move into full development.

Business

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A&D Contractors Continue to Enjoy Pension Tailwind

Oct 13, 2014
In what might seem paradoxical, worker retirements are bringing benefits to many A&D contractors

Unmanned Systems

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JAXA’s Prospective UAV Would Respond To Disasters

Oct 13, 2014
Japan is considering development of an unmanned crisis-monitoring long-endurance aircraft.

Editorial

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Editorial: Barger Should Leave His Job With His Head Held High

Oct 13, 2014
JetBlue Airways CEO Dave Barger is worthy of an honor that has been bestowed upon a dozen other airline chiefs.
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Editorial: Market Meddling Continues After Wright

Oct 13, 2014
This week, one of the more curious market distortions in the airline industry will finally go away.

The World

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XCOR Progresses Toward Completion of Lynx Prototype

Oct 13, 2014
XCOR Progresses Toward Completion of Lynx Prototype
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Fatal Flaw

Oct 13, 2014
A design fault in the thermal system of the Soyuz Fregat upper stage is behind the botched launch of Europe’s first two fully operational Galileo navigation, positioning and timing satellites, which were deployed to the wrong orbit following their Aug. 22 launch from the Guiana Space Center in Kourou, French Guiana.
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Pilot Strikes Deepen Air France and Lufthansa Woes

Oct 13, 2014
The devastating two-week pilot strike at Air France has cost the airline around €500 million ($635 million), and a lot of the company’s strategic questions remain unanswered. French pilot union SNPL only ended the strike after Air France-KLM CEO Alexandre de Juniac agreed to drop a key part of his restructuring plan—growing low-cost carrier Transavia into a pan-European airline. What remains unsolved is how big Transavia France can become and how Air France can achieve cost cuts in its legacy operation.
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Salvage Operation

Oct 13, 2014
Galileo satellite prime contractor OHB System of Germany is assessing options for salvaging the first two satellites in support of the full Galileo constellation. Kristian Pauly, deputy program manager for Galileo at OHB, says in their current elliptical orbit the spacecraft’s Earth-view sensors see the planet as overly large at the orbit’s perigee, sending their Attitude and Orbit Control System (AOCS) into safe mode and rendering them intermittently inoperable.
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Blackpool Airport To Close

Oct 13, 2014
Balfour Beatty, the owner of Blackpool Squires Gate Airport in Lancashire, England, failed to find a buyer for the facility by its deadline of Oct. 7. Commercial flight operations are now set to terminate on Oct. 15. Work is underway to ensure that general aviation and offshore operations can continue.
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Fake Test Results Alleged

Oct 13, 2014
Northrop Grumman falsified test data on a GPS-based navigation system used to guide U.S. military ships, missiles and aircraft, including Predator and Reaper unmanned systems, an employee of the aerospace giant claims in a lawsuit alleging the company cut corners and produced phony test results. In a September 2012 complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Utah under a federal whistle-blower law, Todd Donaldson alleges Northrop Grumman sold the LN-100 guidance system to the U.S.
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British Space Targets

Oct 13, 2014
A new study for the U.K. Space Agency said Britain appears on track to reach its target of representing 10% of the global space economy in 2030. But the 2020 goal remains “a challenging target, and would necessitate a significant acceleration in revenue growth over the next six years.” Indeed, the London Economics analysis last month said that to achieve the interim objective set by the Space Growth Action Plan for 2020, industry sales would need to grow by an average of 8.7% per year through then, even as increases in the past two years have slowed to 7.3%.
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Ex-CEO Orsi Sentenced

Oct 13, 2014
Giuseppe Orsi, the former president and CEO of Finmeccanica, has been given a two-year suspended prison sentence for false invoicing along with the former CEO of AgustaWestland, Bruno Spagnolini. The pair were found guilty in the corruption case relating to the sale of 12 VIP helicopters to the Indian government in March 2010. However, both men were acquitted of charges relating to international corruption.
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Vector Buys Quickstep Plant

Oct 13, 2014
Australian composites manufacturer Quickstep will close its U.S. facility and transfer the equipment to licensee Vector Composites of Ohio. The two companies have been working on qualifying Quickstep’s economical out-of-autoclave composites process for the Lockheed Martin F-35 program. Part of Quickstep’s business is to license its technology, which is based on using glycol to cure composites, achieving faster and more controlled changes in resin temperatures than are possible with autoclaves.
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EO Satellite Explosion

Oct 13, 2014
Around 353 Earth observation (EO) satellites are expected to be launched over the next decade compared to 162 in 2004-13, according to Euroconsult. This will result in $36 billion in manufacturing revenue globally, an 85% increase over the previous decade, the consulting company said Oct. 9. In 2023, the commercial EO data market is expected to reach $3.6 billion (for an 8% compound annual growth rate for 2014‑23). Asia, Latin America and Africa are expected to grow at over 10% each.
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Updated Rafales for Navy

Oct 13, 2014
The French defense equipment agency DGA took delivery of the first of 10 modernized Dassault Rafale fighters for the nation’s navy Oct. 3. Upgraded to the current F-3 standard, the Rafales will replace Super Etendards as of 2016, when they will become the navy’s only strike fighters. Produced hastily to the F1 standard in the late 1990s in an effort to replace aging F-8 Crusaders, these 10 navy Rafales have been limited to superiority and air defense missions.
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U.S. F-15 Crashes in U.K.

Oct 13, 2014
The French defense equipment agency DGA took delivery of the first of 10 modernized Dassault Rafale fighters for the nation’s navy Oct. 3. Upgraded to the current F-3 standard, the Rafales will replace Super Etendards as of 2016, when they will become the navy’s only strike fighters. Produced hastily to the F1 standard in the late 1990s in an effort to replace aging F-8 Crusaders, these 10 navy Rafales have been limited to superiority and air defense missions.

Correction

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Cost Figures Bobbled

Oct 13, 2014
An article in the Oct. 6 issue (page 22) should have stated the cost increase of the F-35 to Norway is 5.58% and the first phase for an F-35 facility will cost $96 million.

Feedback

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Regional Pilot Constraints

Oct 13, 2014
Regional Pilot Constraints Several points in Capt. Lee Moak’s Viewpoint: “Pilot Shortage? No, It’s a Pay Shortage” (AW&ST Sept. 15, p. 58) need clarification: •There is a pilot shortage. It has led to canceled flights, dropped routes, and what Moak mischaracterizes as attempts to “roll back safety regulations.” Regional airlines and our member carriers are experiencing high attrition levels.

Who's Where

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Who's Where in Aerospace

Oct 13, 2014
Gregory H. Gernhardt has been appointed president of Pratt & Whitney Commercial Engines, East Hartford, Connecticut. He succeeds David M. Brantner, who has left the company. Gernhardt has been head of the company’s PW1100G-JM engine program for the Airbus A320neo.

Aerospace Calendar

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Conferences & Exhibitions

Oct 13, 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. 13, 2014)

Oct 13, 2014
Oct. 21-23—National Business Aviation Association Annual Meeting and Convention. Orlando, Florida. See www.nbaa.org/events/bace/2014 Oct. 22-24—20th Annual Cargo Aircraft Symposium. Fontainbleau Hotel, Miami Beach. See www.regonline.com/Register/Checkin.aspx?EventID=1418087 Oct. 23—ACM Inc. Tradeshow. Bradley In- ternational Airport, Windsor Locks, Con- necticut. See www.aerospacecomponents.org