Aviation Week & Space Technology - September 22, 2014 USA

8/10/2019 Aviation Week & Space Technology - September 22, 2014 USA

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The Problem with

LED Approach Lights

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10 Feedback

12 Whos Where

14-16 The World

18 Up Front

19 Leading Edge

20 Reality Check

21 Airline Intel

22 In Orbit

23 Washington Outlook

55 Classified

56 Contact Us 57 Aerospace Calendar

THE WORLD

14Embraer matesthe wing andfuselage of the first prototype

KC-390 tanker/transport

16U.S. Navys first Triton MQ-4C un-

manned intelligence aircraft fliescross-country to begin flight-testing

SPACE

24Boeing and SpaceXto shape humanspaceflight for decades as they fulfill

contracts for ISS crew transport

26Blue Origin tapped to complete deve-lopment of a rocket engine that

could replace RD-180 in the Atlas V

27SpaceX to continuewith enginework regardless of whether it

meets a certification deadline

40Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasi-menko poses unexpected chal-

lenge for Rosetta lander mission

AIR TRANSPORT

28 Industry flight-testing of prototype

LED approach lighting system

unleashes pilot discontent

33Philippines two major airlines seiz-ing opportunities offered by fleet

changes and government rulings

35Thales can devote its global salesteam to expanding the customer

base for new-acquisition LiveTV

DEFENSE36Airbus Defense & Spaceto focus on

military aircraft, space and guided

missiles, divest non-core assets

37Poorly designedwiring bundles forKC-46 refueler forcing further slipin first flight of Boeing platform

38Retrofitting of fixfor F135 propul-sion systems in the F-35 test fleetcould be completed early next year

39USAF targetswinglets, lift control,fuel capacity and drag cuts for

better C-130 airlifter effi ciency

42Major upgrade enhances Australiascontinent-wide Jindalee over-the-horizon radar monitoring system

44Proliferating low-frequencyradars challenging stealthyaircraft such as F-22 and F-35

TECHNOLOGIES FOR GROWTH46Confident thatunconventional

designs can reduce aircraft noise,NASA eyes less radical approaches

Attracting little attention because of their remote locations,the Jindalee over-the-horizon radars peer far to the northand west of the Australian continent, into the tropics ofSoutheast Asia from the arid Outback. Operating in the high-frequency band, they transmit and receive with enormousarrays, including this one at Alice Springs, photographed byLeading Aircraftwoman Sonja Canty of the Royal Australian

Air Force. As detailed in our report beginning on page 42, thethree radars have been upgraded to detect targets with greatersensitivity, precision and speed.

Airline industry blastsFAA for lack of flight-testing onLED airport lights

Airbus will beeven morereliant on the success of core pro-grams now that is selling many ofits other businesses

ON THE COVER 28

36

AVIATIONWEEK& S P A C E T E C H N O L O G Y

6 AVIATION WEEK & SPACE TECHNOLOGY/SEPTEMBER 22, 2014 AviationWeek.com/awst

Digital Extras Tap this icon in articlesin the digital edition of AW&STfor exclusivefeatures. If you have not signed up to

receive your digital subscription, go toow.ly/AkXJo

Winner2013

ContentsSeptember 22, 2014 Volume 176 Number 33

50For the 130-seater being studied under the Green Regional Aircraft

program, wind-tunnel tests were used to assess the effectiveness of the

airframe in shielding the noise from twin counter-rotating open rotors.


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THE DREAMLINER EFFECT.

JAL SUCCESS.

www.newairplane.com/787/dreamliner-effect

The 787 has allowed us to bring Japan Airlines

to more customers in more places

thanks to its long-range capability.

The 787s comfortable cabin provides passengers

with a more relaxing experience during every journey.

Yoshiharu Ueki President

JAL


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VIEWPOINT

58Owners of U.S. defense companies

need to develop strategies that

will counterbalance budget cuts

24 40

48NASA forcedvalidating airframe noise reduction,

after loss of industry backer

50Clean Sky noiseproject demon-strating noise-reducing technologies

for regional-turboprop landing gear

tion into conceptual design tools

could lead to quieter aviation

53Flight testson NASA Gulfstreamwill focus on verifying structural

strength of bird-like morphing flap

September 22, 2 Volume 176 Numb


A roundup of what youre reading on AviationWeek.com

Watch in-cockpit F-16 video footagefrom the Royal Danish Air Forces first deployment to Greenland

and read London Bureau Chief Tony Osbornes Ares blog post about the strategic value of Greenland

and the challenges of operating in a remote environment: ow.ly/BDVqTAviationWeek.com/Ares

Aviation Weeks Laureate Awards recognize

the extraordinary achievements of individuals

and teams in the global aviation, aerospace and

defense industries. Learn more and submit

your nominations: ow.ly/BDT60

2015 LAUREATE NOMINATIONS

Two Swedish delegations recently visited the Brazilian aircraft carrierSao Paulo in support of plans to develop a naval version of the JAS39E/F Gripen fighter (shown in a concept). Read Senior InternationalMilitary Editor Bill Sweetmans take on the talks: ow.ly/BE0aN

Information on suppliers, systems

specs and archived articles for more

than 150 key programs are available

to AWIN subscribers.

AviationWeek.com/AWIN

Responding to last weeks View-

point The Pilot Shortage Myth,

Heliocentric wrote: I happen to be one of those

highly experienced former airline captains whove

own all over the world and cant get a job in theUSA for much over $20K per yearBasically I re-tired with 20 years left on a career and profession

that literally is not worth my time. ow.ly/BDPFi

READERCOMMENT

PREMIUM

CONTENT

Keep up with all the news and blogs fromAviation Weeks editors.

Follow @AviationWeek or like us at Facebook.com/AvWeek

Follow

On the Web

SAAB CONCEPT

52Embedding aircraftnoise simula-to become inventive in

39


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SAFER AIRWAYS FOR ALL

Because I work at a civil airport,I was particularly intrigued by theManaging Wildlife Hazards cover-age (AW&STSept. 1, pp. 34-43). Theincreased FAA attention seems deeplyinvolved in data/statistical analysis,

and the effort is certainly moving inthe proper direction.

But for such a data-driven process, alot of information seems to be missing.The military communicates with theFAA regarding various aeronauticalstandards and regulations, so why not

include bird-strike events, especially atunits that co-locate with civil airports?

I recall a week in July 1999 whenI was waist-deep in an Okeechobee,Florida, swamp helping to recover theremains of a downed F-16 pilot. Thefinal accident investigation found thata canopy-shattering impact with a 5-lb.turkey vulture at low-level was thecause of the crash.

This and other military eventsshould be included to obtain a fullspectrum of the problem.

USAF Capt. (ret.) Ray OndrejechPASO ROBLES, CALIFORNIA

LEGITIMATE FISH TALE

The articles about mitigating thewildlife threat to the aviation sectorreminded me of a fellow pilots experi-ence.

He reports that his Alaska Airlinesaircraft, on approach into Juneau,spooked an eagle carrying a salmon.The bird dropped its prey, whichstruck the windshield, inducing thefirst known report of a salmon strike!

Roy SteeleGEORGETOWN, TEXAS

DRIVING ENGINE ALTERNATIVES

High-temperature climates and high-altitude operations are not new. Clearly,turbine engines in todays aircraft must

be capable, so the U.S. Navy-commis-sioned alternate V-2 engine study mustensure that single-sourcing is tabled

(AW&STSept. 8, p. 24).We Marines are not known forthrowing away working equipment,nor for excessive pampering of

weapons systems. Multiple sourcesfor components is good. If one manu-facturer finds a defect, the whole fleetor weapons class need not be crippled.It also helps gird sole-source contractsfrom inflation.

Single-source components havetaken their toll on the F-35. The lackof incentive to excel is absent in sucharrangements and price controls are

also weakened. Politics in weaponsprocurement is not new. Waitinguntil the V-22 was halfway through itsscheduled service life was politics fall-ing to reality of heavy wear and tear incombat, not congressional pandering.

Peter J. PeiranoRIDGEWOOD, NEW JERSEY

RESTRICT TFRS

Regarding William Garveys VIPTreatment (AW&STSept. 15, p. 14),please note that travel warriors and

pilots are not the only ones affectedby the flight restrictions when certaingovernment VIPs take their bubble

with them. Also forbidden are modelaircraft operations within a radius of30 nm from said VIPs, which encom-passes an area of about 3,700 sq. mi.

I once called the FAA when ourmodel aircraft flying field was at the29-mi. radius of a Temporary FlightRestriction (TFR) for a political fund-raiser, and I asked if it applied to hand-launched gliders (yes), a balsa plane

powered by rubber bands (yes), cheaplittle helicopter toys (yes). With that, I

vowed to vote for the other guy.Jack FeirDOYLESTOWN, PENNSYLVANIA

TFRSIMPEDE THE WRONG PEOPLE

When it comes to the TemporaryFlight Restriction (TFR) edict, I doubtif the president or vice president areaware of the inconvenience it poses toGeneral Aviation.

Common sense dictates that legiti-mate pilots will avoid the TFR zone, ifonly because the repercussions of un-

wittingly crossing into it are extreme

and will incur the wrath of the FAA.On the other hand, terrorists and

others bent on lesser criminal mischiefwill ignore an TFR. It is not a safe-guard, but an inconvenience to all non-airline flights. It is time for a review ofthe effi cacy of TFRs.

Raymond Hoche-MongMONTARA, CALIFORNIA

AIRING MORE AIRPOWER VIEWS

Reader Art Hartley (AW&STSept. 8, p. 8) espouses an old anti-airpower, pro-infantry argument longsince disproved by objective historians.

Arguing the Serbs came to theDayton Peace Accords because theyfeared potential attack by helicoptersand infantry is to ignore that Serbaggression was in fact arrested by aneffective air campaign.

By Hartleys flawed logic, a Serbtank commander was more worriedabout an Apache helicopter that might

shoot at him next month than the fight-er jet that just took out his buddy.

This is similar to the revisionist ver-sion of the first Persian Gulf War: TheU.S. Armys cheering section wouldhave you believe they won it with theirdays-long overland push, convenientlyignoring that the weeks-long air-onlycampaign had already pounded Iraqiground and air forces into impotence.

Airpower is not the answer to everythreat, but neither are ground or navalforces.

Stephen D. ViningDAYTON, OHIO

SELFIE-EVALUATION

I see that a selfie category hasbeen added to Aviation Weeks annualphoto contest (AviationWeek.com/pho-tocontest) (AW&STSept. 8, p. 6).

From an aviation operational safetyperspective, one wonders about theprudence of doing so. A variety of riskyscenarios could result from this par-ticular pursuit. Lets be (even more)careful out there!

Keith DarrowHUNTSVILLE, ALABAMA

Feedback Aviation Week & Space Technologywelcomesthe opinions of its readers on issues raised inthe magazine. Address letters to the ExecutiveEditor, Aviatio n Week & Spac e Technology,1911 Fort Myer Drive , Suite 600, Ar lington, Va.22209. Fax to (202) 383-2346 or send via e-ma ilto: [email protected] should be sh orter than 200 words, andyou must giv e a genuine identi fication, addressand daytime telephone number. We will notprint anonymous letters, but names wi ll be

withheld. We reserve the right to edit letters.



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sion ofMesotis Jets at AtlantaDekalb-Peachtree Airport.

Naveen C. Raohas become

counsel to the aviation subcom-mittee of theHouse Transporta-tion and Infrastructure Commit-tee. He has been in private lawpractice with Squire PattonBoggs and previously Jones Day.

Dante Laurettahas beennamed a science adviser to

Planetary Resources Inc., Red-mond, Washington. He is aprofessor of planetary scienceat the University of Arizona andprincipal investigator of Osiris-REx, NASAs first asteroid

sample return mission.Angelia Keene(see photo)

has been appointed directorof safety forAloha Air Cargo.She was director of ground andflight safety for Island Air.

USAFLt. Gen. Tod D. Wolt-ers has been named deputychief of staff for operations,plans and requirements atUSAF Headquarters at thePentagon. He has been com-mander of the Twelfth Air

Force (Air Forces Southern) ofAir Combat Command (ACC),Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona.Brig. Gen.VeraLinn Jamiesonhas been nominated for promo-tion to major general and has

been director of intelligence atACC Headquarters, Joint BaseLangley-Eustis, Virginia. Brig.Gen. Paul H. Guemmerhas

been appointed commander ofthe Jeanne M. Holm Center forOfficer Accessions and Citizen

Development of the Air Univer-sity of Air Education and Train-ing Command, Maxwell AFB,

Alabama. He was deputy direc-tor for strategy, capabilities,policy and logistics at Head-quarters U.S. TransportationCommand, Scott AFB, Illinois.Brig. Gen. Stephen L. Davishas

been named principal assistantdeputy administrator for military ap-plication in the Office of Defense Pro-grams for the Energy Department'sNational Nuclear Security Administra-tion. He was assistant deputy directorfor nuclear, homeland defense and cur-

Whos Where

Harvey Ticlo

Frank Nelson

Steve Jourdenais

Colt Mehler

Shawn Bucher

Chari Kinney

Angelia Keene

Harvey Ticlo(see photos) has

been appointed senior vice pres-ident-corporate strategy, busi-

ness development and integration ofAdvent Aerospace Inc., Rye, New Hamp-shire. He was vice president/generalmanager of its Cabin Innovations Div.,Lewisville, Texas. Steve Jourdenaishas become senior vice president forthe Interiors Group, which comprisesCabin Innovations and Jormac Aero-space. He was president of Jormac

Aerospace, Largo, Florida. SucceedingTiclo is Shawn Bucher, who was vicepresident-engineering at B/E Aero-space in Tucson, Arizona. FollowingJourdenais is Frank Nelson, who waspromoted from vice president-programmanagement at Jormac. And succeed-ing Nelson is Colt Mehler, who was

vice president-project engineering.Tracy Gallohas been promoted to

vice president-flight operations fromdirector of flight training for SkyWest

Airlines. He succeeds Klen Brooks,who will be retiring.

Scott Henry has become Novi, Mich-igan-based Eastern U.S. sales managerforDiversified Technical Systems.

Michael Cassel has been appointed

director of global corporate citizenshipforBoeingscorporate offices in Chicagoplus the Great Lakes region. He waschief of staff for the companys stateand local government operations team.

Calvin Martinhas been named gen-eral manager of Cutter AviationsColo-rado Springs location. Russell BuckMyershas become the companysavionics supervisor.

USAF Brig. Gen. (ret.) John R.Bob Ranckhas been appointed tosucceed Buddy Samsas Washington-

based senior vice president-governmentprograms and sales of the Gulfstream

Aerospace Corp., Savannah, Georgia.Sams plans to retire at year-end.

Chari Kinney(see photo) hasbecome Seattle-based vice president-sales forPlexus Planning of the U.K.She was an executive with BDM Enter-prise Solutions & Consulting Services.

Brad Bussehas been named to theboard of directors of Denver-basedByeAerospace Inc.He is president of BusseVentures and was an executive withRBC Capital Markets.

Moreno Aguiari has been appoint-ed head of the East Coast U.S. divi-

rent operations for the JointStaff at the Pentagon. Davissucceeds Brig. Gen. James C.Dawkins, Jr., who has beennamed director of strategiccapabilities policy for theWhite House National Secu-rity Council.

Tom Eatonhas becomeWashington-based vice

president-international salesfor Telesat. He succeeds NigelGibson, who will be leavingthe company. Eaton has beenpresident of Harris CapRockCommunications and wasexecutive vice president-global sales and marketing ofPanAmSat and vice presidentof global sales and customersupport at Intelsat.

U.S. NavyRear Adm. (lowerhalf) Robert V. Hoppahas

been named director of U.S. Af-rica Command, based in Stutt-gart, Germany. He has beendeputy chief of staff for intelli-gence at International Security

Assistance Force Headquartersand deputy director for opera-tions and support for UnitedStates Forces-Afghanistan.

Jeremy Bennett has beennamed Huntsville, Alabama-

based manager of businessdevelopment for Summit Avia-

tion. He was director of flightoperations for Wyle at the U.S.

Army Redstone Test Centerin Huntsville.

Patrick Millshas beenappointed chief mechanicalengineer within the AirbornePower and Control Div. ofAs-tronics Advanced Electronic Sys-tems, Kirkland, Washington. He

was an engineer for the Eaton Corp.Greg Johnsonhas been appointed

Hayward, California-based directorof business development forMeridian.He was an executive with TWC Avia-tion, San Jose, California. c

To submit information for the

Whos Wherecolumn, send Word

or attached text files (no PDFs) and

photos to: [email protected]

For additional infor mation on

companies and individuals listed in

this column, please refer to the

Aviation Week Intell igence Network

at AviationWeek.com/awinFor

information on ordering, telephone

U.S.: +1 (866) 857-0148 or

+1 (515) 237-3682 outside the U.S.



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delivery, denies reports that the breakwas forced on the production systembecause of pressure from continuingproblems of out-of-sequence, or traveled

work. While Boeing acknowledges thatsuch issues continue to occur, the com-pany says the recent production break

was a scheduled event connected withthe introduction of process and produc-tion flow improvements to its main 787assembly line. Boeing also continues to

transfer work from the temporary surgeline, which was established to avoiddisruption of the main production flowduring the introduction of the 787-9. Thecurrent 787 production rate is now sta-

bilizing at 10 per month, seven of whichare built at the Everett site.

Hayes Named JetBlue CEOJetBlue Airways on Sept. 18 saidcompany President Robin Hayes willsucceed Dave Bargerwho has been

with the carrier since its foundingas

CEO in mid-February, making himthe third leader in the airlines shorthistory. Hayes, a former senior execu-tive at British Airways, was namedpresident last year and had been chiefcommercial offi cer.

PROPULSION

GKN Signs for E2 EngineGKN Aerospace will deliver parts for thedevelopment version of Pratt & Whit-neys first PW1900G geared turbofanfor the Embraer E190-E2 regional jet in2015 following the signing of a risk-and-revenue-sharing agreement worth up

AIR TRANSPORT

FAA Moves on BacklogFAA, under fire by industry andlawmakers alike for lengthy delays anduncertainty surrounding its approach

to certifying new products, is rolling outa process that is designed to eliminatewhat was once a lengthy backlog ofprojects. To manage its resources, FAAnearly a decade ago adopted a sequenc-ing approach that would permit newprojects to go forward only when theagency was certain it could line up allits resources for certification. That pro-cessoriginally designed to be tempo-raryoften resulted in long projectdelays until resources became available,the agency concedes. Under the newprocess, announced Sept. 17, FAA now

will permit complex projects to moveforward even if the agency has to delaycertain aspects of the certification pro-cess until resources become available.Under the new process, FAA also weighsavailability of designees as it sequencesprojects. The agency, however, still con-siders the safety benefit and complexityof a project as it sequences it.

737 Rate to 52 Per Month?After several months of speculation,Boeing has given the strongest indica-

tion yet that it is considering a furtherincrease in production of the 737 to 52aircraft a month. The manufacturerhas so far committed to hit a rate of47 per month in 2017 and is currentlyat 42 aircraft. Speaking at a MorganStanley investor conference, BoeingCommercial Airplanes CEO Ray Con-ner said the companys focus today

would be around a 52-a-month rate in[737 production] somewhere in that2018 time frame. Conner added that. . . the demand is there for those

airplanes, significant demand.

787 Target in SightBoeing says it remains on track to meetits planned target for 787 deliveries in2014 despite a production hiatus at itsEverett, Washington, facility during thesecond half of August. The company,

which has delivered 73 of the roughly 110787s it hopes to hand over to customersin 2014, says the slowdown was a deliber-ate recalibration of its production sys-tem as part of the gradual consolidationto two single assembly lines, at Everettand Charleston, South Carolina. Boeing,

which is closing on its 200th overall 787

to $2.5 billion between the two manu-facturers. The deal gives GKN a 7%share in the PW1900G and builds on arelationship about the geared turbofanextending back to 2006 when Prattenrolled what was then Volvo Aero inthe development of the first technol-ogy demonstrator. GKN acquired Volvo

Aero in 2012. The latest extension, whichalso includes the smaller PW1700G forEmbraers E175-E2 airliner, covers the

design and manufacture of the turbineexhaust case, intermediate compressorcase, low pressure turbine shaft and fancase mount rings. GKN has agreements

with Pratt for production of similar partsfor the PW1100G, which is due to powerthe Airbus A320neo on its first flight

within weeks, as well as the PW1500Gfor Bombardiers CSeries, the PW1400Gfor Irkuts MC-21 and PW1200G for theMitsubishi Regional Jet.

DEFENSE

Countries Line Up Vs. ISISAustralia and France are preparingto join the U.S. in an international aircampaign designed to disrupt anddegrade Islamic State forces in Iraq.

Australia is sending F/A-18E/F SuperHornets, KC-30 aerial refueling tank-ers and its new E-7 Wedgetail airborneearly warning aircraft to the United

Arab Emirates in preparation for mili-tary operations while France complet-ed reconnaissance flights in northernIraq on Sept. 15 using Dassault Rafalesequipped with Thales Reco NG pods.Subsequent flights have been car-

The World For more breaking news, go toAviationWeek.com


EMBRAER

KC-390 Tanker/Transport Taking Shape at EmbraerEmbraer has mated the wing and fuselage of the rst prototype KC-390 tanker/transport. Firstight is planned by year-end. Powered by two International Aero Engines V2500-E5 turbofans,the KC-390 is scheduled to enter service in 2016 with the Brazilian air force, which is fundingdevelopment and placed a $3 billion order for 28 aircraft in May. Final assembly is underway atEmbraers Gaviao Peixoto plant in south-central Brazil. Suppliers of aerostructures include AeroVodochody of the Czech Republic (rear fuselage and cargo ramp), Ogma of Portugal (fuselagepanels and fairings), Fabrica Argentina de Aviones (ramp door and tail cone), Aernnova of Spain(composite aps, ailerons and rudder) and U.S. company LMI (leading-edge slats).


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Up Front

COMMENTARY

This was the year that strategicmerger and acquisition (M&A) activity

was supposed to pick up in earnestafter being pushed off by the 2008 fi-nancial crisis, slow economic recoveryand drawdown of U.S. wars abroad.Catalysts included the record airliner

backlog at Airbus and Boeing, a stabi-lizing and clarifying defense spendingenvironment and the general improve-ment in the worlds economy, includingongoing historically low interest rates.

Key drivers seem to be in place forstrong M&A rebound in 2014, driven

by commercial aerospace, echoed alate-July study by advisory firm Alix-

Partners. Beyond airliners and defensebudgets, Alix cited record A&D profitsand large cash reserves at compa-niestwo key enablers of M&A, along-side high stock prices that are anothermonetary proxy for purchases.

Indeed, with a $5 billion union ofOrbital Sciences and roughly half of

Alliant Techsystems, B/E Aerospacessurprising breakup into two compa-nieswith some observers assumingimminent M&A of one of the partsandCobhams proposed $1.5 billion purchase

of Aeroflex Holding, expectations builtin the spring that 2014 would mark thelong-awaited beginning of a strategic

A&D wave (AW&STMay 12, p. 20).But with the end of 2014 looming,

those big M&A deals remain stand-outexamples when it comes to building

businesses. By contrast, A&D compa-nies in recent months seemingly haveramped up divestitures or consolidationof business units, not strategic M&A.

In July, Rockwell Collins said it wasselling DataPath, a satellite communica-tions services unit. General Dynamicsadvised it was selling AxleTech, a makerof vehicle brakes, axles and suspensions.

Parting is such sweet sorrow, William Shakespeare oncewrote, but not so in the U.S. aerospace and defense industry.

Slice and DiceBig M&A may lurk, but divestitures remain

industrys go-to portfolio shaper

Capital Alpha Partners analyst ByronCallan said he saw steady M&A activ-ity, but no big deals among primes.

Portfolio shaping, focus are drivers.Moreover, Callan thinks the trend ofportfolio-shaping could accelerate into2015. First, the Pentagon will decide ona few, large weapons contractsandthe losers may exit the business. We

would watch outcomes of combataircraft competitions, the Joint LightTactical Vehicle and possibly naval

vessel programs as catalysts that couldget managements to rethink involve-ment in specific defense sectors.

Next are rising competitive pres-sures in niches. Space satellites and

launchers are facing greater competi-tion from private, commercial firms,Callan said. Services, particularly atthe lower value-add portions of themarket, is another.

Finally, in the end, is the question ofcorporate focus. General Dynamicsnoted that AxleTechs defense saleshad fallen to the point where commer-cial was more importantand thata commercial-focused management

would be better to run this, Callanobserved. Rockwell Collins mentioned

the DataPath divestiture as part of aplan to focus on core products.

Of course, an M&A rollup in com-mercial aerostructures continues, asexemplified by Precision Castparts bidto collect Tier 2 suppliers. And B/E,despite its halving, was on a buyingspree of sorts with suppliers and ad-

jacent players such as energy compa-nies, although no more are planned,executives said during the summer.

But such bolt-on acquisitions seemfar more the norm, compared with

strategic M&A. At RBC Capital Mar-kets Global Industrial Conference thismonth, executives from several largeand midsize A&D companies suchas Textron and CACI Internationalclaimed to have actively engaged M&Ashops looking for prospects, but theydemurred on near-term possibilities.

In a nutshell, if your company ishealthy enough to do some buying, mostcandidates are too healthy to produce agreat deal, executives suggested. Also,doubts remain over longer-term defensespending, let alone Pentagon approval.Regardless, divestitures and tack-ondeals seem the near future.c

This month GD further announced acombination of its Advanced Informa-tion Systems and C4 Systems to createGeneral Dynamics Mission Systems.

Italys Finmeccanica, meanwhile, ismulling a major review in which report-edly every corporate asset is under con-sideration for sale, including U.S.-basedDRS Technologies (AW&STAug. 11/18, p.29). Exelis said its Vectrus mission sys-tems spinoff will be complete Sept. 27.

Meanwhile, Timken said it will closeits engine overhaul business in Mesa,

Arizona, by year-end, as well as itsbearing facility in Wolverhampton,England. Timken also is consideringdivesting its MRO parts business. Andspecialized manufacturer EsterlineTechnologies plans to divest EclipseElectronic Systems, Pacific Aerospace& Electronics and Wallop DefenseSystems, as well as a small distribu-tion operation.

While many analysts and consul-tants suggested significantly moreM&A could happen this year versusprevious periods, others were morecautious and have appeared prescient.In a June outlook on the rest of 2014,


Edited by Michael Bruno

Senior Policy Editor

Michael Bruno blogs at:

AviationWeek.com/ares

[email protected]

Esterline Technologies will divestWallop Defense Systems, makerof flares like those being dispersedfrom a C-17.

U.S. AIR FORCE


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COMMENTARY

The U.S. AirForce ResearchLaboratory(AFRL) is lookingfor other, lessinvasive solutionsto reducing thefuel burned by theservices currentand future trans-ports and tankers.Specifically, thelab is looking for

engineered sur-faces, materialsand coatings thatcan be applied toaircraft without substantive changesto the outer mold line that wouldrequire lengthy and expensive retrofitand recertification. AFRL wants a fast

breakeven and warns that replacingaircraft skins will be too expensive.

The focus is on reducing skin-frictiondrag, which makes up half the totaldrag of a conventional tube-and-wing

aircraft. Wave and interference dragare other targets. Friction drag can bereduced by increasing the amount ofsmooth laminar flow over an aircraft,

but the dumpy, bumpy shapes ofairlifters such as the Boeing C-17 andLockheed C-130 are not conducive tolaminarity, so the lab is looking for waysto reduce friction on surfaces where the

boundary-layer flow closest to the skinis turbulent.

One way to reduce turbulent frictionis ribletsstream-wise microscopicgrooves that reduce drag by constrain-ing the development of large eddies.

Adhesive riblet film was applied to 70%

How do you improve the fuel economy of aircraft that havebeen in service for years, or decades? Reengining is expen-sive and unlikely to pay off within the lifetime of older airframes.Modifications to fit winglets can be costly and the return on in-vestment may not come quickly enough.

Skin CareCan applique technologies reduce fuel burnacross the U.S. Air Force transport fleet?

of the surface of an Airbus A320 andflown in 1989, reducing drag by almost2%, but concerns over maintenanceand durability deterred adoption. NowGermanys Fraunhofer Institute hasdeveloped a way to imprint the micro-grooves into the aircrafts paint using adurable top coat.

AFRLs solicitation for the $8.75 mil-

lion Aircraft Drag Reduction programsuggests other potential approaches,including dynamic roughness, chemicalflow control, smart vortex generatorsand plasma heating. Bidders are askedto look at the potential for commercialapplications that would reduce unitcosts, which could result in technologies

becoming available for civil aircraft.Dynamic roughness involves a

morphing surface that is activelycontrolled to produce a varying patternof humps or ridges that manipulatesthe boundary layer to delay transitionto turbulent flow. Research for AFRL

by Physical Sciences Inc. suggests the

power and weight impact is manage-able. Chemical flow control involvesusing hydrophilic and hydrophobic

surfaces to make the aircrafts skinmore slippery.Using shape memory alloys, smart

vortex generators can deploy in oneflight regime to reenergize flow andimprove aerodynamic performance,then retract flat against the surface tominimize the drag penalty. The deploy-ment mechanism could be the differ-ence in ambient temperature betweentakeoff/landing and cruise, or the

vortex generators could pop up whenflow separation is sensed.

Plasma heating can be used to

mitigate the drag rise caused by theformation of local shock waves on theairframe in transonic flight. Heatingthe flow so it remains locally subsoniccan reduce the intensity or modifythe location of a shock to reduce drag.Lightweight plasma-heating elements

would be integrated into the aircraftssurface near known transonic shocksites and would be fast-responding andadaptable to flight conditions, requir-ing on a few kilowatts of power, ac-cording to a Lockheed Martin patent.

Lockheed has looked at the fuel-saving potential of plasma-heating dragreduction on the C-5M (see photo), itsstudy indicating the cruise lift-to-dragratio could be improved by 0.5-1%. Dragreduction depends on how many shockzones around the airframe are treated.

A reduction of four counts increasesrange by 10 nm, while a more compre-hensive application of plasma devices

yields eight counts and a range increaseof up to 60 nm. This would save around3,000 lb. of fuel on current missions,

says the study.An array of plasma devices alongthe wingspan to reduce flow separation

would weigh 310 lb., cost $25,500 andconsume 200 kw of DC power. The non-recurring cost of installing a plasmasystem on the C-5M fleet is estimatedat around $16.5 million, equivalent tothe cost of fitting laser missile-jammingsystems. Assuming a drag reductionof six counts, the study concludes theplasma approach could save more than10 million gallons of jet fuel worth $540million over 30 years. c

With Guy Norris in Los Angeles.

Leading Edge

AviationWeek.com/awst AVIATION WEEK & SPACE TECHNOLOGY/SEPTEMBER 22, 2014 19

By Graham Warwick

Managing Editor-TechnologyGraham Warwick blogs at:

AviationWeek.com

[email protected]

U.S. AIR FORCE


20/60

By Pierre Sparaco

Former Paris Bureau ChiefPierre Sparaco has coveredaviation and aerospacesince the 1960s.

Once again, Air France-KLMs management finds itselfblocked from implementing a change in strategy. And onceagain, it is the cockpit crews who are balking. Crews and their

unions have not yet come to terms with the increasingly domi-

nant role of low-cost carriers in the European airline industry, so

they routinely reject the urgent need to restructure Frances air

transport sector.

canceled if pilots refuse to ratify it.One of the many issues that has pilotsupset is managements plan to imple-ment a two-scale salary policy.

Transavia pilots, whose ranksinclude former Air France pilots, areexpected to be paid at a slightly lowerrate than they now receive, to help theairline achieve competitive direct op-erating costs, a prerequisite to a suc-cessful counterattack in the Europeanroute system. SNPL, Frances domi-nant cockpit crew union, firmly rejectssuch a plan and claims all Air France-KLM group pilots should benefit fromunified salary scales. In the last few

weeks, the dispute has become evenmore heated and resulted in a walkoutplan that could jeopardize the com-panys efforts to restore profitability.

However, the AirFrance-KLM group isnearly equally cul-pable for the disconnect

between managementand personnel and hascontributed its ownshare of missteps. Long

before the Franco-

Dutch consolidationmove became a reality,

Air France turned ablind eye to the growingthreat from the low-costsector. Fifteen yearsago, a top airline execu-tive told me the low-cost

business model wouldnot succeed and claimed that startupssuch as Ryanair would never acquire asignificant market share. Today, Euro-pean low-cost airlines carry a combined

200 million passengers per year with afleet of nearly 1,000 aircraft. Moreover,Ryanair is now the biggest intra-Euro-pean carrier and is planning to operate520 Boeing 737s in the next 10 years, upfrom 320, CEO Michael OLeary says.

Air France now acknowledges theneed to launch a robust counterat-tack; it plans to expand its low-costsubsidiary, Transavia, which has two

branchesone in France, the otherin the Netherlands. Air France-KLMChairman/CEO Alexandre de Juniacsays Transavia will operate up to 100aircraft by 2018. But the long-overduegrowth plan could be delayed or even

Given the decades-old acrimonybetween the union and management,many analysts are skeptical of an early

resolution. SNPL-member pilots havea long tradition of vindictive reactionsthat extend well beyond operationalmatters. For example, the SNPL longrejected the implementation of two-person cockpit crews, which forced AirFrance to cancel an order for Boeing737s. Today, union representatives areclaiming they should have been can-

vassed, giving them a chance to rejector at least debate a plan to establish anew salary policy.

But there is a key difference thistime around. Air France is no longer

a state-controlled company and noarbitration can be expected from thegovernment of Prime Minister Manuel

Valls. The outgoing transport minister,Frederic Cuvillier, showed little inter-est in the French airlines difficultiesand his successor, Alain Vidalies,seems ready to follow his predecessorsroute. In other words, Air France isnow paying for being so slow to reactto low-cost competition and for notconvincing its pilots (as well as thecourt of public opinion) that a former

flag carriernow operating in a fullyderegulated environmentcould be soseriously endangered by new competi-tion forces. Recently, a political leader

warned: Even airlines die.Adopting the broad view, it is key to

understand why and how pilots suc-ceeded in extending their perimeter ofinfluence. This conduct began to mate-rialize in the 1960s and has never beenstudied as it should, by psychologists,not aviation experts. French pilots areextremely proud of their prestigious

past; they take pride in referring tofamous pioneers and the Aeropostalesglory days. However, this adulation ofthe past is interfering with the coursecorrection needed to adapt to moderntimes. This balking is detrimental tothe airline and its personnel alike.

Today, U.K.-headquartered EasyJetis the second-largest French domes-tic operator and Ryanair is Europes

biggest carrier in terms of passengersflown (more than 81 million this year).

Air France, however, continues itsdrastic decline. French airline pi-lots could be accused of writing AirFrances epitaph. c

Air France pilots went on strike on Sept. 15 inprotest against the carriers low-cost strategy.

Are Pilots Runningthe Show?Union action may harm pilots and Air France alike

COMMENTARY

Reality Check


AIR

FRANCE/GUILLAUMEGRANDIN


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COMMENTARY

an unintended consequence of au-tomation in the modern cockpit.

Designed to free pilots from lower-level tasks to spend more timeconcentrating on the big picture,automation can also lead to task-unrelated thought, better knownas zoning out. Studies of airlinepilots show that those who succumbto this state can manually fly anaircraft when the automation fails,

but may have trouble with more cogni-tive tasks like identifying instrumentanomalies or determining geographicpositions without the aid of a naviga-

tion display.Help could be coming in the form of

new monitoring or training proceduresbeing pursued by NASA and others.These activities are designed to keeppilots focused on the task at hand as aflight proceeds, although nothing con-crete has yet been introduced yet.

We found that when high levels ofautomation are in use and everythingis going to plan, pilots start thinkingabout unrelated tasks, says StephenCasner, a research psychologist at the

NASA Ames Research Center, com-menting on the results of a new study.It is not the first scientific analysis tocome up with those results. Our find-ings are consistent with other studiesthat demonstrate that when moreautomation is used, measures of pilotawareness show that less, not more,higher-level flight-related thinking hastaken place, explains Casner.

He initially set out to determinewhether pilots manual-flying skillshave been erodinga common notionstated by many in the public and theindustry following high-profile crashessuch as Colgan Air Flight 3407 and

If an idle mind is trouble waiting to happen, long-haul airlinepilots could be in need of some brain food being developed byNASA. Researchers there are coming up with methods to coun-

ter task-unrelated thought,

Mind GamesTraining procedures aim to keep pilotsmentally engaged in automated cockpits

Air France Flight 447 in 2009, both ofwhich involved flight-handling errorsby pilots. We had the safest accidentrecord weve ever had, says Casner.

It seemed like an odd statement tomake. Casner, a flight instructor whoholds an Airline Transport Pilot cer-tificate, says the crashes seemed lessabout handling the controls and moreabout what the automation was doingand to what extent the pilots were pay-ing attention to it.

He and his colleagues called on 16Boeing 747 pilots to help determinethought patterns and reactions. A full-motion Level D flight simulator at Ames

was used as the test platform. The pi-

lotsseven captains and nine first offi-cershad average flight times of almost18,000 hr. and 13 hr. in the seven days

before the simulations. Long-haul pilotswere chosen because they use more au-tomation and have fewer opportunitiesfor hand-flying than narrowbody pilotsflying multiple legs per day.

The pilots were asked to fly the ar-rival, approach and missed-approachphases of a simulated flight into Mem-phis, Tennessee, using the aircraftsautoflight system (coupled autopilotand autothrottles) or a combinationof flight director and autothrottle

with manual control, or raw data and

manual control, which require pilotsto fly the old-fashioned wayactivelyscanning instrument indications and

flying with one hand on the yoke, theother on the throttles.We found that hand-flyingthe

very thing everyone was worriedaboutwasnt really that bad, notesCasner. [The subject pilots] were alittle rusty, but we didnt see anythingfrightening or of operational concern.

After they flew by hand for a few min-utes, they were back in shape, just likeriding a bike.

What was of concern, however, wasthe atrophy in cognitive abilities. When

we started looking at situational aware-

ness tools, that is where the problemswere. In particular, the Ames groupdetermined that retention of the cogni-tive skills needed to manually fly theaircraft in a degraded flight modeforinstance visualizing the position of theaircraft without the aid of a navigationdisplaycould depend on the degree to

which pilots remain actively engaged insupervising the automation.

In a separate study, Ames research-ers found that when everything is goingto plan in a highly automated cockpit,

pilots start zoning out. They weremost likely to be highly engaged whenfaced with some complications with theautomation.

The ideal solution from a researchstandpointa clean-sheet design ofthe entire cockpit to be more pilot-centeredis a nonstarter not only dueto development costs but also becausechanging a well-oiled training machinehas its own inherent problems. Casnersays the basic flaw in the modern cock-pit is that humans are being used as a

safety net for computers, rather thanthe other way around. Its a bizarrerole to put the human in, he says.Studies show we can do it well for 20-30 min. then we start to zone out. Theproblem is compounded in some waysas engineers make aircraft increas-ingly reliable, hence fewer alerts occurto keep pilots engaged. People find itextremely difficult to watch a systemthat does so well for such long periodsof time, he adds. Pilots will [prob-ably] bear the responsibility for fixingthis.

Theyll have to do it with proce-dures.c

Airline Intel


By John Croft

Senior Avionics and Safety Editor

John Croft tweets @AVweekJC

[email protected]

JOHN CROFT/AW&ST


22/60

In Orbit

COMMENTARY

By Frank Morring, Jr.

Senior Editor FrankMorring, Jr., blogs at:

AviationWeek.com/onspace

[email protected]

The Aug. 24 temblor tippedthe Richter Scale at magni-tude 6, said to have been thestrongest quake in 25 years forthe area north of San Fran-cisco. It caused more than 100injuries, including at least onethat ultimately proved fatal,and inflicted what officials

termed significant damageto buildings in the town ofNapa proper. The earthquakealso left the region changedin more subtle ways that af-fect everything from groundstability for damage repairsto ensuring water continuesto flow where needed in thedrought-stricken state.

Fortunately, NASA andspace agencies in other na-tions serving regions afflicted

with destructive seismicactivity have been workingfor years on finding ways tomonitor the visible effects ofearthquakes from above. Onetechniquesynthetic aper-ture radar interferometry (InSAR)detects minute changes in the distancefrom radar satellites to the ground,and can be used to map changes beforeand after an earthquake.

In the U.S., NASAs Jet PropulsionLaboratory in Pasadena, California, isa center of the research for obviousreasons, given its earthquake-pronelocation. In the example shown above,

It is a shibboleth in space circles that we take the benefits ofour orbiting infrastructure for granted. Satellites enable every-thing from better weather forecasts to smartphones; we would

literally be lost without them. There are some space-based apps

that are not appreciated because they are used only intermit-

tently, and then only by a relatively small community of spe-

cialists. The earthquake last month in Californias Napa Valley

provides an opportunity to revisit one highly sophisticated but

usually overlooked benefit from space.

Earthquake EyesTerrain deformation monitored from above

JPL worked with data from the ItalianSpace Agencys Cosmo-SkyMed radarsatellites to map surface deformation

between images of the Napa regioncollected on July 26 and Aug. 27. Inthe map, superimposed on a GoogleEarth image, each color cycle (purpleto purple) represents a shift of 0.8 in.in the surface. The inset and arrowhighlight a discontinuity in the

color cycle where the subsurface faultbroke the surface, in a rupture thatcut through the Napa County Airport.

The change later was confirmed by aground-survey crew.JPL also used GPS data from the

National Science Foundations PlateBoundary Observatory to track sur-face deformation after the earthquake.The observatory includes a networkof GPS stations on the ground that arealways on. Many provide real-time up-dates of their positions, allowing rapidmeasurement when seismic activitychanges them.

Of course, radar satellites are rela-tively rare, and then rarely in position

to provide real-timeor even timelydata when an earthquake occurs.JPL has tackled that problem with anairborne L-band SAR pod that can bedispatched quickly after an earthquake.

Five days after the Napa event,researchers used the deviceorigi-nally developed for UAVs but flownon a NASA C-20A (military version ofthe Gulfstream III) operating out of

Armstrong Flight Research Center onnearby Edwards AFB, Californiatoremap the quake zone. That InSAR

imagery was compared with datacollected by the same sensor on May29, giving state agencies such as theCalifornia Earthquake Clearinghousea precise picture of how the ground

shifted, to use as they conducta damage assessment.

Of particular interest isthe earthquakes effect on theNorth Bay Aqueduct, a critical

water source in the San Fran-cisco Bay Area. CaliforniasWater Resources Department

is also evaluating soft-soilmovement in delta regions onthe east side of the bay.

The Napa earthquake is not the firstfor which NASA has used InSAR to aidin recovery. The SAR pod happened to

be scheduled for overflights in CentralAmerica when Port-au-Prince, Haiti,was hit with a devastating earthquakeon Jan. 12, 2010. NASA quickly adjustedits flight plan to generate baseline dataon the Enriquillo-Plantain Garden faultand other major fault lines in Haitiand its Hispaniola Island neighbor, theDominican Republic (AW&STFeb. 1,2010, p. 26).c


NASA JET PROPULSION LABORATORY


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Washington Outlook

Apparently the all-private venture to build a new U.S. rocketengine does not meet the needs of some members of Con-gress. In a letter to President Barack Obama sent the same day

that the United Launch Alliance and Blue Origin announcedplans to build a replacement for the Russian RD-180 (see page26), a flock of House members note that their legislative cham-ber wants to appropriate $220 million to do the same thing with

government funds.

Although ULA and Blue say theyare willing to use government fundsto accelerate development, the lettersauthors are skeptical of public-privatepartnerships. Such ventures, they say,should be auditable and ensure thatthe U.S. government retains intellectu-al property rights enabling the engineto be available to multiple launch com-panies. Blue says it intends to keep theIP but make the engine

available by selling it com-mercially, starting withULA, which is makinga major investment inthe engine development,according to Tory Bruno,president and CEO of thelaunch services provider.

What I dont like todo is start somethingthat isnt fully funded,

because one of the things that slowsdown development is the start-and-

stop cycles, says Blue Origin founderJeff Bezos, of Amazon.com fame.Probably because of work at theNational Institute for Rocket Propul-sion Systems in Alabamaalso aimedat replacing the Russian enginethestate was well-represented amonglawmakers who signed the letter(AW&STSept. 15, p. 27). The instituteis headquartered at NASAs MarshallSpace Flight Center in Huntsville, andthe letter-writers urge Obama to setup an Air Force program office thatshould cooperate with the NASAinstitute to ensure national securityspace launch competition. c

CYBER INSECURITY

The Senate Armed Services Commit-tee is raising concerns that the Pen-tagons Transportation Command isnot being told by its contractors aboutcyberattacks. A committee inquiryidentified 50 cyberevents targeting thecommand over one year. Twenty wereattributed to China, some of which

were directed at Civil Reserve Air Fleet

(CRAF) airlines, which the militaryuses to transport more than 90% of

its personnel and more than 30% of itsgear. The command was made aware ofonly two of those 20 intrusions.

In one 2013 incident, a Chinese gov-ernment phishing email is suspectedto have led to a malware download ofthe CRAF airlines network. In 2010,the Chinese military hacked the com-puter network of a CRAF contractor,stealing documents, flight details,credentials and pins and passwordsfor encrypted email, the reportstates. Some experts fear that Chinacould be testing the cyberwaters topotentially scuttle the mobilization ofU.S. troops. c

UNFINISHED BUSINESS

Lawmakers are leaving Washington inthe run-up to the November congres-

sional elections after voting to keepthe government functioning throughDecember and continue operating theExport-Import Bank through June.Congress also agreed to train and equipSyrian rebels, while skirting the broaderquestion of whether to authorize the useof military force in Iraq and Syria, andallowing a growing debate over deploy-ment of ground forces to fester. Suchstop-gap solutions show just enoughaction for lawmakers to maintain theirseats in the hopes that the election

will improve their parties chances of

swaying controversial matters in theirdirection when they return. The Houseis likely to remain in Republican hands,and the Senate could swing away fromDemocratic control for the first timesince 2009. News and poll-data aggrega-tor Real Clear Politics shows Republi-cans as likely to hold 47 seats, but listseight states up for grabs. c

STAYING COOL

In 2012, the CEOs of Lockheed Martinand United Technologies

Corp. warned about thechilling effect sequestra-tion would have on theircompanies. But once thenew Congress takes office,the Pentagon may not beable to count on the defenseindustrys lobbying clout

when the issue of across-the-board budget cutsreturns, says Jim McAleese

of McAleese and Associates.Heres why: While financial ana-

lysts predict 2015 will see a trough indefense sales, inflation adjustments tosequestration in 2016, along with antic-ipated pension-fund reimbursements,could buffer defense companies

bottom linesand keep executivesquiet about sequestrations ill effects.Industry is beginning to diverge from

where [the Defense Department]wants to go, McAleese says. Thedeparture would hurt at a time whenmodernization accounts are supposedto grow. Several Air Force and Navyprograms will have a significantamount of breakage if we slide into a2016 sequester, he warns. c

Rocket RejectionLawmakers skeptical of ULA-Blue Origin effort

COMMENTARY

Edited by Jen DiMascio

Managing Editor-Defense,Space & Security Jen DiMascio blogs

at:AviationWeek.com/ares

[email protected]


One of the things that slowsdown development is the

start-and-stop cycles.JEFF BEZOS

Founder of Blue Origin

GETTY IMAGES


24/60

For starters, NASAs choice of twocapsule designsBoeings CST-100and the SpaceX Dragonover the lift-ing-body approach proposed by SierraNevada Corp. will add cost to humanspaceflight operations while slowingspaceflight frequency. All three vehicles

were designed to lift off on expendablelaunchers, but the Sierra Nevada DreamChaser was being developed with NASAseed money to return to a horizontalrunway landing like the shuttle.

Recovering crews at sea, in the caseof Dragon, or in remote dry-land touch-down zones for the CST-100, will addcomplexity to recovery operations atthe end of missions that harken backto the capsules developed in the 1960s,and are still used with the RussianSoyuz crew vehicle the new U.S. cap-sules are designed to supplant.

Additionally, NASA safety hurdlesthe companies must meet for theirCST-100 and Dragon capsules will bethe gold standard for future human

spaceflight in the U.S., informing theprocesses industry and the FAA put inplace to certificate future human vehi-cles for safe flight. The FAAs commer-cial space offi ce, which licenses privatespaceflight in the U.S., has already usedthe NASA safety approach in preparinga best practices manual for commer-cial human spacecraft designers.

Any space transportation systemthat complies with NASA commercialcrew requirements would almost cer-tainly be consistent with FAAs recom-mended practices, says George Nield,associate administrator for commer-cial space transportation at the FAA.

NASAs requirements are much moreexhaustive and address mission assur-ance and other mission needs in addi-tion to occupant safety.

Boeing garnered the lions share ofthe $6.8 billion NASA wants to spendto return human space launch to U.S.soil on U.S. spacecraft, drawing $4.2

billion for its CST-100 vehicle. SpaceXwill receive $2.6 billion to finish devel-oping and start flying the crew versionof its Dragon cargo vehicle with crews

on board.The award amounts were based

on what the companies said would beneeded to get their vehicles certificat-ed to fly four-member crews to the ISS,according to Kathy Lueders, NASAscommercial crew program manager.

The CST-100 is an aluminum cap-sule with an ablative heat shield, de-signed to return to Earth on dry landunder parachutes, with airbags deploy-ing to soften the final touchdown (seephoto). It is intended to lift off on the

United Launch Alliance Atlas V.The crew-version Dragon is an up-grade of the Dragon already deliver-ing cargo to the space station undera 12-flight, $1.6 billion commercial re-supply services contract with NASA.SpaceX scarred its cargo-carryingDragon for human spaceflight, and al-ready is returning scientific samplesand other cargo under parachute to asplashdown in the Pacific off the coastof California. Both Dragon variants aredesigned to be launched on the com-panys Falcon 9 rocket.

Our specialist teams have watchedthe development of these new space-

Frank Morring, Jr. Washington

Capsules,Take TwoBig-ticket commercial-vehicledevelopment plan kicks offnew way to space for humans

SPACE

craft during earlier development phas-es, and are confident they will meet thedemands of these important missions,says Administrator Charles Bolden, whoannounced the selections at a KennedySpace Center press conference Sept. 16.We are also confident they will be safefor NASA astronauts. To achieve NASAcertification in 2017, they must meet thesame rigorous safety standards we hadfor the space shuttle program.

Under their contracts, Boeing andSpaceX each must meet five mile-stones, including a demonstration

flight to the ISS with at least oneNASA astronaut on board, to qualifyfor between two and six operationalmissions. According to Phil McAlister,a special assistant in NASAs Offi ce ofProgram Analysis and Evaluation whohas shepherded the commercial crew

24 AVIATION WEEK & SPACE TECHNOLOGY/SEPTEMBER22, 2014 AviationWeek.com/awst

Boeings CST-100 will use airbagsto cushion its dry-land touchdown.The company has drop-tested theconcept.

Work Boeing and SpaceX will do over the next five yearsto fulfill their new combined $6.8 billion contracts forcommercial crew transport to the International Space

Station (ISS) will shape human spaceflight for decades, just as

the space shuttle design choices did in the 1970s.

SPACEX

SpaceX Dragon

Location Hawthorne, CaliforniaNASA award $2.6 billion

Launch vehicle Falcon 9

Dimensions

Height 7.2 meters (23.6 ft.)

Diameter 3.7 meters (12 ft.)

Orbital duration Up to 2 years

Landing Ocean

Will carry Seven astronautsand cargo

Sources: SpaceX, NASA


25/60

development effort since its begin-nings, when the two companies arecertificated, they will be assigned op-erational crew-transport flights to theISS as needed during the contractsfive-year performance periods.

The vehicles also must be able to

remain docked to the station as rescuevehicles for the crewmembers who usedthem to reach space. NASA plans tofly four station crewmembers on eachmission, adding a crew member to thethree who arrive on Soyuz capsules forgreater research productivity. Both ve-hicles can carry seven passengers; thecontracts may allow the companies touse the extra seats for other purposes.

Most contractual details will remainunder wraps until NASA can debrief allof the companies that submitted pro-

posals, and some proprietary detailsmay never be released, according toMcAlister. The space agency plans torelease its formal source-selection doc-uments outlining the reasons for choos-ing the two companies at a later date.

NASA says Boeing and SpaceX will

work with the agency to com-plete the Certification BaselineReview within 90 days of thecontracts start dates. The goalis to complete certification, in-cluding the test flights, by theend of 2017, and to award task

orders for post-certificationmissions for as long as fiveyears after the effective datesof the contracts.

Lueders says the contractsalso have extension provisions,and on ramps to allow other

companies to transport station crews.The agency is willing to continue to

work with Sierra Nevada, Blue Originand other commercial crew Space Act

Agreement partners for possible futuremissions, she says.

Sierra Nevada, based in Louisville,

Colorado, told reporters it would waituntil after its out-briefing to commenton the decision, and then would con-duct a thorough evaluation of its op-tions once its remaining NASA moneyis gone.

Blue Origin, which received someNASA seed money early in the com-mercial crew development effort forcomponent-level work and continuesto work with the agency under anunfunded Space Act agreement, willpursue its plans to develop an orbital

human-launch capability using fundssupplied by founder Jeff Bezos, whoalso founded Amazon.com.

Discussing a new engine-develop-ment partnership with United Launch

Alliance the day after the commercialcrew announcement (see p. 26), Bezos

said his space company could still takehumans to the ISS someday.Were still continuing to build our

own Orbital Vehicle, and well have ourown space vehicle, Bezos says. Thetimeline for that is late this decade.Our motto isgradatim ferociter, whichmeans step by step, ferociously, and wecontinue on that path.

Bolden and other NASA humanspaceflight officials have been vocif-erous proponents of a two-vehicleapproach, both for redundancy andto hold down costs via competition.

However, Congress is skeptical of thatapproach, largely related to the extradevelopment expense.

McAlister says the commercial crewcontract totals are maximum amountsto be paid each company, depending onhow many operational missions they flyover the next five years. Each contracthas set pricesnot yet disclosedforeach mission, he says, arguing that theagency already has received benefitsfrom the competition as a result.

The competition exists today, and

competition is going to go forwarddown the road, since we selected two,he says. We hope [to see] additionalcompetition from industry partici-pants outside of the [Commercial CrewTransportation Capability] contract ifthey want to continue the development


The cargo version of SpaceXs Dragon splasheddown off California after reentry, and the crewvehicle will do the same.

Boeing CST-100

Location Houston

NASA award $4.2 billion

Launch vehicle Atlas V

Dimensions

Diameter 4.54 meters (14.9 ft.)

Height 5.16 meters (16.9 ft.)

Length 5.13 meters (16.8 ft.)

Orbital duration 60 hr. of free ight210 days docked

Landing Dry surface

Will carry Seven astronauts and cargo

Sources: Boeing, NASA

Check 6 Aviation Week editorsdiscuss the NASA commercial crew

transport contract winners and ULA/BlueOrigin RD-180 replacement engine in thelatest Check 6. AviationWeek.com/podcast


26/6026 AVIATION WEEK & SPACE TECHNOLOGY/SEPTEMBER 22, 2014 AviationWeek.com/awst

Frank Morring, Jr.Washington

True BlueBezos startup developing hydrocarbon enginefor United Launch Alliance to replace RD-180

United Launch Alliance (ULA)and Blue Origin, the secretiveSeattle-based space-vehicle

company founded and funded by Ama-zon.com chief Jeff Bezos, believe theycan complete development and startflying a 550,000-lb.-thrust rocket en-gine to replace the Russian-built RD-180 as the Atlas V power plant as earlyas 2017, without government money.

ULA will pay Blue Origin an unspeci-fied but significant sum to help defray

the cost of developing its BE-4 engine(see illustration), which has been in theworks under wraps for the past threeyears near Seattle and at the Blue Ori-gin test facility near Van Horn, Texas.The launch services company selectedthe BE-4 after kicking off a search foran RD-180 replacement when politicaltensions threatened continued supplyof the big Russian engine.

To develop a liquid rocket enginetakes a solid seven years, sometimeslonger, says Tory Bruno, ULA presi-dent and CEO. Blue is already several

years into that cycle. So by partneringwith them we have the opportunity

to cut that cycle in half, which meansthat, say, about four years from now we

would be in a position to begin flyingrockets with this engine technology.

Developed for Blue Origins plannedhuman Orbital Vehicle, the BE-4 (des-ignating the fourth Blue engine) is anoxygen-rich staged-combustion single-shaft rocket engine designed to burnliquefied natural gas.

Liquefied natural gas is almost100% methane; it has a few other

hydrocarbons in it, says Bezos, whoappeared with Bruno at a Washing-ton press conference to announce thedeal. Were designing the engine torun on liquefied natural gas or meth-ane. Theyre both roughly the samedensity, but methane is considerablymore expensive because to remove thelast little bit of other kinds of hydrocar-

bons is costly. Cost/operability is whatdrives us designing the engine.

Development has benefited frommodern computer modeling tech-niques, additive manufacturing andother new approaches to design, thetwo executives say. Staged-combustion

SPACE

and potentially come in later.The $6.8 billion far exceeds the

$3.415 billion NASA has requested forcommercial spaceflight through fiscal2019. The agency has requested $848.3million in fiscal 2015 for commercialspaceflight, plus $250 million from apresidential wish list. It is more likely

to receive funding at the $646 millionfiscal 2014 level under the stopgapspending measure lawmakers are ex-pected to approve before recessing forthe November elections.

The years beyond are more prob-lematic, and McAlister declines tosay whether the extra fundingif re-quiredwould come from separateoperational budget lines or elsewhere.

Obviously, were going to be in aconstrained budget environment, hesays. Thats going to be a challenge.[Of the many great missions] on NA-

SAs plate, weve got to somehow figureout a way to fully fund and prioritize[them] with all of our countrys needs.

Although it will shape human space-flight in the years ahead, at least in theU.S., and could mean big business ad-

vantages for the winners, the commer-cial crew announcement did not exactlymove markets. SpaceX, Sierra Nevadaand Blue Origin are privately held, andBoeings many other interests dilutedthe impact of the NASA decision.

While the revenue impact on 2014-

15 is limited, the contract covers anuncrewed flight in early 2017, followed

by the first crewed flight to the spacestation in 2017, says Canaccord Genuityanalyst Ken Herbert. We believe theprimary revenue impact will be in the2016-18 timeframe. While we view thiscontract win as a clear positive, [Boe-ing] stock will continue to trade on [fa-

vorable] commercial sentiment.Ultimately, the impact of the com-

mercial crew decision on the winningcompanies and on the space-explo-

ration effort at large will depend onwhether Congress agrees to meetNASAs funding requests for whatMcAlister termed its anchor tenancyin the larger effort to expand humaneconomic activity in low Earth orbit.

We are confident that given wherewe are right now with the 2014 budgetand its out-run, we can make the 2017launch date, Bolden says. But thatagain depends on Congress fully fund-ing the budget.c

With Michael Bruno in Washington,

Mark Carreau in Houston andAmy Svitak in Paris.

BLUE ORIGIN

Blue Origin is well along in developmentof the BE-4 liquid natural gas-fueledrocket engine, left, and has hot-fired itspre-burner and main injector assembly

(above) at its BE-4 engine facility nearVan Horn, Texas.
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28/6028 AVIATION WEEK & SPACE TECHNOLOGY/SEPTEMBER 22, 2014 AviationWeek.com/awst

Industry flight-testing on a prototype LED approach lighting

system at the Atlantic City International Airport in New Jer-sey has unleashed a wave of discontent over the FAAs han-

dling of the energy-efficient technology as a replacement for

incandescent lights at airports.

The problems are not related to thetest at handan FAA evaluation of howLED approach lights with an extra in-frared element register in the head-updisplay (HUD) of an enhanced visionsystembut rather what is happening

when the pilots look out the windscreen.

Its obnoxious as hell, says BobMoreau, an experimental test pilot whoobserved the lights on a clear, cool nightfrom an enhanced flight vision system(EFVS)-equipped Boeing 767 in April.The lights are overpowering, blottingout visibility. Moreaus assessmenthas been confirmed by several othertest pilots who have flown separateevaluations at Atlantic City, includingGulfstream, Bombardier and Dassaultpilots. One joked that he needed suntanlotion to fly the approach.

Moreau sent a letter to the FAA andInternational Civil Aviation Organiza-tion (ICAO) in August complaining

about the lights, setting off a surge ofindustry support and prompting theFAA to set up a two-day public reviewof the technologies in early October.

Ai rports to day can change outlegacy incandescent lights with LEDsof comparable candelas, a measure

of brightness, for all uses except ob-struction lighting, approach lightsand high-intensity runway lights. Thelatter two uses are not yet approveddue to potential issues with EFVS andnight-vision imaging systems, hencethe Atlantic City testing.

Critics of the LEDs say that whilethe candela values may be the same,the brightness can be much differ-ent to the human eye, an issue thatcould require changes to the three- orfive-level brightness controls that arecommonly used for airport lighting.Either way, they say the FAA has notconducted testing to determine the

John Croft Washington

LED AstrayIndustry blasts FAA for lack offlight-testing on LED lights

AIR TRANSPORT

potential effect of the lights on pilotsat night and in different weather condi-tions, including rain, fog, smoke, hazeand break out effects when a pilotdescends below low cloud bases on aninstrument approach.

In his letter, Moreau, who is also aflight test pilot Designated Engineer-ing Representative for the FAA, accus-es the agency of a serious abrogationof regulatory responsibility to the trav-eling public for not putting LED lightsthrough the types of rigorous flight andhuman-factors testing that have been

conducted with incandescent lightsfor decades. In the U.S. and abroad, agrowing number of airports are install-ing white and colored LED lights fortaxiways, taxiway centerlines, runwaycenterlines, touchdown zones, runwayend identifiers and other uses. Thefundamental problem is that theselights have been fielded with no test-ing done, says Moreau.

Recent reports in NASAs AviationSafety Reporting System are reveal-ing some of the issues airline pilots

are having with the lights, includingan Embraer ERJ-135 captain who saysthe green LED taxiway centerline lightsat Richmond, Virginia, are exception-ally bright, making it difficult to taxiat night, and an airline pilot at Denver

who says the same lights are far toobright, blinding the crew and makingit impossible to see beyond the lightsright in front of you.

The FAA agreed in part withMoreaus assessment in a Sept. 11response, stating that LED light-

ing, particularly white LED approachlighting, has not undergone thoroughoperational flight-testing. The agencynotes, however, that the LED approachlighting only has been installed at At-lantic City, home of the FAAs WilliamJ. Hughes Technical Center. No men-tion was made of LED lights already

being used at commercial service air-ports for taxi, runway and other non-approach lighting. An FAA cost-benefitanalysis for replacing all medium-in-tensity approach lighting systems atU.S. airports with LEDs showed aconsiderable benefit with a two-yearreturn on investment.

ROBERT MOREAU

Pilots describe the LED-basedmedium-intensity approach lightsat the FAAs Technical Center at theAtlantic City International Airportas piercing.


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Adrian Schofield Auckland

Growth PhasePhilippine carriers move to exploit

improved international access

The two major airlines in the Phil-ippines are seizing new oppor-tunities offered by fleet changes

and government rulings to expandtheir long-haul reach and tap into keyoverseas markets.

The Philippines has a growing do-mestic populationwhich officiallytopped 100 million in Julyand hugeexpatriate communities in othercountries, creating an attractive for-mula for long-haul service. Foreignairlines have been in the box seat inmany important markets, but now thelocal carriers are looking for a largerpiece of the action.

Low-cost carrier (LCC) Cebu Pacificis increasingly challenging Philippine

Airlines (PAL) and the overseas air-lines on medium- and long-haul sec-tors, thanks to its growing Airbus

A330 fleet. At the same time, PALis ramping up its services to North

American markets in response to aU.S. government decision to removerestrictions on Philippine carriers.

Cebu has established a dominantposition in the Philippines domesticnetwork, using its Airbus narrowbodyfleet of about 40 aircraft. Like manyother Asian LCCs, it is now looking tothe long-haul arena. The airline has re-

cently accelerated this move by add-ing four routes to destinations beyond

Asia during a five-week span through

early October.The carriers initial long-haul desti-

nation was Dubai, introduced last Octo-ber using one of its first A330s. After agap of nearly a year, it launched a routeto Kuwait on Sept. 2, as well as one toSydney on Sept. 9, and it plans to beginflying to Saudi Arabian cities Riyadh onOct. 1 and Dammam on Oct. 4. Thesedestinations all have large concentra-tions of Filipinosthere are estimatedto be more than a million in Saudi Ara-

bia alone.

Cebu uses new A330-300s, oper-ated under lease, for each of theseroutes. It has taken delivery of five sofar, three of which arrived this year.Some of the A330s were temporarilydeployed on the short-haul network

before the additional long-haul flightswere added. One more A330 is due inthe first quarter of 2015, says AlexReyes, general manager of Cebuslong-haul division.

The carrier has indicated that itwants to fly to U.S. destinations, andReyes confirms Cebu is interested inHonolulu and Guam, initially. However,it cannot serve these routes until it re-

AIR TRANSPORT

The agency tells Aviation Week itplans to develop a flight-test plan which

will include appropriate FAA technicalservice organizations as well as industryoperators, aircraft and avionics manu-facturers and will gather input at thetwo-day review in October.

The FAA says many airports haveexpressed interest in LEDs to savemoney, but that it would ensure safe-ty is in no way compromised solely foreconomic reasons.

Officially, the change to LEDs is be-ing driven by the 2007 Energy Indepen-dence and Security Act (EISA), a billdesigned to boost energy independence,

but the FAA says airports are primar-ily doing it for cost savings. The ruledoes allow for exemptions, which themaritime industry has received, but for

which the FAA has not applied. Due to

the congressional mandate, incandes-cent light bulbs are being replaced withLED lights at various airport locationsthroughout the National Airspace Sys-tem, the agency said in 2011.

FAA research on LEDs has beenongoing since at least 2005, with FAAengineers and contractors studying a

variety of topics including the usefullife of LED fixtures, how to model thetechnology in simulators and replicatethe infrared (IR) signature for EFVSsystems, and developing animations to

determine the suitability of the lightsfor use at airports.

All of the companies flying the ap-proaches to Atlantic City either buildor use aircraft with certified EFVSsystems, which use a cooled IR sensorto pick up incandescent approach andrunway lights in the 1-2-micron wave-length range, allowing for pilots to de-scend lower than for legacy approachesif they see the lights in the HUD. To ac-count for the lack of heat signature inLED lights, the FAA installed custom-

ized white lights with IR heaters on theRunway 4 medium-intensity approachlighting system at the airport. The ap-proach lights, a combination of thresh-old lamps, light bars and flashers, aredesigned to help pilots align with therunway, and provide for height percep-tion and roll guidance for Category 1instrument approaches.

One concern is that if the approachlights are too bright, the pilot maynot be able to correctly identify therunway, leading to either a go-aroundor, more problematic, a continued ap-proach without the necessary situ-ational awareness.

The LED replacement effort todate has involved a one-for-one swapof the two technologies, although theU.S. Transportation Department hasrequested that ICAO make changesto legacy aviation white SAE Inter-national color standards to prevent

hardship and expense in adoptingnew energy- and maintenance-sav-ing LED products. That request is

based in part on research performedby Rensselaer Polytechnic Institutes(RPI) lighting research center, whichis part of the FAAs Center of Excel-lence for Airport Technology pro-gram. The research looked at the

broader issue of how LEDs might helpreduce the potential for pilots to mis-take the colors of incandescent lights.

RPI in a different study contacted22 U.S. airports with LED lights, find-ing that in general the devices, whichhave a higher initial cost, do reduceenergy use and maintenance require-ments compared to incandescentlights, despite requiring less power

than delivered by existing electricalinfrastructures. RPI says the initialinvestment can be recouped over aperiod of several years.

Comments from pilots at those air-ports were always related t

Aviation Week & Space Technology - September 22, 2014 USA

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Transcript of Aviation Week & Space Technology - September 22, 2014 USA