Single Aisle News - October 31, 2016

October 31, 2016

Spirit Airlines CEO Bob Fornaro has revealed that the airline is evaluating a possible order for Bombardier's CS100 C-Series.  Spirit currently operates an all-Airbus fleet, and was the first North American customer to take delivery of the A320 NEO.
https://www.thestreet.com/story/13866082/1/spirit-ceo-hails-aircraft-maker-competition-will-look-at-bombardier-cs-100.html
http://www.fool.com/investing/2016/10/29/bombardier-looks-for-cseries-jet-orders-can-it-lan.aspx


Republic Airways Holdings has deferred its order for 40 Bombardier CS300 aircraft, as it udergoes bankruptcy proceedings.  Republic was Bombardier's first North American C-Series customer.
http://www.ch-aviation.com/portal/news/50416-republic-defers-cseries-order-in-deal-with-bombardier


Bombardier's prototype CS300 aircraft has arrived in Zhuhai, China where it will be on static display for the Zhuhai Air Show.  It is estimated that China will take delivery of 1150 aircraft in the 100 to 150 seat size class during the next 20 years, making it a potentially significant market if Bombardier can break into it.  The C-Series features an aluminum-lithium fuselage that is expected to be co-produced by a Chinese supplier.
http://www.marketwired.com/press-release/bombardier-c-series-aircraft-makes-its-china-debut-tsx-bbd.a-2170877.htm


Embraer has reached a $205.5 million corruption settlement with the governments of the United States and Brazil.
http://in.reuters.com/article/embraer-corruption-idINKCN12O20V


SAS Scandanavian Airlines has taken delivery of its first Airbus A320 NEO, powered by CFM International LEAP-1A engines.
http://atwonline.com/airframes/sas-scandinavian-airlines-takes-delivery-first-a320neo


Frontier Airlines became the first customer in the U.S. to receive an A320 NEO equipped with CFM International LEAP-1A engines.
http://satprnews.com/2016/10/26/frontier-airlines-takes-delivery-of-its-first-a320neo/


CFM International partner Safran has announced that over 40 LEAP-1A engines have been delivered to date to Airbus for installation aboard the A320 NEO.  The LEAP-1A competes with Pratt & Whitney's PW1100G Geared TurboFan engine for A320 NEO customers.
https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/over-40-leap-1a-engines-delivered-safran-430698/


Airbus has decreased the number of A320 NEOs that it has forecast to be built in 2016 due to engine delivery snags, from 20% of total A320 deliveries to less than 15%.  The manufacturer has also increased the number of A320 CEO deliveries to make up the difference.  Airbus executives report that third quarter profits were down due to delays in both A320 NEO and A350 deliveries, both caused by supplier delivery shortfalls.
https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/airbus-lowers-forecast-for-a320neo-deliveries-430747/
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-airbus-group-results-idUSKCN12Q0CR


Speaking at their 3rd quarter conference call, Boeing executives confirmed that the company is still evaluating either a stretched 737 MAX-10 variant, or a new middle of the market (MoM) aircraft.
http://www.investors.com/research/ibd-industry-themes/boeing-raises-full-year-commercial-delivery-guidance-q3-tops/


Russian officials have announced that there has been no flutter issues detected during wind tunnel testing of the Irkut MC-21 design.  The MC-21 is expected to compete with the Boeing 737 MAX and Airbus A320 NEO, and features a composite wing, as well as a derivative of the Pratt & Whitney Geared TurboFan engine used on the A320 NEO.
https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/no-evidence-of-flutter-in-mc-21-windtunnel-tests-430696/
http://www.rusaviainsider.com/mc-21-model-tested-for-flutter/

Fighter Jet Times - October 27, 2016

October 27, 2016

Some analysts are proposing that the F-35 stealth fighter, with its advanced sensor suite and radar evading capabilities, will alter how future wars are fought.
http://www.military.com/daily-news/2016/10/23/new-jet-will-likely-change-how-america-fights-wars.html


A U.S. Air National Guard pilot described his training experience with the F-35 by saying that "If you get into a dogfight with the F-35, somebody made a mistake," emphasizing that its stealth attributes should allow the airplane to avoid a dogfight scenario.
http://www.businessinsider.com/f35-dogfighting-knife-fight-telephone-booth-2016-10


The U.S. Marine Corps has announced plans to deploy the F-35B to Japan for the first time next year.
https://www.rt.com/news/363707-japan-f35-us-base/


The U.S. Navy is advancing plans for an unmanned, low-observable air-refueling drone, labeled the MQ-25A Stingray.
http://nationalinterest.org/blog/the-buzz/how-the-us-navy-will-make-its-aircraft-carriers-the-f-35-18172


Lockheed Martin has received two contract modifications to supply maintenance support for the F-22 Raptor.
http://www.upi.com/Business_News/Security-Industry/2016/10/21/Lockheed-Martin-receives-two-F-22-Raptor-contract-modifications/2741477057744/


Officials have pointed out that Lockheed Martin's plans to shut down its F-16 production line in Fort Worth, and potentially re-open F-16 assembly in India, would effectively preclude the delivery of new-build F-16s to Pakistan in the future.
http://www.ndtv.com/india-news/exclusive-why-pakistan-may-stop-getting-f-16-fighters-from-us-1477353


Malaysia has identified the Eurofighter Typhoon and Dassault Rafale as the only contendors for its multirole combat aircraft (MRCA) program, aimed at replacing its fleet of MiG-29 fighters.  A down-select is expected by 2020.
http://www.defenseworld.net/news/17444/Dassault_Rafale__Eurofighter_Typhoon_Only_Competitors_In_Malaysian_MRCA_Competition#.WA9Ex9QrLs0


RAF Eurofighter Typhoon fighters arrived in Japan this past week for military training exercises with Japan.
http://the-japan-news.com/news/article/0003301648
http://www.straitstimes.com/asia/east-asia/japanese-and-british-fighter-pilots-to-face-off-for-first-time-since-world-war-ii


Lockheed Martin is developing proposals for a next-generation stealth fighter that would be co-developed and produced with Japan.  Lockheed has participated in a number of joint fighter development fighters over the years, including Taiwan's Ching-Kuo and South Korea's FA-50.
http://www.star-telegram.com/news/business/article109485412.html


Turkish F-16s have reportedly targeted Kurdish positions near Aleppo, amid continued factional tension in the area.
https://www.rt.com/news/363466-turkey-airstrike-kurds-syria/


An Israeli investigation has cleared the pilot of error in the recent fatal crash of an Israeli F-16I fighter.  Maj. Ohad Coehn Nov died while ejecting from his stricken aircraft on October 5th.  The cause of the airplane's reported mechanical problems has not yet been isolated.
http://www.timesofisrael.com/army-probe-rules-f-16-pilot-killed-in-crash-acted-correctly/

Space Highlights - October 26, 2016

October 26, 2016

China's manned space lab successfully released a microsatellite that is being referred to in the media as a "selfie stick".
http://indianexpress.com/article/technology/science/chinas-space-lab-launches-micro-satellite-3100399/


India's planned launch of a satellite on behalf of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation has been delayed indefinitely over disagreements between India and its largely Muslim neighbors over violence in Kashmir.
https://sputniknews.com/asia/201610241046667469-india-pakistan-satellite-launch-delay/


Launch of the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite-R (GOES-R) weather satellite is being delayed due to damage at NASA's Florida launch facility caused by hurricane Matthew.
https://spaceflightnow.com/2016/10/24/goes-r-weather-satellites-ride-to-space-being-stacked-at-cape-canaveral/
http://www.springfieldnewssun.com/news/weather/hurricane-delays-urgent-launch-of-new-weather-sate/nsw9G/


North Korea has pledged that there would be more satellite launch attempts in the near future, following a failed ballistic missile test.
http://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2016/10/20/North-Korea-promises-more-satellite-launches-after-failed-missile-test/9401476976931/


European engineers believe that a premature separation from its heat shield - and resulting premature parachute deployment - may have doomed the ESA's Schiaparelli lander.  The crash site of the doomed spacecraft has been identified from orbit by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, and is being studied for clues into the European lander's final moments.
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/new-details-emerge-about-missing-mars-lander/
http://www.slate.com/blogs/bad_astronomy/2016/10/22/mro_sees_impact_site_of_esa_mars_lander.html


NASA's Cassini spacecraft has captured evidence of seasonal changes in the cloud cover of Saturn's largest moon, Titan.
http://www.spaceflightinsider.com/missions/solar-system/dramatic-seasonal-changes-titan-captured-cassini/


Despite technical glitches that have crippled the spacecraft at least twice now, NASA's Juno spacecraft has collected new radio-frequency data that appears to indicate that Jupiter's banded cloud structure extends much deeper into its atmosphere than had been previously thought.
http://www.space.com/34457-jupiter-stripes-go-deep-juno-probe-reveals.html


Scientists reviewing thermal imaging data of the surface of Venus, collected in 2010 by the European Space Agency's Venus Express orbiter, have concluded that some of the lava flows surrounding at least one volcano, are relatively recent: formed within the past 2.5 million years.  In geological time, that would suggest that Venus is likely still volcanically active today.
http://www.space.com/34420-venus-volcanos-erupted-recently-hotspot-study-suggests.html


Scientist are predicting that, if it does exist, the hypothesized Planet Nine will be identified within the next couple of years.  Evidence for the proposed, distant ninth planet is based around disturbances in the orbits of Kuiper Belt objects in the outer reaches of the solar system, with some scientists suggesting that the slight tilt in our solar system's orbital plane - relative to the rotation of the sun - could also be explained by the ninth planet.
http://www.space.com/34455-planet-nine-discovery-coming-soon.html
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/speaking-of-science/wp/2016/10/20/the-mysterious-planet-nine-might-be-causing-the-whole-solar-system-to-wobble/

Attempts to identify the individual particles that make up dark matter continue to come up empty, challenging existing assumptions about what makes up the mysterious substance known only from its gravitational effect on the galactic scale.
https://www.sciencenews.org/article/latest-dark-matter-searches-leave-scientists-empty-handed

Wide Body Report - October 25, 2016

October 25, 2016

Analysts are speculating as to whether Boeing will announce a further cut to its production rate for the 777 airline at this week's upcoming investors' conference call.
http://www.investors.com/news/boeings-q3-eps-seen-rising-but-will-777-tanker-weigh-on-results/


Kuwait Airways' next Boeing 777-300ER was rolled out of the Boeing paint shop this past week, sporting a new livery.
http://www.arabtimesonline.com/news/kuwait-airways-unveils-new-livery-boeing-777-300er-transformation-reassert-pioneering-legacy-al-roumi/


United Airlines' first Boeing 777-300ER rolled out from the assembly floor, on its way to the paint hangar.
http://airlinegeeks.com/2016/10/20/the-doors-are-opening-for-uniteds-first-777-300er/


Aeromexico introduced its first Boeing 787-9 this past week.
http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/aeromexico-introduces-its-first-boeing-787-9-dreamliner-300348673.html


British Airway has announced plans to launch 787 Dreamliner service connecting New Orleans to Europe.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/flights/todayinthesky/2016/10/20/british-airways-launch-dreamliner-service-new-orleans/92454148/


Singapore Airlines is reportedly in line to become the launch customer for the Boeing 787-10, a stretched version of the popular airplane.
http://www.postandcourier.com/business/singapore-airlines-reportedly-in-line-for-delivery-of-boeing-s/article_71ec633c-9a02-11e6-b3b7-8f28d465ebf7.html


Despite delays in aircraft deliveries earlier this year, Airbus has reaffirmed its comitment to deliver a total of 50 A350 aircraft by year end.
https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/airbus-sticks-to-a350-delivery-target-430515/


Singapore Airlines received its 6th Airbus A350 this past week, in which Airbus delivered its 10,000th aircraft to date.
http://www.indiainfoline.com/article/news-international/singapore-airlines-receives-6th-a350-airbus-achieves-10-000-milestone-116101800427_1.html


Malaysia Airlines plans to re-outfit its A380 fleet to serve as 700-seat transports aimed at servicing Muslim pilgrimages to Mecca.
http://www.wsj.com/articles/malaysia-airlines-plans-a380-plane-rental-unit-1476918061

Single Aisle News - October 24, 2016

October 24, 2016

Bombardier has announced plans to cut 7500 jobs globally, including 2000 jobs across Canada, as the manufacturer struggles to return to profitability while also ramping up production of the new C-Series aircraft.  Most of the job cuts will be made to its railroad division.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/bombardier-cseries-job-cuts-investment-1.3816820
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-bombardier-jobs-idUSKCN12L0ZC


Embraer expects to fly its fourth E190-E2 prototype soon, as it accelerates its flight test schedule and pushes for certification.  A total of 241 flight hours have been accumulated between the existing three prototypes.
http://atwonline.com/manufacturers/embraer-fly-fourth-e190-e2-soon


Mitsubishi Aircraft has begun flight test of its first MRJ prototype out of its new Washington state test facility.
http://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Companies/Mitsubishi-Regional-Jet-test-flights-get-underway-in-US


Frontier Airlines has taken delivery of its first Airbus A320 NEO aircraft, out of a total of 80 on order.  All of the Frontier orders will be powered by CFM International LEAP-1A engines.
http://www.bizjournals.com/denver/news/2016/10/20/frontier-takes-1st-u-s-airline-delivery-of-new.html


GE Capital Aviation has delivered its first Airbus A320 NEO to Brazil's Azul.  The aircraft delivered to Azul will be powered by LEAP-1A engines.
http://www.aviationpros.com/press_release/12271827/ge-capital-aviation-services-delivers-first-airbus-a320neo-to-brazils-azul


Alaska Airlines has pushed back the delivery date for its first Boeing 737 MAX aircraft from late 2017 to early 2018.  The airline is currently coordinating a proposed merger with Virgin America.
https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/alaska-pushes-back-737-max-deliveries-until-2018-430588/


Chinese officials report that the first Comac C919 airline is expected to fly in the second-quarter of 2017 - a slip from the earlier targeted date of late 2016.
http://aviationweek.com/commercial-aviation/comac-c919-likely-fly-second-quarter-2017

Lavi Armament - Stores and Weapons Stations

I recently received an email question inquiring into the weapons stations and stores arrangement of the Lavi.

The weapons compliment for the Lavi has been described in a number of key sources. The Lavi had a total of fifteen weapons stations, as illustrated in the figure below (adapted from Tsach and Peled, 16th ICAS, p. 836). This included six weapons stations on or under the wings (portrayed in red), seven weapons stations under the fuselage (portrayed in blue), and two weapons stations on each side of the engine inlet (portrayed in green).

Lavi hardpoints for fuel, weapons and sensor integration

How these hard points might be employed in practice is portrayed in the next two diagrams (obtained from Shmul, et al, Int. J. Control, p. 160). The first illustration portrays the Lavi in the "cluster bomb" configuration, with a large number of individual stores loaded. In this configuration includes fuel tanks loaded on the innermost wing hardpoints, cluster-bombs loaded on the outer under-wing hardpoints, and six cluster bombs loaded under the fuselage. A pair of heat-seeking air-to-air missiles would also have been loaded on the missile rails. Noteworthy is the fact that the under-fuselage hard points were staggered, rather situated directly in-line, to accommodate the landing gear and landing gear bay doors.

Lavi in the "cluster bomb" loading configuration.

The subsequent illustration portrays the Lavi in the "HOBO" configuration, which would have aimed at maximizing range. This configuration includes drop tanks installed at the innermost wing hardpoints, iron-bombs loaded on the outer under-wing hardpoints, as well as heat-seeking air-to-air missiles installed on the wing tip missile rails, and navigation and targeting pods installed on the weapons stations located on each side of the engine inlet.

Lavi in the "HOBO" weapons configuration.

A Lavi prototype in flight test with a centerline telemetry pod (IAF photo)

In flight test, the centerline fuselage hardpoint was sometimes utilized to integrate a telemetry package. This was done on the Lavi Technology Demonstrator (the number three prototype), allowing the rear cockpit seat position (which was used to house telemetry in the previous prototypes) to be freed up.

Examples of stores installed on the outer wing weapons station can be seen in wind tunnel footage - as part of a series of tests to assess wing flutter with a variety of stores configurations.

Lavi wing tunnel model from weapons integration test

Thanks again to William Zhou for asking this question.


References:
Shmul, Menachem, Eli Erenthal, and Moshe Attar, “Lavi Flight Control System,” International Journal of Control, No. 1, 1994: 159-182.
Tsach, S., and A. Peled, “Evolution of the Lavi Fighter Aircraft”, in Proceedings of the 16th International Council of the Aeronautical Sciences (ICAS) (Jerusalem: Aug. 28 - Sept. 2, 1988): 827-841. 

The Lavi and the F-16XL: A Contrast in Parallel Development Programs

I recently received an email question asking about whether the existence of the F-16XL, as an alternative to the Lavi, played a role in any of the Lavi decisions process.

As outlined in Chapter 4 of the book, the Israeli air force originally expressed a preference for a locally produced version of the F-16 as the most cost effect means towards meeting Israel's future fighter needs. As proposed by the Israeli government in March 1977, the original plan called for Israel to purchase its first 50 F-16 fighters directly from the United States, with local assembly for a follow-on batch of 200 aircraft. Local assembly would have allowed the Israelis to modify the F-16 to meet their own needs, which centered around producing a more versatile air-to-ground platform - as opposed to the original F-16A, which had been envisioned as an air-to-air day fighter with a secondary air-to-ground role.

At the time that the Israeli proposal was made in 1977, the F-16XL was not yet on the drawing boards at General Dynamics. However, it is entirely plausible that had an Israeli assembly line been authorized for the F-16 (as similar assembly lines would later be approved for Turkey and South Korea), that the Israelis may have eventually produced a production version of the F-16XL - particularly after the US Air Force declined to produce the type for domestic service (in favor of the more expensive F-15E). Again, it's one of those "what if" scenarios we will never have a complete answer for.

The Israeli government proposed license production of the F-16 in Israel on two occasions - in March 1977 and again in February 1980. On both occasions, their proposals were rejected by the Carter Administration for its own political reasons. The Israelis subsequently went on to authorize development of the Lavi.

The F-16XL illustrates its impressive bombload

The F-16XL in turn, grew out of a series of General Dynamic concept studies generated during the late 1970s, originally aimed at a supersonic cruise demonstrator aircraft, not a fighter-bomber. It didn't received formal US Air Force funding as a fighter development effort until 1980 - the same year that the Lavi program was launched. So the two aircraft were truly contemporaries. Their results paralleled each other, with little opportunity for the learning from one to directly influence the other. Nonetheless, both development teams benefited from some of the same prior industry experience. They all read the same engineering journals, and were aware of the same first principals. As pointed out in Appendix 4, for example, both the Lavi and the F-16XL benefited from semi-conformal weapons carriage to reduce stores drag.  Relative to conventional pylon-mounted stores, both aircraft demonstrated better than a 40% reduction in stores drag.

The two were nonetheless different aircraft with different design opportunities, and limitations. The F-16XL was intended to control its cost by exercising an existing F-16 fuselage, with the addition of a plug for added fuel volume, plus its unique cranked-arrow wing. The Lavi, in contrast, was a clean sheet design. The Lavi developers had more latitude to optimize their configuration, but had to strictly control the airplane's size if they wanted to control production costs on what was expected to be a relatively small production run of some 300 airframes. The F-16XL resulted in a bigger airplane, with a larger range and payload. The Lavi resulted in a very compact package with an astounding range for its small size. Again, the two design teams operated from different restrictions on what they could or couldn't do. Both great designs, but with different limitations.

Thanks again to Harry Zertner for the question.