March 7, 2019 - No. 019 In This Issue AIR Convention Asia brings aviation industry giants to Bangkok Weststar Aviation tests HeliLink virtual technical support technology on Leonardo helicopters Boeing acquires aviation software company ForeFlight McLaren Brings Formula 1 Technologies to Other Industries ? But Not Electric Yet Kaman developing next-generation of K-MAX unmanned aircraft system With Split Power Engine Technology in Hand, Corporation of Flight Inc. Enters Vertical Flight Military Market Estonia's Magnetic MRO acquires Dutch Direct Maintenance company. Flightdocs Operations Product Offers End-to-End Management for Helicopter Operators FAA Evaluates Universal's Heli-ClearVision EFVS SoftBank Hopes Its Solar Internet Drone Will Soar Where Facebook's and Google's Sank China Hints At Surprise Space Station Launch, Says Its New Rocket Can Challenge SpaceX. AIR Convention Asia brings aviation industry giants to Bangkok Two years ago Thailand's capital Bangkok became the most visited city in the world, overtaking destinations like Paris and London. Tourism is thriving in the country accounting for 22% of its GDP in 2018 and Thailand is expecting a record 41.1 million foreign tourists in 2019. Unsurprisingly, air travel companies are taking note. Bangkok is becoming one of the top attractions for aviation industry giants and new government initiatives are utilizing flourishing economy to make Thailand a technology and aerospace hub of the future. That's why one of the biggest international aviation events AIR Convention - conference, exhibition and awards - is moving to Bangkok, bringing with it over 1500 leading industry companies with over 100 airline reps. Among the participants are Thai, Air Asia, Virgin Australia, Air France, Finnair, London Stansted, Manchester Airport, Toronto Pearson, GE Aviation, Rolls Royce, Boeing, Airbus, Embraer and hundreds of others. During the event, nearly 100 speakers will examine Asia's and especially Thailand's booming growth, dealing with capacity and Bangkok's future as an aerospace hub. The conference will focus on four major themes in the industry - commercial aviation, aviation technology, finance and customer behavior - covering everything from A to Z in the market. According to the event organizer Skaiste Knyzaite now is the perfect time to get in on the ground floor for what is happening in Bangkok. "It's becoming the new Singapore. Travelers are already flocking to the region on unprecedented rates and the country is quickly catching up - the infrastructure getting built will handle massive volumes of passengers, cargo and other industry demands like MRO facilities. It's truly becoming Asia's hot spot for the aviation industry, yet there is still so much explore," shares Skaiste Knyzaite. Thai government is also taking significant steps to boost innovation. Most notably, Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) Development Plan under scheme of Thailand 4.0 aims to drive the country's innovation and advance technology. Its goal is to build a regional aerospace hub anchored by U-Tapao Airport that includes facilities for MRO, cargo logistics, manufacturing and aviation training. Currently Thailand's Ministry of Transport is collaborating with foreign partners including Airbus and, possibly, Air Asia to grow its aviation maintenance workforce and expand its MRO capabilities to cater to Asia's aircraft boom. "The conference will also focus on MRO industry in Asia and its role on a global scale. Experts will overview best practices in dealing with growing demand, efficiency reducing costs, implementing latest technology and more," ads AIR Convention organizer. The in-service fleets within Asia are expected to nearly triple from 6900 to 2000 aircraft in the next two decades. And considering the golden age for infrastructure and technology going on in Thailand, it's no wonder why industry leaders are looking to Bangkok. Its potential as Asia's aerospace hub is yet to be fully discovered, but events like AIR Convention aim to solidify Bangkok's role as the center of Asia's aviation. "AIR Convention back in September, 2018 held in Vilnius, Lithuania welcomed great success attracting over 700 attendees to network and share insights with companies like Emirates, United, Lufthansa, and Etihad Airways, Boeing, Airbus, Bombardier and more. The event in Bangkok is expected to double that number - currently we estimate that over 1500 industry leaders will be at AIR Convention Asia including Air Canada, Flydubai, NOK Air, Turkish Airlines, Etihad, Delta, United and hundreds more," says Ms. Knyzaite. The conference will explore Thailand's and Asia's growth, market trends, technology innovations and dealing with booming air travel capacity. The event takes place on May 1st - 3rd in Bangkok, Thailand. For more information visit: https://asia.airconvention.com/. https://www.aerotime.aero/airconvention/22431-air-convention-asia-brings-aviation-industry- giants-to-bangkok Back to Top Weststar Aviation tests HeliLink virtual technical support technology on Leonardo helicopters Leonardo announced a collaboration with Weststar Aviation Services Sdn Bhd of Malaysia at Heli- Expo 2019 as the launch customer of the HeliLink digital product support engineering assistant. The new service provides a remote video-call support for maintenance technicians with augmented reality, resulting in quick assistance for trouble shooting, improved helicopter fleet reliability and management. Weststar will benefit from this service through its AW Family fleet of AW169, AW139 and AW189 types. As part of the Service Excellence - Advanced Services macro work stream, HeliLink is provided by the product support engineering (PSE) team to remotely support the customer's operational teams, even in remote bases. HeliLink's unique customer interface offers service level assurances through specific performance guarantees in terms of response times and delivering timely solutions to technical queries and repair schemes, thus enhancing fleet management, safety and mission effectiveness. This project is a new milestone for the customer support and services in terms of customer proximity providing the Leonardo community the capability to have a virtual support engineering team always close to operations. Leonardo's collaboration with Weststar for its AW Family fleet allows it to enhance and maximize the tool's capability, leveraging real customer experience to meet requirements to carry out the mission in Weststar's demanding international operations. https://www.verticalmag.com/press-releases/weststar-aviation-services-tests-helilink-virtual- technical-support-technology-on-aw-helicopters/ Back to Top Boeing acquires aviation software company ForeFlight Boeing [NYSE: BA] acquired aviation software developer ForeFlight, the airplane manufacturer announced today. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. ForeFlight, founded in 2007, has worked with Boeing for the past two years, deliveringJeppesen's navigation and flight planning tools and charts via mobile app. The integrated teams will now expand digital offerings to all segments of the aviation industry. "We are excited to build on ForeFlight's tremendous success in personal, business and defense aviation so we can provide next-generation, integrated tools to our aviation customers today," said Ken Sain, Boeing Vice President of Digital Solutions and Analytics, in a statement. The purchase "also expands Boeing's rapidly growing, unparalleled digital services portfolio, which will enable us to compete and win in the $2.8 trillion, 10-year services market," Sain said. Aviation apps are gaining popularity among pilots, and the ForeFlight product has gained significant traction in business aviation. "We are inspired by the future built at Boeing and what our teams will be able to create by coming together," said Tyson Weihs, co-founder and CEO of ForeFlight. "Our companies share a passion for delivering customers the essential tools that drive efficiency, productivity and safety." The acquisition of ForeFlight, which employs 180 people, aligns with Boeing's growth strategy of complementing organic investments with targeted, strategic investments. In addition to digital, Boeing is moving aggressively into next generation urban and regional mobility and robotics. In January the airplane manufacturer completed a test flight of its autonomous air vehicle prototype in Manassas, Virginia developed by Boeing subsidiary Aurora Flight Sciences. https://www.freightwaves.com/news/technology/boeing-acquires-foreflight Back to Top McLaren Brings Formula 1 Technologies to Other Industries ? But Not Electric Yet The McLaren Group, a leading motor sports technology company, is bringing its innovations in racing to other industries such as healthcare and aviation, the company's top executive in North America told Cheddar. "We are really trying to find industries going through disruptive change," McLaren's Vice President Ben Priest told Betty Liu, executive vice chair for the New York Stock Exchange, in an interview Wednesday as part of an NYSE partnership with Cheddar. Priest was joined by Blake Irving, the former CEO of GoDaddy who now sits on McLaren's Business Advisory Group, which was founded in January 2018 and comprises of 12 prominent global business leaders. McLaren is best known as a leader in competitive Formula 1 racing. The company's racing team has won 20 World Championships and over 180 races since its formation in 1963. In recent years, McLaren has ushered in digital technologies and data collection practices to Formula 1. The company's technology business, McLaren Applied Technologies, is now working with governments and business leaders in various industries to integrate racing technology is other sectors. The technologies that McLaren hopes to introduce can be applied broadly and improve systems ranging from airport flight delays to prescription delivery services, according to Priest. The company is also working with the Singaporean government to improve the city-state's public transportation. "We are taking technologies derived from Formula 1, and then applying it other areas such as public transport, aviation, and motor sport as well," Priest said. Through a partnership with Deloitte, McLaren has also developed a predictive analytics software program from Formula 1 that manufacturing companies can use to create more efficient supply side operations. It is also working with GlaxoSmithKline to improve its supply chain. Priest said the company expects to announce more clients for that technology over the next 12 months. One area of innovation the company is not currently chasing is electric vehicle technology. "There's no denying that the electrification of cars is going to play a big part in the future of the automotive industry," Priest said. "For us, we're not going there now." "We're obviously very involved in battery technology. We provide all of the batteries to the racing series Formula E through our McLaren Applied Technologies business," he added. "But as far as that's going to impact our road cars, it's a 'not now' thing. Maybe in the future." https://cheddar.com/media/mclaren-brings-formula-1-technologies-to-other-industries-but-not- electric-yet Back to Top Kaman developing next-generation of K-MAX unmanned aircraft system Today the Kaman Aerospace Group, a division of the Kaman Corporation, announced at the HAI Heli-Expo in Atlanta that they are developing completely new hardware and software systems that control the unmanned K-MAX helicopter. When the company first built the system 20 years ago they used off the shelf equipment, but since then the technology has leapt far beyond what was available in the 1990s. The redesigned kit will completely replace what was used when K-MAXs delivered thousands of loads of supplies and equipment to soldiers in Afghanistan between 2011 and 2014, carrying more than 1.5 million pounds of cargo, sometimes through areas that would be considered unacceptably risky for human pilots. Typically operating at night, these unmanned missions replaced the equivalent of 900 convoy vehicles and eliminated 46,000 hours of exposure time to IED's, direct fire, and other threats to our troops on dangerous roads. In 2015 a remotely-piloted K-MAX demonstrated for wildland fire officialshow an optionally piloted helicopter could drop water on a simulated fire and haul cargo in an external load. The system being developed will have the capability to fly either manned or unmanned missions. Kaman expects to offer the redesigned kits for old and new K-MAXs in 2020. In 2016 Kaman restarted production of the K-MAX after a 13-year hiatus. "Whether the need is night-time aerial firefighting, resupplying troops in austere environments or delivering critical supplies in support of humanitarian missions, the next generation of the unmanned K-MAX will continue to demonstrate its unmatched readiness and efficiency no matter the requirement," stated Roger Wassmuth, Senior Director Business Development, Air Vehicles & MRO Division. https://fireaviation.com/2019/03/05/kaman-developing-next-generation-of-k-max-unmanned- aircraft-system/ Back to Top With Split Power Engine Technology in Hand, Corporation of Flight Inc. Enters Vertical Flight Military Market ATLANTA, March 6, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Corporation of Flight, Inc. (corporationofflight.com) Are the days of long rotor helicopters and runway dependent airplanes numbered? With Corporation of Flight's newly released Split Power Engine™, vertically lifting heavy loads in a new generation of civilian, recreational, passenger, business, first responder, government, and military aircraft is now a reality. The biggest runway aircraft tops out at around 1.4 million pounds and 232,000 pounds for helicopters. The Split Power Engine, in sight of aircraft footprint, has no practical weight lifting limits. This lift capacity is due to the unique splitting of rotational torque and rotational speed combined with ideal, physics and geometry. With its 50% fuel efficiency design, this combustion engine tech means that passenger aircraft can now be spaces of comfort and entertainment, and heavier loads can be delivered to any location. It also means that the Office of the U.S. President and the U.S. Military becomes, more effective and efficient. Air Force One, which carries the President of the United States is currently a $350 million passenger aircraft with an as modified $2 billion price tag to be delivered in 2024. "With that type of money and delivery time, and with the revelation of the Split Power Engine, we should now expect more out of an Air Force One presidential aircraft," says Cambridge Yeno, Corporation of Flight's marketing director. "They call parts of it the White House, so let's make it so." While Air Force One's current floor space is 4,000 square feet, Air Force Vertical One can be designed having 20,000 square feet, yet the marvelous thing is that its footprint is 50% smaller. Right now Air Force One, as published, has passive defenses such as laser scrambling mirror tech, anti-electromagnetic pulse tech, and diversion flares. Air Force Vertical One will have active defenses to where it can be on the run (or not) while actively engaging threats. "The reality is that the Office of the President is not only an executive position but a commander in chief position of the military as well." Additional bonuses are also self-evident, vertically take off and land anywhere, more staff and supplies, and ability to carry the presidential limo which can also be a flying car thanks to this technology. "Presidential logistics has high costs, high risks, and large time inefficiencies and this technology can reduce them while reducing financial costs. Some simple math shows that the operational savings possibly equates to the President getting a free vertical aircraft." For military applications, the Split Power Engine has the upper hand on any other vertical lift aircraft type from the helicopter and tiltrotor airplane on to vertical lift combat aircrafts due to the Split Power Engine's ability to provide dragonfly-hummingbird style maneuverability, longer fuel range, reduced radar-sound-and heat signature, shielded fan blades, high altitude ability, variable fuel use, lower maintenance and operating costs, greater lift capacity for payload and more soldiers, and again, its 50% fuel efficiency engine design. "A military aircraft must have all of these features in order to have the greatest effectiveness against threats." The U.S. Army has recently implemented an up to $100 billion, 4,000+ aircraft, Future Vertical Lift program for original, next- generation vertical takeoff aircraft. To date the only options submitted have been a smaller tiltrotor airplane in which the blades pivot up for vertical flight and forward for horizontal flight and a counter-rotating dual blade helicopter in which the tail rotor is rear facing for greater speed. With minimum required program specifications of, 12 troops, 260 miles per hour speed, 527 miles distance, 6,000 feet altitude, 95 degree Fahrenheit heat operability, tech swapping, 40 x 40 feet max footprint and ability to be autonomous or manned, the Split Power Engine along with the 7 laws of vertical lift can exceed these requirements more than any of these legacy technology platform submissions. More information at www.splitpowerengine.com. About Company: Corporation of Flight, Inc. is primarily an intellectual property development and licensing corporation focused on 1 person to 100+ passenger Vertical Takeoff and Landing aircraft, for arrivals and departures in any location. https://www.aviationpros.com/engines-components/aircraft-airframe- accessories/news/21071106/with-split-power-engine-technology-in-hand-corporation-of-flight-inc- enters-vertical-flight-military-market Back to Top Estonia's Magnetic MRO acquires Dutch Direct Maintenance company Magnetic MRO, the Estonia-based and China-owned provider of aircraft technical care, has completed the acquisition of Direct Maintenance, an Amsterdam-based independent MRO provider that specialises in line maintenance for narrow- and wide-body aircraft. The deal brings the Airbus A380 and Boeing 787 types to Magnetic MRO group's existing capabilities, and doubles its global line stations network whilst also allowing the Dutch company to retain its Direct Maintenance branding. Signed in February 2019, but announced only now, the deal covers the transfer of 100 per cent of Direct Maintenance's shares from its previous owner Ireland-based Direct Aviation Group, to Magnetic MRO. With a team of 140 employees, the Dutch MRO provides a range of line maintenance services for narrow- and wide-body aircraft, including Airbus A340, A380 and A350, as well as Boeing 747, 777 and 787 types. The company also supports Embraer 170/190 and MD-11 aircraft types. Direct Maintenance's network includes eight countries and 11 line stations serving national flag carriers and major leisure airlines from Europe, Middle East, USA, Asia and Africa. "This acquisition is a part of our strategic development plan. It will allow us to further expand our total technical care programme, as well as synergise Magnetic MRO's and Direct Maintenance's efforts in customer support, business development and other areas," enthuses Risto Mäeots, chief executive of Magnetic MRO. Last month Estonian company has raised €8 million through a placement of bonds, which it said then to use to acquire an unnamed competitor. Magnetic MRO (formerly Air Maintenance Estonia) was acquired by China's Guangzhou Hangxin Aviation Technology in early 2018. http://www.rusaviainsider.com/estonia-magnetic-mro-acquires-dutch-direct-maintenance/ Back to Top Flightdocs Operations Product Offers End-to-End Management for Helicopter Operators ATLANTA, GA, March 4, 2019 -Flightdocs (Booth #B3228), the leading provider of aviation software solutions, announces their new platform, Flightdocs Operations™. 100% cloud based, Flightdocs Operations™ utilizes the latest in web and mobile technology to deliver a modern, intuitive and powerful platform to manage every aspect of a helicopter flight operation. Since the release of Flightdocs HMX geared towards maintenance and inventory management in 2017, Flightdocs has seen over 200% growth in the rotor segment of the market. The HMX platform has given operators the technology they need to go completely paperless, and has drastically improved performance, accuracy and timeliness of information. "We're using technology to solve real business problems in helicopter flight departments of all shapes and sizes-limited operational visibility, broken communication, and disjointed data flows to name a few," explains Flightdocs President Greg Heine. "There was a serious need in the market for a modern flight operations platform that was fully integrated with maintenance and supply chain. We're extremely excited about the launch of Flightdocs Operations™because it fills that void, and provides one platform to literally do it all, from end to end." The core of the Flightdocs Operations™ platform is focused on the key functions of flight scheduling, crew and passenger management, trip planning, expenses and much more. Fully compliant with FAA AC 120-78A and international equivalents, Flightdocs allows users to eliminate paper completely, from both their operations and maintenance departments. In addition to the web-based version, Operations™ delivers native mobile applications for iPad and iPhone into the hands of the crew, which function both while connected and offline. "Mobile was a critical component for us." Said Kent Pickard, VP of Product Development. "We've created a truly unique mobile experience for pilots. Instant crew briefings, up-to-date maintenance information, fully customizable flight logs and real-time communication with home base." The platform also features a secure, encrypted messaging platform called FD Connect™ which allows crew, maintenance and scheduling to communicate in real time via web or mobile device. With in-app notifications, trip "watching" capabilities, and real-time status updates, the number of emails, text messages and phone calls around a trip are expected to go down drastically. In addition, the flow of maintenance and operational data inside of one platform will eliminate duplication of work, data errors, and lag time for critical information. Attendees at HELI-EXPO 2019 will have the opportunity to demo the new Operations solution at Booth #B3228 and enter to win a Bose Headphones, GoProHero7 or Pelican Backpack. About Flightdocs Flightdocs is a strategic partner with Boeing Global Services (BGS), and provides the aviation industry with mission-critical, cloud-based fixed-wing and rotorcraft maintenance tracking, compliance, inventory and flight operations management Software as a Service (SaaS) solutions. The company's solutions help aircraft and rotorcraft owners and operators track and manage the maintenance and airworthiness, comply with rigorous safety rules and regulatory guidelines, reduce costs, mitigate risks, and minimize asset downtime. Flightdocs customers include Fortune 1,000 corporate flight departments, air charters, air medical providers, fractional aircraft operators, government agencies, and regional carriers. Headquartered in Bonita Springs, Florida, Flightdocs has been serving and modernizing the aviation industry since 2003. https://www.aviationpros.com/tools-equipment/maintenance-it/hardware/press- release/21070895/flightdocs-flightdocs-operations-product-offers-endtoend-management-for- helicopter-operators Back to Top FAA Evaluates Universal's Heli-ClearVision EFVS Universal Avionics is continuing its research partnership with the FAA to further develop and mature new regulations to support the use of enhanced flight vision systems/enhanced helicopter vision systems (EFVS/EHVS) for rotorcraft. The FAA is also evaluating the use of the company's Heli- ClearVision as a representative EHVS to improve helicopter safety and provide operational benefit in day, night, and low-visibility conditions. The Heli-ClearVision lineup includes the SkyLens head-wearable display (HWD) and the SkyVis helmet-mounted display (HMD), which are capable of displaying primary flight display flight symbology, conformal information, synthetic vision system (SVS), enhanced vision system (EVS) with an EVS-4000 multispectral camera, and combined vision system (CVS). "I have flown with an HMD for the majority of my flight career," explained Tal Golan, rotorcraft business development manager with Universal Avionics. "During that time," he added, "I personally experienced many occasions where such a system kept me out of trouble at either dark night, poor visibility, or just harsh flight conditions all around." Universal Avionics hardware was fully integrated into the FAA's Sikorsky S-76 flying testbed helicopter at the FAA William J. Hughes Technical Center at Atlantic City International Airport in New Jersey. Once the integration was completed, training and familiarization flights were conducted with FAA test pilots, followed by the start of data collection flights for the FAA's planned research and development. Golan continued, "I know firsthand that a system, such as Heli-ClearVision, will not only be an overall safety multiplier, but will also greatly assist any helicopter flying at night, in IMC, and during any other challenging conditions to safely complete the mission. Even more so, to those who fly special missions such as SAR, EMS, law enforcement and firefighting. The program we have with the FAA shows our dedication in shaping safer, better, and more efficient helicopter operations." The next phase of testing is planned for early this year and includes additional day, night, and twilight flights with the SkyLens HWD and SkyVis HMD. Later this year, experimental trials are scheduled to include the SkyVis night-vision goggle HMD. "This research allows us to jointly investigate EHVS technology through both head-worn and helmet-mounted displays coupled with CVS sensors," said Cliff Johnson, FAA research program manager for helicopter safety. "The research directly supports the FAA's ongoing aviation safety initiatives to develop criteria for helicopter operations in low visibility environments," he added. The program comes as the U.S. Helicopter Safety Team (USHST) is recommending the use of EHVS technologies, including EVS, night-vision goggles, SVS, and CVS. This recommendation came after USHST in 2017 completed its analysis of the root causes of fatal helicopter accidents and had developed 22 measurable safety enhancements aimed at reducing fatalities. Four of the USHST's safety enhancements relate to flight in IMC (instrument meteorological conditions) and degraded visibility. At Heli-Expo 2019, Universal Avionics (an Elbit Systems company) is showing a three- display EFI-890H advanced flight display system simulated in a Sikorsky S-76 flight deck (Booth C4028). Visitors can run-through the equipment functionality for the basic system and pilot controls/selections. In a separate display, an EFI-890H is set-up with new software, allowing for demonstration of new hover steering displays using GPS velocities and a new transition-to-hover function. https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/business-aviation/2019-03-05/faa-evaluates-universals- heli-clearvision-efvs Back to Top SoftBank Hopes Its Solar Internet Drone Will Soar Where Facebook's and Google's Sank A secretive joint venture between SoftBank and U.S. aerospace company AeroVironment is poised to launch an experimental solar-powered drone to deliver connectivity for 5G and the Internet of Things. The Hawk 30 will have a curved "flying wing" design similar to a series of high-altitude solar drones that AeroVironment made for NASA twenty years ago. Filings with the Federal Aviation Administration and the Securities and Exchange Commission suggest the new Hawk will have 10 electric engines and an operational altitude of over 20 kilometers. According to a Space Act Agreement [PDF] signed with NASA in November, the prototype drone could take to the air for the first time at NASA's Armstrong Flight Research Center in California as soon as this week. The initial agreement with NASA covers a series of flight tests over the next three months, up to an altitude of 3 kilometers. AeroVironment did not immediately reply to requests for comment. AeroVironment is no stranger to high altitude, lightweight aircraft. Beginning in 1997, the company built three solar- and fuel cell-powered drones under NASA's Environmental Research Aircraft and Sensor Technology program. Its final drone for NASA was the Helios Prototype, an elegant flying wing wider than a 747 but weighing less than just one of the jumbo jet's 18 landing wheels, thanks to its composite material construction. The Helios still holds the altitude record for horizontal flight by a winged aircraft, reaching nearly 30 kilometers back in 2001. However, the Helios brought NASA's solar drone research to a sudden end in 2003, when it broke up in high winds during a test flight in Hawaii. A 2004 report into that crash [PDF] concluded that "this class of vehicle is orders of magnitude more complex than it appears but that the AeroVironment/NASA technical team had identified and solved the toughest technical problems... An adequate knowledge base now exists to design, develop, and deploy operational high altitude, long endurance (HALE) systems." AeroVironment built yet another prototype HALE drone, called Global Observer, for the Pentagon in 2010, to carry communications and surveillance payloads. That program also ended in a crash, the following year. These problems with HALE aircraft did not dissuade Facebook and Google from attempting to develop their own high altitude, solar-powered drones. Both were seeking new ways to bring Internet access to remote communities in under-developed countries around the world. Google bought a company called Titan Aerospace in 2014, and carried out numerous tests of a 5G system called SkyBender at Spaceport America in 2016. Its parent company, Alphabet, eventually grounded the drones in 2017 to focus on Loon, which is now an Alphabet subsidiary delivering commercial Internet service from high-altitude balloons. Facebook also wanted to test its enormous, stratospheric Aquila drones at the Spaceport, but shelved its planslast year after fragile prototypes were damaged on landing. Now AeroVironment is ready to try once more. In January 2018, Japanese technology conglomerate SoftBank and AeroVironment formed a joint venture called HAPSMobile to develop a solar-powered HALE drone for commercial operations. HAPS is an acronym standing for high altitude, pseudo- satellite. "For many years, we have fully understood the incredible value HALE unmanned aircraft platforms could deliver to countless organizations and millions of people around the world through remote sensing and last mile, next generation IoT connectivity," said Wahid Nawabi, CEO of AeroVironment, at the time. Since then, HAPSMobile has largely operated in stealth mode, with no public presence and a website that simply says "Coming Soon." However, SEC filingsshow the new company has a budget of US $76.5 million to design, build, and test the Hawk 30, including high altitude and long duration flights. A presentation for AeroVironment investors [PDF] last June provided images and more details of the drone. A graphic shows the Hawk circling over a wide area at an altitude of 20 kilometers, with a single aircraft providing coverage equivalent to 1,800 traditional cell towers. The Hawk can be controlled manually, or can autonomously navigate a pre-planned route. Of course, the aircraft is only one component of any future stratospheric Internet system. Google and Facebook had experimented with millimeter-wave and laser connectivity for their drones, and AeroVironment has made several experimental filings for tests in millimeter wave and other radio bands with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in connection with the Hawk 30. Although none detail the Hawk's intended communications payload, those filings do confirm that AeroVironment will be testing the drone in California, near the Armstrong Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base, and also on the small island of Lanai in Hawaii. "The tests will address integrating the transceivers at different altitudes in the solar environment," reads one filing [PDF]. AeroVironment is paying NASA nearly $800,000 to supervise and provide ground support for the upcoming low altitude tests, which are scheduled to continue until the end of June. If those are successful, the company will go higher in its next round. "The project envisions testing in varied environments, including significantly higher altitudes. AeroVironment will return to the Commission to seek the necessary authorizations relating to higher altitudes," the company told the FCC. Despite Google and Facebook withdrawing from the Internet drone race, the Hawk 30 still faces some serious rivals. Boeing subsidiary Aurora Flight Sciences has an extremely similar looking aircraft called Odysseus, while Airbus is building its own HALE Internet drone, Zephyr. Only time will tell whether any of them can overcome the curse of previous HALE aircraft, and establish a permanent Internet presence in the stratosphere. https://spectrum.ieee.org/tech-talk/telecom/internet/softbank-hopes-its-solar-internet-drone-will- soar-where-facebooks-and-googles-sank Back to Top China Hints At Surprise Space Station Launch, Says Its New Rocket Can Challenge SpaceX China has hinted that its new space station could launch into orbit later this year, sooner than previously thought, on a commercial-grade rocket that is designed to be more affordable than private rocket launch companies such as SpaceX. Xinhua News Agency, the official state-run press agency of the People's Republic of China, reported on Monday that the China Manned Space Engineering Office (CMSEO) will send the core module of the now-in-development Chinese Space Station (CSS) to the launch site at Wenchang Space Launch Center in the second half of this year to prepare for the space station missions. The CSS had been expected to launch during 2020. The China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology (CALVT), confirmed Tuesday that it would test the new Long March-5B heavy-lift rocket in the first half of 2019, making the launch of the CSS later in 2019 much more likely. China's current space station, Tiangong-2 space lab, was launched in 2016 and is due to be de-orbited in the second half of 2019. However, the CSS is designed to last for at least a decade. What is Long March-5B and why is it so significant? Long March-5B is a variant of the Long March 5 (which failed in July 2017), China's most powerful yet, and part of its new 'Dragon Series' of rockets. According to CALVT, it will now take its first maiden flight in the first half of 2019, which makes it highly possible that it's second or third launch later in 2019 could modules of the CSS into orbit, which would be earlier than expected. Named Smart Dragon-1 (SD-1), it's designed specifically for launching the four crewed spaceflights to enable astronauts to build the CSS. However, China wants in on the lucrative commercial rocket launch business and intends to make the Long March-5B rocket available to private companies to launch single or multiple satellites. Not surprisingly, CALVT claims that the yet-to-be-tested rocket will make it cheaper for companies to send payloads into orbit compared to similar rockets in the international market, such as SpaceX. CALVT also claims that each rocket takes just six months to produce and only 24 hours to prepare for a launch. How big will the CSS be? Though smaller than the International Space Station, CSS will have a main cabin called Tianhe-1 (Milky Way), which was shown off last year, and two laboratory modules. While six and occasionally seven astronauts can live on the ISS, only three will be able to stay simultaneously on the CSS. China intends to finish building the CSS by 2022. Will the CSS be for Chinese astronauts only? No. Last year the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) and China's Manned Space Agency (CMSA) invited applications from any country to conduct experiments on-board the CSS from 2022 onwards. "China is committed to making the country's space station an international platform for scientific and technological cooperation, according to the CMSEO," reports the Xinhua News Agency. Meanwhile, for the initial missions, astronauts are currently being recruited and trained, with drills and tests scheduled for the second half of 2019. https://www.forbes.com/sites/jamiecartereurope/2019/03/05/china-hints-at-surprise-space- station-launch-says-its-new-rocket-can-challenge-spacex/#640d83293e80 Curt Lewis