November 16, 2022 - No. 042 In This Issue : The latest F-15EX Eagle II fighter passed acoustic test for the first time in the history of the F-15 series : FAA Issues ‘Concern Sheet’ On Continental IO-500-Series Engines : CALIBRATE: UNITED AIRLINES LAUNCHES AIRCRAFT TECHNICIAN APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAM : Canopy Aerospace to supply thermal protection for spacecraft and hypersonics : Air Force investigating damaged B-52 bomber after midair bird strike : $500 Million To Rebuild An-225 : How GE Aviation is creating a road map for the future of flight : Air Force Research Lab awards $76 million for lunar experimentation : Viasat receives $50 million Air Force contract to develop space technology The latest F-15EX Eagle II fighter passed acoustic test for the first time in the history of the F-15 series Here's What We Know The U.S. Department of Defense has never conducted acoustic tests of the fourth-generation F-15 Eagle fighter jet, even though the plane first took to the skies 50 years ago. But it's time to change that. The United States Air Force has announced the completion of a series of ground and flight acoustic tests involving the latest F-15EX Eagle II fighter jet. The aircraft flew more than 70 flights in various configurations at various altitudes. The purpose of the test was to collect data to update predictions of the level of noise produced by the fourth-generation fighter, which will be one of the carriers of hypersonic weapons. To accomplish the task, Blue Ridge Research and Consulting installed more than 100 microphones in strategic locations on the aircraft and placed another 45 microphones at the test site. The F-15EX Eagle II is the latest version of the F-15 Eagle fighter jet. It was introduced in 2018 and made its first flight in 2021. The aircraft first launched an air-to-air missile in February 2022. The Eagle II will replace the F-15C/D Eagle and will be one of the carriers of hypersonic missiles. Source: Eglin Air Force Base https://gagadget.com/en/186621-the-latest-f-15ex-eagle-ii-fighter-passed-acoustic-test-for-the-first-time-in-the-history-of-the-f-15-series/ FAA Issues ‘Concern Sheet’ On Continental IO-500-Series Engines By Mark Phelps - Published: November 1, 2022 The FAA has issued an Airworthiness Concern Sheet (ACS) following up on a 2020 Airworthiness Directive (AD 2020-16-11) on Continental IO-500-series engines. The Oct. 25 ACS seeks input from operators on their experience with the effectiveness of compliance with the AD. According to the ACS, “AD 2020-26-16 was issued as a terminating action; however, the FAA has received multiple reports from the field of cracked cylinders despite prior compliance with AD 2020-16-11. The FAA is concerned that the corrective action contained within AD 2020-16-11 is not sufficiently resolving the issue, so the FAA needs additional input from the field in order to better understand whether any additional actions are necessary at this time.” The FAA asked, “Do you have (or did you have) a Continental GTSIO-520-C, D, H, K, L, M, N; IO-550-G, N, P, R; IOF550-N, P, R; TSIO-520-BE; TSIO-550-A, B, C, E, G, K, N and TSIOF-550-D, J, K, P engine with an affected cylinder(s) (whether the cylinder(s) is AD 2020-16-11 compliant or not)?” The agency then asked affected operators to report their aircraft type, engine model and the cylinder serial numbers “for each affected cylinder.” Operators are asked to respond within 30 days. https://www.avweb.com/aviation-news/faa-issues-concern-sheet-on-continental-io-500-series-engines/ CALIBRATE: UNITED AIRLINES LAUNCHES AIRCRAFT TECHNICIAN APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAM MATTHEW KLINT POSTED ON NOVEMBER 2, 2022 8 COMMENTS First, there was Aviate. Now, there is Calibrate. As United Airlines seeks to shore up its next generation of aircraft technicians, it is investing in a new “earn and learn” program called Calibrate to both grow and diversify its cadre of Aircraft Maintenance Technicians (AMTs). United Airlines Launches Calibrate, A New Apprenticeship Program To Train Future Aircraft Technician United wisely sees two problems on the horizon. First, thousands of its highly-trained aircraft technicians are approaching retirement age (or are there already) and therefore the attrition rate will grow in the years ahead. Second, United has ordered hundreds of new aircraft which will be additive to the fleet. Those new aircraft will require more technicians to service them. To address these issues, United is launching an in-house apprenticeship program called Calibrate that will, very simply, train future AMTs. The inaugural class starts next week in Houston and by 2026 United hopes to train over 1,000 people at more than 10 locations. While the Aviate Academy teaches future United pilots how to fly, Calibrate will offer immediate wages and benefits to attendees since they can do effective work immediately under the direction of their supervisors. The 36-month program will entail hands-on and classroom instruction with the end goal of certification via an A&P Certificate (A stands for Airframe and P stands for Powerplant), eliminating the need to attend a technical school (where tuition can run as much as $50,000). External applications will be accepted starting in early 2023. This is a win-win for United and its union partners. The union loves that union workers will train future union workers and future hires will enjoy union protection from the start and the benefits it brings. United loves that this program will be a tool as part of United’s toolkit to recruit a steady stream of technicians, vital for the sustainment of its fleet and future fleet. In addition to wages, program participants will receive healthcare and travel benefits, accrue vacation time, and enjoy other benefits United employees also enjoy. United will continue to recruit technicians from the military and from trade schools; Calibrate represents another channel of recruitment. The Diversity Angle Of Calibrate Perhaps the only controversial aspect of this program is its emphasis on diversity. As the Supreme Court weighs whether to strike down affirmative action when it comes to college admissions, United is unabashedly placing diversity at the core of its Calibrate program. One goal of the program is that at least half the enrollees be women or people of color. During a call about this new initiative, United’s Executive Vice President of Human Resources and Labor Relations, Kate Gebo, shared that less than 3% of licensed technicians at United are women, something that United hopes to change through Calibrate. This initiative falls in line with President Biden’s White House Infrastructure Pipeline Challenge, which encourages employers to create “pathways to quality jobs for women, people of color, and underserved workers.” In fact, Gebo will appear with President Biden at the White House later today to unveil this new initiative. CONCLUSION United Airlines is investing in a new initiative called Calibrate that it hopes will train a new generation of AMTs for work at United. As United faces a maturing workforce and hundreds of aircraft deliveries in the years to come, it is laying the foundation now to stay ahead of the labor curve. United currently has 9,000 technicians and plans to hire 7,000 more over the next decade. https://liveandletsfly.com/united-airlines-calibrate/ Canopy Aerospace to supply thermal protection for spacecraft and hypersonics by Debra Werner — November 8, 2022 Canopy Aerospace was founded in 2021 by Matt Shieh (right), a former U.S. Air Force officer with a master’s in business administration, and John Howard, an entrepreneur with a PhD in materials science. Credit: Canopy Aerospace SAN FRANCISCO – Canopy Aerospace, a startup participating in the TechStars Aerospace and Defense Accelerator, plans to set up a pilot factory in Denver to produce thermal protection systems (TPS) for rockets, spacecraft, reentry capsules and hypersonic vehicles. The company, founded in 2021 by Matt Shieh, a former U.S. Air Force officer with a master’s in business administration, and John Howard, an entrepreneur with a PhD in materials science, is developing a manufacturing process that relies on software, automation and 3D printing to supply heat shields for the commercial space and hypersonic industries. Through FedTech, a Washington-based technology transfer accelerator, the Catalyst co-founders learned about TPS technology developed at the NASA Ames Research Center and discovered problems with the commercial TPS supply chain. Companies often spend years designing and manufacturing heat shields for space and hypersonic vehicles. Canopy plans to compress the design and manufacturing process into months, Shieh told SpaceNews. Through a Space Act Agreement with NASA, signed in March, Canopy gained access to NASA TPS material processing, vehicle modeling and simulation, design, entry systems analysis and testing facilities. “We are transitioning legacy materials out of NASA that have been flight proven,” Shieh said. “We’re going to be to build out this capability over the next decade to support many different vehicles and systems.” Currently, Canopy is expanding its staff, selecting a manufacturing site and forging agreements with potential partners and customers. “Our solutions provide end-to-end turnkey solutions from design to maintenance, repair and overhaul,” Shieh said. A company developing a space capsule, for example, could hire Canopy to assist in thermal modeling: determining how much TPS material is needed, how thick it should be and the cost. Canopy then manufacturers the TPS. Canopy also intends to take over TPS installation for companies that have performed their own aerothermal design and want help manufacturing and installing thermal protection systems. “Think of it like Rolls Royce selling and maintaining engines for Boeing and other companies,” Shieh said. “It makes sense for the space industry to follow more of a path that the aerospace industry has followed it.” Over the long term, Canopy plans to apply the manufacturing processes the company is developing to “other dated manufacturing models in ceramics components,” Shieh said. “Industries such as automobiles, medical components and industrial manufacturing use manufacturing processes that are costly and have long lead times. We are evaluating using additive manufacturing and better design processes for applications in these areas.” https://spacenews.com/introducing-canopy-aerospace/ Air Force investigating damaged B-52 bomber after midair bird strike By Rachel S. Cohen Nov 9, 02:27 PM A B-52H Stratofortress takes off from Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota, during exercise Prairie Vigilance Sept. 22. Prairie Vigilance tests the 5th Bomb Wing’s ability to conduct strategic bomber readiness operations. (Senior Airman China Shock/Air Force) An Air Force B-52H Stratofortress bomber was recently damaged in a skirmish along the northern U.S. border with foes a fraction of its size: birds. Air Force spokesperson Justin Oakes said Tuesday that a B-52H at Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota, hit a flock of birds in midair Nov. 3, prompting an investigation into how badly the plane — including its eight jet engines — was affected. No one was hurt in the incident, which appears to have been captured on video and posted to social media the same day. “I cannot confirm the relationship or origin of this video,” Oakes said. “There was a similar instance at Minot.” In the post uploaded by Facebook user Andrew Tancabel, a wide-winged aircraft plowed through a line of birds, which Tancabel believed were Canada geese. Moments later, dark smoke appears to billow from the jet’s four pairs of engines as it flies away from the camera. Oakes declined to answer how the crew onboard the aircraft reacted to the dicey situation. “That bird strike is currently undergoing the normal safety investigation process to determine what type of bird, evaluate the damage caused to the aircraft, and see if there is anything that can be learned to prevent future mishaps of this nature,” he said. Bird strikes are an occupational hazard for the airmen who share their skies; about 100 such mishaps are documented each year, according to the Air Force Safety Center. The collisions can be severe but are rarely fatal to airmen. Minot’s 5th Bomb Wing flies the long-range, nuclear-capable bomber on conventional combat and nuclear deterrence missions around the world. The Air Force has owned its fleet of nearly 80 Stratofortresses since 1962. https://www.airforcetimes.com/news/your-air-force/2022/11/09/air-force-investigating-damaged-b-52-bomber-after-midair-bird-strike/ $500 Million To Rebuild An-225 By Russ Niles - Published: November 9, 2022 Updated: November 10, 2022 Ukraine aircraft manufacturer Antonov says it will likely cost about $500 million to return the An-225 to the skies. The only flying version of the cargo plane was destroyed during fighting in the early days of the Russian invasion. The plane was in an open-ended hangar at Hostomel Airport near Kyiv last February when Russian paratroopers overran the airport to establish a base for taking Kyiv. The enormous aircraft, the biggest in the world, posed no threat to the invaders and had little strategic value but it was set on fire during fighting for the airport. Most of the damage was to the front fuselage and wings. The fuselage was all but severed by the fire and most of the engines were wrecked. The destruction of the aircraft, named Mryia, or Dream, became a rallying point for the Ukrainian resistance. Russia never was able to use the airport to stage an assault on the city, and the An-225 has lain in ruins since. There is a second partially built An-225 and it’s not clear whether Antonov would use that airframe for the new aircraft or salvage what it can from the wreck of the other one and rebuild it. It also hasn’t said how it intends to raise the money for the project. https://www.avweb.com/aviation-news/500-million-to-rebuild-an-225/ How GE Aviation is creating a road map for the future of flight Over the last year, GE Aviation has outlined what is one of the company’s most extensive technology development roadmaps in its more than 100-year history. Multiple ground and flight tests planned this decade will seek new, breakthrough technologies for use in next-generation commercial aircraft engines that could enter service beginning in the mid-2030s. Advanced engine architectures such as open fan, hybrid electric propulsion systems, and new compact engine core designs — just some of the technologies that will be demonstrated on test stands over the coming years — will all be key programs to watch in 2022 and beyond. In addition to maturing these technologies for flight readiness and new products, GE also supports efforts to increase use and availability of alternative fuels, such as sustainable aviation fuel and hydrogen. Revolutionary technologies and alternative fuels both have critical roles to play in meeting the aviation industry’s long-term climate goal of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 for commercial flight. Here are GE’s top innovations and industry-leading efforts to watch in the march toward net-zero: Open fan and the CFM RISE Program If you ask GE’s chief engineer Chris Lorence, the time for open fan is now. Why? Since GE first flew an unducted fan in the 1980s, the open fan engine design has been made simpler and lighter with new approaches such as single-stage rotating carbon fiber composite fan blades and stationary outlet guide vanes. The open fan design is one of the advanced engine architectures CFM International, a 50-50 joint company between GE and Safran Aircraft Engines, is exploring through the CFM RISE Program. The parent companies came together in June 2021 to launch the RISE Program with a target of more than 20 percent better fuel consumption and lower CO2 emissions compared to today’s most efficient engines. Technologies matured as part of the RISE Program will serve as the foundation for the next-generation CFM engine that could be available by the mid-2030s. Central to the program is state-of-the-art propulsive efficiency. Hybrid electric — it’s in GE’s DNA Even before NASA announced in September 2021 the selection of GE for its Electrified Powertrain Flight Demonstration (EPFD) program, GE had been advancing electrification of aircraft and engine systems for more than a decade. During that time, GE engineers matured individual components of a hybrid electric system, including motors, generators and power converters. Now, the jet engine maker and aircraft systems company will take what it’s learned in laboratories about making an integrated electric machine and ready it for ground and flight tests planned for the mid-2020s. Through the total $260 million program with NASA, GE will mature a megawatt class hybrid electric powertrain to demonstrate flight readiness for single-aisle aircraft using a modified Saab 340B testbed and GE’s CT7-9B turboprop engines. GE is partnering with Boeing, which will support the program’s flight tests and has selected BAE Systems to design, test and supply energy management components. Electrification efforts draw on capability from across GE’s Aviation, Power and Research organizations. GE’s co-founder Thomas Edison created the first electrical grid in 1882 and today, GE’s power equipment generates one-third of the world’s electricity. Smaller core, greater efficiency One of the enabling technologies being studied in CFM’s RISE Program is a compact engine core. In another multimillion-dollar program with NASA announced in late 2021, GE was awarded contracts to test and mature new jet engine core designs, including compressor, combustor and high-pressure turbine technologies to improve thermal efficiency. Continued development of ceramic matrix composites, an advanced, heat-resistant material, is also a key part of the effort to improve fuel efficiency and thereby reduce emissions. GE expects this effort to lead to a ground test later this decade. Powering another first for sustainable aviation fuel On Dec. 1, United Airlines operated the first passenger flight using 100 percent SAF in one of the two CFM LEAP-1B engines. But the more than 100 people on board from Chicago to Washington, D.C., weren’t the only unique thing about the flight. As Gurhan Andac, GE’s engineering leader for fuels explained, the historic flight was also important for efforts to increase SAF above the current blending limit of 50 percent. Currently, SAF approved for use is a blend of petroleum-based Jet A or Jet A-1 fuel and a SAF component with a maximum blend limit of 50 percent. Andac chairs an international task force to develop standardized industry specifications supporting adoption of 100 percent drop-in SAF, which does not require blending with conventional jet fuel. “There have been other 100 percent SAF flights in the past, including with GE and CFM engines, but in this flight, we were able to blend two different SAF types together to get to a drop-in fuel that is fleetwide and infrastructure compatible at 100 percent,” Andac said. “What we learned from this flight is that we can actually blend two distinct SAF types together to get to a fully drop-in sustainable synthetic Jet A as a replacement for conventional Jet A.” Drop-in means that no engine or infrastructure changes are needed to use the fuel, and the drop-in SAF can be used in aviation equipment today. GE already has plans for more test flights with 100 percent SAF in 2022 and beyond, including programs announced at the most recent Dubai Airshow with Emirates and Etihad Airways. Most recently in 2022, GE completed successful ground testing of its Passport long-range business aviation engine using 100 percent SAF. The Passport engine can operate on approved SAF today, and the recent testing shows the capability of the engine to run on 100 percent SAF. In fact, today and in the future, all GE and CFM International engines can operate with approved SAF, which is produced from alternative feedstocks and processes, lowering lifecycle carbon emissions compared to petroleum-based fuels. Pioneering hydrogen combustion The announcement made in February 2022 that CFM and Airbus are collaborating on a hydrogen demonstration program will be informed in part by GE’s experience with hydrogen fuels in land-based gas power turbines. GE has more than eight million operating hours of experience with hydrogen fuel blends, including with aeroderivative engines. With plans to flight test a hydrogen combustion engine around the middle of this decade, CFM’s RISE and Airbus’ ZEROe programs come together. The objective is to ground and flight test a direct combustion engine fueled by hydrogen, in preparation for entry-into-service of a zero-emission aircraft by 2035. CFM will modify the combustor, fuel system, and control system of a GE Passport turbofan to run on hydrogen. The engine was selected because of its physical size, advanced turbo machinery, and fuel flow capability. It will be mounted along the rear fuselage of the flying testbed to allow engine emissions, including contrails, to be monitored separately from those of the engines powering the aircraft. CFM will execute an extensive ground test program ahead of the A380 flight test. “We will fly a modified engine to learn the art of the possible and to prove out the technologies,” said Mohamed Ali, vice president and general manager of engineering for GE Aviation. “Is hydrogen harder? Yes. Is it doable? Absolutely. And we are building on tremendous experience, and I am actually very encouraged by the inventions we have already made to address those challenges.” https://www.arabnews.com/node/2197146/corporate-news Air Force Research Lab awards $76 million for lunar experimentation By Courtney Albon Nov 10, 02:28 PM The Air Force Research Laboratory has several programs focused on cislunar operations, including Oracle, which will detect and monitor objects in the region. (AFRL) WASHINGTON — The Air Force Research Laboratory chose Colorado-based Advanced Space to build a spacecraft that will observe, detect and track objects around the moon. The space services company won a $76 million contract for AFRL’s Oracle program, which will develop sensing, navigation and communication technology along with algorithms that could support situational awareness in cislunar orbit. Cislunar refers to the area between geostationary orbit — about 22,000 miles above the Earth’s surface — and the moon. “Our primary goals for the program are to advance techniques to detect previously unknown objects through search and discovery, to detect small or distant objects and to study spacecraft positioning and navigation in the [beyond GEO] realm,” Oracle’s principal investigator James Frith said in a Nov. 10 statement. The contract for Oracle, which was previously named the Cislunar Highway Patrol System, comes amid a growing interest in the cislunar environment and increasing concerns about potential deep-space threats from adversaries like China. In response, AFRL and other stakeholders are crafting a classified roadmap that lays out the cislunar capabilities various space agencies are pursuing. AFRL expects Oracle to launch in 2025 and have a two-year mission life. Along with tracking and detecting new objects, the satellite will inform a separate AFRL effort to develop a green propellant to power space vehicles. The satellite will carry a refueling port for the Advanced Spacecraft Energetic Non-Toxic program. “While there are no plans yet to refuel Oracle, AFRL wants to encourage civil and commercial development of on-orbit refueling services,” according to the statement. Oracle is one of several AFRL programs focused on operations beyond GEO. Other efforts include the Defense Deep Space Sentinel Pathfinder, which will demonstrate the use of small satellites for a range of cislunar missions, and Autonomy Demonstrations and Orbital Experiments, a portfolio of satellites focused on cislunar domain awareness and logistics. https://www.defensenews.com/space/2022/11/10/air-force-research-lab-awards-76-million-for-lunar-experimentation/ Viasat receives $50 million Air Force contract to develop space technology by Sandra Erwin — February 2, 2021 Link 16 network concept. Credit: Viasat Viasat's seven-year contract is for the development of “prototype space systems." WASHINGTON — Viasat, a provider of satellite communications and wireless networking technology, received a $50.8 million contract from the Air Force Research Laboratory to develop a broad range of space systems. The Defense Department announced the contract Feb. 2. The contract was first announced Nov. 20. A spokesperson told SpaceNews at the time that the contract terms had not yet been finalized so the award would be reposted at a later day. Viasat is getting a seven-year contract for the development of “prototype space systems,” according to the announcement. This covers studies, design, manufacturing, integration, launch, flight and demonstration of satellites, ground terminals and other technologies. Under the contract, Viasat would receive “task orders” for specific projects over the seven years. AFRL’s Space Vehicles Directorate, based at Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico, has been working with Viasat on other projects. The company in May 2019 got a $10 million contract to build a small satellite equipped with a Link 16 military communications terminal that will operate in low Earth orbit. Link 16 is an encrypted radio frequency widely used by the U.S. military and NATO allies to share information across the battlefield. Viasat’s satellite will serve as a network relay. Viasat has traditionally focused on geostationary satellite-based communications but has been expanding into other areas such as low-Earth orbit satellites, cybersecurity and network operations. Viasat CEO Mark Dankberg told analysts in an earnings call in November that the company sees the the AFRL Link 16 satellite contract as an opportunity for growth in the tactical communications and space markets. “The notion of extending the range of Link 16 through space is really pretty interesting,” he said. “The advantage is that there are many thousands and going into the tens of thousands and potential for hundreds of thousands of devices that are Link 16 capable.” If Viasat had the opportunity to build a fleet of satellites to do tactical networking, “we’re really interested in that,” said Dankberg. “And we have other applications that we’ve been working with government customers that do involve that, that involve either sensing or communications satellites in space. And so I think you’re going to see us do more of that.” Viasat receives $50 million Air Force contract to develop space technology Dr. Curt L. Lewis, PhD, CSP, FRAeS Curt Lewis