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B-21 Taxi Tests Underway, As Bomber Prepares for First Flight

Taxi tests of the Northrop Grumman [NOC] B-21 Raider stealth bomber are underway near Plant 42 in Palmdale, Calif., as the aircraft prepares for first flight.

The Air Force issued a short statement this week that “the B-21 is conducting ground taxi activities.”

“Rigorous testing is a critical step in the B-21 flight test program,” the service said. “Extensive testing evaluates systems, components, and functionalities. This testing allows us to mitigate risks, optimize design, and enhance operational effectiveness.”

This week, social media posts included images purporting to be of the aft end of the B-21 during the taxi tests, but the Air Force, when asked, did not confirm or deny the authenticity of the photos.

Financial analysts did not ask Northrop Grumman CEO Kathy Warden about the taxi tests during a company third quarter earnings call on Oct. 26, but Warden said that the B-21 is still on track for first flight this year to be followed by an Air Force low-rate initial production contract for the bomber.

Six B-21s have been in final assembly at Northrop Grumman’s Plant 42. The company said last month that it had begun B-21 engine runs in Palmdale as part of the ground test program (Defense Daily, Sept. 13).

Thomas Jones, the president of Northrop Grumman Aeronautic Systems, said last month that the company has often received questions on B-21 progress from company shareholders and that the company’s goal is making the transition to a “highly effective test program” to deliver the B-21 expeditiously, “not cutting corners for acquisition theatrics.”

The Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies has argued that the Air Force needs to more than double its bomber fleet of 141 to 300, including 225 B-21s, to counter China, achieve nuclear deterrence, and prepare for two simultaneous conflicts.

Retired Air Force Col. Mark Gunzinger, a former B-52 commander and the director of future concepts and capability assessments at the Mitchell Institute, has said that DoD estimates that B-21 production will peak at 10 per year in the mid-2030s–half the rate Gunzinger said is needed and half that of the original plans for the Northrop Grumman B-2A Spirit.

In 2015, Northrop Grumman was awarded the Long Range Strike Bomber contract to develop the B-21, beating out a Lockheed Martin [LMT]-Boeing [BA] team. The Air Force has said that it plans to buy at least 100 B-21s.

The B-21, which DoD and Northrop Grumman rolled out last December, is to incorporate advances in low-observable maintenance to ensure the next generation bomber is ready to fly consistently when it reaches the field, the Air Force has said.

A version of this story initially appeared in affiliate publication Defense Daily.

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ForeFlight Announces Oceanic Plotting, Fleet Tracking Add-Ons For Business Jet Avionics

Boeing’s ForeFlight subsidiary is now offering oceanic plotting and fleet tracking navigation technologies for business jets. 

Oceanic plotting is an add-on to ForeFlight’s existing Active Navlog system, released in May, and will be integrated with ForeFlight Dispatch. 

Combining the two will enable paperless oceanic plotting directly in ForeFlight Mobile, allowing operators to eliminate the use of paper charts for oceanic plotting and record-keeping, the company says. As with the base Active Navlog product, performance estimates are automatically re-calculated during the flight as pilots record time and fuel actuals at each waypoint.

With Oceanic Plotting pilots can record position reports and gross navigational error checks. Every check is automatically recorded in the master flight log with an associated screenshot for effortless record-keeping, while completed navigation logs are automatically uploaded to ForeFlight Dispatch and attached to the flight plan.

“Logging position reports and GNE checks has been a manual, time-consuming task for our customers,” said Kevin Sutterfield, ForeFlight and Jeppesen global sales leader. “Throughout the development of this feature, we actively incorporated feedback from numerous ForeFlight customers. ForeFlight’s Oceanic Plotting feature simplifies the process of oceanic crossings for pilots while also automating the regulatory compliance required for those operations.”

Active Navlog is available as a per-user subscription add-on product, with or without a subscription to ForeFlight Dispatch, while Dispatch will be required in addition to Active Navlog to enable the Oceanic Plotting capability once it’s available.

Fleet Tracking enables operators to monitor their fleet’s on-time operations and early detection of potential schedule disruptions, the company says. It can integrate with ForeFlight Dispatch, giving operators the ability to see the live status of all tracked flights. Operators will also have access to an interactive map displaying the positions and statuses of all tracked aircraft.

That interactive fleet tracking page shows ground-based Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast, or ADS-B, data from AirNav Systems and incorporates ForeFlight’s map-based weather layers. If any flight encounters a delay or inclement weather, planners can make changes to the flight plan in ForeFlight Dispatch.

“Providing dispatchers with real-time and accurate aircraft tracking significantly boosts safety and efficiency,” said Sutterfield. “I believe that digital solution suites are changing the business aviation industry because they allow operators to anticipate schedule disruptions and mitigate issues in real-time.”

Two distinct tiers of fleet tracking will be available. The first includes global tracking through ground-based ADS-B. The second, higher tier adds support for global tracking by datalink position reports as well as the ability to track FAA-blocked tail numbers. Both tiers will be available as per-aircraft add-on subscriptions and will require a subscription to ForeFlight Dispatch.

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Senate unanimously approves Whitaker as FAA chief

The Federal Aviation Administration now has a Senate-confirmed administrator, after the body voted 98-0 to appoint Michael Whitaker to the top spot on Tuesday. 

Whitaker takes over the FAA’s top job from Polly Trottenberg, who was appointed acting administrator in June. She was preceded in the acting position by Billy Nolen, who served from April 2022 to June 2023. 

The FAA has not had a full-time, Senate-confirmed administrator since Stephen Dickson left the post in March 2022. He also was preceded by an acting FAA chief, Daniel Elwell, who served in the role for a little over 18 months from January 2018 to August 2019.

Approval of Whittaker, as previously reported, resounded throughout the aviation industry. 

Aside from government service, Whitaker served for a time as assistant general counsel for TWA and then 15 years with United Airlines, including as senior vice president of alliances, and international and regulatory affairs. After leaving United, he was named Group CEO at InterGlobe Enterprises, the holding company for IndiGo, India’s largest airline.

Helicopter Association International President and Chief Executive Jim Viola, who worked with Whitaker at the FAA, praised Whitaker’s confirmation on Tuesday, noting his previous work to modernize the US National Airspace System.

“Having worked closely with Mike during my time at FAA, I have seen firsthand that he has the

knowledge and skill set to effectively lead the agency,” Viola said.

During his confirmation hearing, Whitaker pledged to tackle the personnel shortages, including air traffic controllers, pilots, and maintenance technicians, that are threatening aviation operations and growth, saying, “I would view my role as administrator as chief recruitment officer, certainly for the FAA, but also for the industry.”

The National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) also hailed the Senate’s vote in favor of Whitaker as the next permanent administrator of the FAA, lauding his abilities as an aviation industry veteran and private pilot.

“Congratulations to Mike Whitaker on his well-deserved confirmation as FAA administrator,” said NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen. “We look forward to working with Mike, whose expertise will help chart a clear path toward a successful future for the aviation community.”

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USAF Looking for “Revolutionary” Concepts for Next Generation Refueler-Airlift Teaming

As the U.S. Air Force develops systems to operate from austere locations and counter adversary attempts to disrupt U.S. military supply chains, the service is seeking “revolutionary” ideas on the future teaming of the Next Generation Air Refueling System (NGAS) and the Next Generation Airlift (NGAL) platform.

“The Joint Force must be able to effectively deploy, conduct, and sustain operations against peer competitors in contested environments,” according to an Oct. 25 Air Force Life Cycle Management Center business notice on the Department of the Air Force Mobility Cross-Cutting Operational Enabler (COE) initiative. “To accomplish this, Next Generation Refueling and Airlift Teams of Systems must provide a mix of survivable, connected, and agile mobility platforms that reliably provide range, flexible payloads, and unique capabilities in a contested environment, which are critical to operational effectiveness.”

“Potential adversaries will contest the Joint Force’s logistics in any future fight, necessitating an array of mobility capabilities that can survive in operationally relevant numbers,” the notice said. “Moreover, this mix of survivable and agile mobility platforms should have minimal infrastructure reliance and will be capable of maneuvering offensive and defensive Joint Forces relative to the pacing challenge.”

“The COE team is less interested in small solutions to small challenges or incremental solutions resulting in marginal improvement. We must be revolutionary in our thinking and future force design,” AFLCMC said.

On Oct. 24 at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, 19 companies participated in a Mobility COE industry day, which “provided an opportunity to connect requirements users, the mobility and training aircraft acquisition arm, and defense industry to create solutions,” AFLCMC said.

California-based JetZero is teaming with Northrop Grumman [NOC] on an Air Force Blended Wing Body (BWB) demonstrator aircraft, which may inform NGAS and NGAL–both of which are to operate in high-threat environments over long distances, including the Pacific theater (Defense Daily, Aug. 17). JetZero has said that the BWB is to be able to carry twice the fuel of the Boeing [BA] KC-46A tanker.

Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks has said that a BWB aircraft could offer fuel savings of 30 percent over traditional aircraft.

Under the BWB concept, the wings are not distinct from the aircraft body but blended into it, and the engine may be on top of the aircraft or embedded in the airframe to provide more lift, range, payload, and less acoustic signature.

An NGAS/NGAL lower radar cross-section design, such as BWB, could enable the aircraft to accompany the stealthy F-35 and future B-21 Raider bomber on missions.

JetZero plans the BWB to enter service in 2030 and to have its first flight in 2027 (Defense Daily, Aug. 16).

Boeing was one of the 19 companies at the AFLCMC Mobility COE industry day on Oct. 24.

“Historically, tankers were designed to provide fuel outside of threat range, distanced from the tactical edge,” the company said. “As near-peer range and lethality have increased—and time on target becomes ever more crucial—maximizing maneuverability throughout the operational theater has become critical to the future battle. Both the KC-46A Pegasus and MQ-25 Stingray showcase the agility necessary to support assets closer to the fight.”

“The KC-46A tanker can access more small bases, austere airfields and limited runways and also features unprecedented combat-ready defensive systems and countermeasures to detect, avoid, defeat and survive threats,” Boeing said. “Because it can launch from dispersed locations and operate in contested environments, the KC-46A facilitates ‘more booms in the air’—more refuelers spread throughout the operational theater and closer to the battlespace.”

Editor’s note: A version of this story originally appeared in affiliate publication Defense Daily.

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Contenders for Army’s New Attack Recon Rotorcraft Receive New GE Engines After Nearly Yearlong Delay

Both contenders for the Army’s new Future Attack Recon Aircraft (FARA) have now received their General Electric T901 Improved Turbine Engined and have begun installation on their respective advanced rotorcraft. 

Delivery of the engines is the last step before Sikorsy’s Raider X compound coaxial helicopter and Bell’s 360 Invictus tandem-cockpit conventional helicopters can test their advanced flight controls and avionics systems under their own power in preparation for ground runs. 

Both companies announced they had received the engines from GE on Oct. 24. Previously both had been testing critical flight components and cockpit instrumentation using external power. Both teams also had 3D-printed, full-scale models of the engine on hand so they could design the engine bays. 

“The ITEP delivery is a major milestone for FARA and the Bell 360 Invictus competitive prototype,” said Jayme Gonzalez, Bell’s FARA program manager. “Now that we have received the engine, we are ready to begin working toward ground runs and other necessary preparations before first flight later next year.”

Bell’s 360 Invictus competitive prototype. Bell Photo

The Improved Turbine Engine Program, or ITEP, is a 3,000-shaft-horsepower engine that should be 50 percent more powerful, use 25 percent less fuel, and have a 20 percent longer service life than the GE T0700 engines currently in the UH-60 Black Hawk and AH-64 Apache. Aside from powering FARA, the Army plans it as a drop-in replacement engine for those aircraft.

Initially intended to be ready for install in November 2022, GE struggled to provide an engine that could meet the Army’s exacting specifications. The Army prescribed that both companies use the GE engine for the aircraft, which will eventually fill the gap left by retirement of the OH-58D Kiowa Warrior armed aerial scout. The two rotorcraft will some of the most advanced military aviation technologies in operation once they begin flight testing. Both were designed with a modular open system architecture approach so that avionics and mission systems can be rapidly upgrade or swapped out with emerging technologies much faster than traditionally possible.  In tandem with the fly off between Raider X and Invictus, the Army plans to hold the first of two Modular Open Systems Approach (MOSA) verification demonstrations this year.

Sikorsky’s engine arrived at its West Palm Beach, Fla., flight test facility on Oct. 20 and has transferred it to an engine integration lab neat to where Raider is being assembled. Raider X is now 98 percent complete. Integration of the new powerplant into the aircraft will begin immediately, the company said in a statement. Sikorsky is owned by Lockheed Martin.

Sikorsky’s Raider X competitive prototype. Sikorsky Photo

“Lockheed Martin’s model-based systems engineering approach gives the Sikorsky team confidence in this final phase of the RAIDER X build which brings us one step closer to completing this weapon system that will match the rapid pace of the reconnaissance mission,” said Sikorsky Future Vertical Lift Vice President Andy Adams. “The data RAIDER X gathers – and the speed and agility with which it operates – will support the Army’s mission for deep sensing capability and unsurpassed networking, connecting Soldiers and the joint force to the information they need to complete their missions.”

Once the engine is in, Sikorsky will commence final system tests and check-outs before turning on the powerplant to check out the drive system with the engine in the aircraft, Sikorsky said. After successful system checks, Sikorsky will conduct flight acceptance testing and proceed to first flight, which is expected in late 2024.

Both designs must be checked out and approved for flight by the Army. 

While it waited for the engine, Bell’s team was focused on preparing the Invictus support infrastructure, supply chain and manufacturing hub, the company said. It is now prepared to instrument and install the T901 to prepare the aircraft for ground test operations. 

Once the aircraft has been functionally tested with the T901 installed, Bell plans a Test Readiness Review and a restrained ground run. The 360 Invictus also carries a  Pratt & Whitney PW207D1 to give it an extra push toward, and perhaps beyond, the Army’s 180-knot target speed for FARA. 

“Our team has been hard at work to drive down risk in preparation for ground and flight tests,” said Chris Gehler, senior vice president and program director, FARA. “We are excited to receive the T901 engine and look forward to demonstrating the transformative capabilities of the Bell 360 Invictus. As well, we continue to advance and meet Army requirements for an open weapons system design that provides the next level of lethality and survivability into our warfighters’ arsenal.”

 

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NBAA Asks Senate For FAA Administrator Approval

LAS VEGAS – The National Business Aviation Association is again encouraging the Senate to approve Michael Whitaker as the permanent head of the Federal Aviation Administration. 

President Joe Biden nominated the veteran aviation professional for the post last month. He now needs the Senate’s OK. 

Whitaker, who the White House pointed out has 30 years of aviation experience, served as the FAA’s deputy administrator during the Obama Administration. He currently serves as chief operating officer at Hyundai’s Supernal, developing electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) vehicles.

“Throughout his career, Mike Whitaker has repeatedly proven himself as a leader who champions safety and innovation,” said NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen. “We enthusiastically welcome the approval by the committee and fully support his confirmation by the full Senate as FAA administrator.”

If confirmed, Whitaker – an attorney and private pilot – would be returning to lead the agency where he previously served as deputy FAA administrator from 2013-2016.

“He knows how to work in government and across the aviation community to get big things done,” the White House said in a Sept. 7 statement announcing Whitaker’s nomination. “The FAA needs a confirmed Administrator—and Mike Whitaker is the right person for the job.”

Whitaker would take over the FAA’s top job from Polly Trottenberg, who was appointed acting administrator in June. She was preceded in the acting position by Billy Nolen, who served from April 2022 to June 2023. The FAA has not had a full-time, Senate-confirmed administrator since Stephen Dickson left the post in March 2022. He also was preceded by an acting FAA chief, Daniel Elwell, who served in the role for a little over 18 months from January 2018 to August 2019.

In addition to his work at the FAA and Supernal, Whitaker has served as assistant general counsel at TWA. He later led United Airlines as senior vice president of alliances, international and regulatory affairs. Following that, Whitaker performed a leadership role as group CEO at InterGlobe Enterprises, the holding company for IndiGo, India’s largest airline.

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Curtiss-Wright Teams With Ultra PCS For New HUMS Offering

LAS VEGAS – Curtiss-Wright and Ultra PCS are teaming up to build a new cockpit voice and data recorder that also includes health and usage monitoring of rotorcraft. 

The so-called “FortressHUMS,” combines the typical capabilities of flight data recording with a health and usage monitoring system, or HUMS, packaged in an “easy-to-install and affordable single-box” that weighs just 13 pounds, where similar systems can weigh up to 70 pounds, Curtiss-Wright said.

FortressHUMS can be retrofitted onto a helicopter optimizing the size, weight, and power investments that enhances ease of maintenance, safety, fleet management, and supply chain, the company said. Its serial communications network of sensors, connects with a single cable routed throughout the aircraft, speeding and simplifying installation. 

FortressHUMS can extend aircraft operational life and implement predictive maintenance programs, the company says. It can be deployed as a permanent-installed combined HUMS and recorder system for new aircraft construction, or as an upgrade for customers who install a Fortress Recorder.. 

“We are very excited to collaborate with Ultra PCS to deliver the unprecedented size and weight reduction provided by the FortressHUMS recorder to the rotorcraft market,” said Brian Perry, senior vice president and general manager for Curtiss-Wright Defense Solutions Division. “FortressHUMS significantly reduces the time and cost of aircraft installation and through-life operational costs thanks to its network-based approach and extremely low installed system weight.”

 Ben Sutton, vice president of data processing for Ultra PCS said the technology will enhance fleet management capabilities and shrink operating costs. 

“Ultra PCS is delighted to be teamed with Curtiss-Wright to bring this next generation, game-changing technology to market,” Sutton said  “The FortressHUMS will provide the end-user with a significant fleet management capability that enables them to reduce operational costs by making better decisions about maintenance analysis, safety, training, and interface to the supply system. This system will provide the transformational ability to the customer from crew chief to design engineer.”

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Business Execs Mindful of Aviation Carbon Footprint, New Airbus Study says

LAS VEGAS – A new study commissioned by Airbus asked senior executives of large U.S. companies that use business aviation show the firms are well aware of their carbon footprints and want to improve sustainability. 

Airbus Corporate Jets found that 95 percent of the executives interviewed say their companies have a good understanding of the carbon footprint of their business aircraft flights. Nine out of ten surveyed say “their understanding has improved over the past five years, with nearly half saying it has improved dramatically,” the survey found.

“The two main reasons behind this shift are the appointment of specialists to monitor the carbon footprint of flights, and an increased investment in these teams,” Airbus said. “The third main reason given is that companies operating their aircraft are now offering more detailed carbon footprint data for flights.”

U.S. companies are taking a range of steps to reduce the carbon footprint of their business aviation flights. Among executives at firms that use business aviation, 61 percent anticipate their companies would be prepared to increase their business aviation budgets by more than 25 percent to enable them to use sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) or more fuel-efficient aircraft, the Airbus study found.

Of those executives at firms that own or lease business aircraft, nearly all report increased investment in fleet management technology for route optimization, which helps to reduce fuel burn and carbon emissions.

Most executives at firms that charter business jets also emphasized a preference for newer, more efficient models to help reduce the impact of their flights on the environment.

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Two College Stadiums Adopt Anti-drone Tech from AeroDefense

LAS VEGAS — The University of Washington’s Husky Stadium and Fresno State’s Valley Children’s Stadium have both deployed new drone detection systems to ward off unauthorized aerial incursions. 

College stadiums have been the target of numerous drone incursions in recent years, which threaten fan and player safety and disrupt public events, as they have with airports worldwide, AeroDefense says,. 

The Federal Aviation Administration has specific rules for where to fly personal drones, which prohibit private flights over crowded areas, roads, airports and other areas. 

AeroDefense’s AirWarden Remote Identification Receiver receives real-time FAA-mandated Remote ID broadcasts that include drone location and altitude along with pilot location information and automatically sends alerts so stadium security personnel can quickly disrupt potentially dangerous drone flights, the company says.

AirWarden provides real-time alerts and precise location data for drones and pilots operating in and around specific locations like stadiums, allowing rapid response to any unauthorized drone activity. 

“Stadium security minimizes risk when they can locate the pilot and force the pilot to land the drone safely,” AeroDefense says. 

The system, both fixed and mobile, is alos offered for airports, correctional facilities, military bases, and other critical infrastructure, the company says. 

Depending on the drone configuration and environment, the system can detect a drone at up to a half mile or more.  The system will detect all drones in an “area of concern” but alert security personnel of those aircraft within a designated airspace, like over a stadium, the company says. Security personnel can adjust the warning area as needed. 

The receiver takes about ten minutes to install on a building or pole and receives power over ethernet, connecting to the existing LTE network.

“The interface is very user-friendly which made the learning curve virtually non-existent,” Dan Erickson, associate athletic director for events and facilities, at the University of Washington said. “The AeroDefense support team has also done an incredible job of responding to minor issues quickly, in real-time to ensure any small problems are solved.”

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Shield AI Launches Autonomy Product For Multiple V-BAT UAS

Shield AI announced the official launch of its V-BAT Teams product this week. (Photo: Shield AI)

Having recently completed successful testing and demonstrations of its artificial intelligence piloting software for drone swarms, Shield AI has launched a new product that allows the company’s V-BAT uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS) to work in teams to execute missions autonomously in GPS and communications-denied environments.

Shield AI said the V-BAT Teams product includes a modular Nvidia graphics processing unit that runs Hivemind, the company’s AI pilot. The product is located in the modular payload bay of V-BAT.

V-BAT Teams “will be on the battlefield in 2024,” Ryan Tseng, co-founder and CEO of Shield AI, said in a statement.

The AI flight software will first be used with a team of four V-BATs then doubling the number of UAS annually “for the foreseeable future,” Brandon Tseng, the company’s co-founder and president, said in a statement.

“Four V-BATs that work together in electronic warfare environments and as part of a human-machine team are an incredible force multiplier,” Tseng said. “Ultimately, V-BAT Teams, as the team size increases, give squads the combat power of a battalion, or battalions the combat power of a corps or division.”

Shield AI said the autonomous UAS teams allow for affordable, around-the-clock surveillance and targeting of “thousands of enemy assets.”

The V-BATs, at least equipped with the new Teams product, would seem a potential candidate for the Defense Department’s new Replicator Initiative, which seeks to purchase and field thousands of all-domain autonomous attributable systems during the next two years to help counter China’s military build-up.

V-BAT is a program of record. The company has said the UAS are deployed in 14 time zones and operate around the clock. The aircraft take off and land vertically but fly horizontally like fixed-wing aircraft.

In August, Shield AI completed testing of Hivemind aboard three V-BATs under a contract with the Air Force Research Laboratory’s AFWERX innovation unit. The company said at the time that the teaming technology would be ready to deploy in 2024 for use in electronically-contested environments.

In the demonstrations under the Air Force contract, the V-BAT team was used to detect, track, identify, locate, and report missions during simulated wildfires.

Earlier this year, Boeing said it had signed a memorandum of understanding with Shield AI to explore leveraging the latter company’s capabilities in artificial intelligence and autonomy for autonomously piloting aircraft to military platforms.

“Integrating Boeing aircraft with our AI pilot would redefine what large aircraft, crewed or uncrewed, could do,” Brandon Tseng, president and co-founder of Shield AI, said in a statement.

This article was originally published by Defense Daily, a sister publication of Avionics International. It has been edited. Read the original version here >>

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