Aviation Week & Space Technology

With all the secrecy surrounding the Pentagon’s Long-Range Strike Bomber competition, the winner was hard to predict. But our editors discuss some of Northrop’s strengths that are not readily apparent.

Commercial software and probabilistic algorithms could trim hours from the cruise missile mission planning process.

The Journey to Mars planning update lacks cost estimates because intermediate steps are still being determined, NASA says; U.S. House Republicans are skeptical.

As Cassini probes closer to intriguing Enceladus south pole ice-spray—possible evidence of life-sustaining oceans—space agencies may use that experience as springboard for Europa mission.

Northrop Grumman was one-sixth the size of its rival team but has the experience that counts.

The delivery of next-generation narrowbody aircraft will bring more flexibility to Hawaiian’s fleet and network plans.

American Airlines President Scott Kirby: “Anytime we are competing . . . nonstop-to-nonstop, we’re going to compete and match [other carriers'] prices.”

An analysis of the world airline fleet shows reductions in fuel burn are falling short of ICAO's goals of 2% per year.

There has been no methodical effort to assess the actual risks UAS present to other air traffic.

Europeans love diesel power; now they are looking to see if helicopters can run off it, too.

Turbofan surprises testers and survives first controlled on-wing test of volcanic ash ingestion, providing data on what happens inside a jet engine flying though an ash cloud.

News from the Aerodays2015 research conference in London Oct. 20-23: MTU runs better GTF; Airbus rethinks cabins; UTRC advances model-based engineering; NASA tests low-noise flaps, gear.

Creating a testbed to prove a wing with drag-reducing natural laminar flow can be produced industrially and operated routinely has taken longer than Airbus and its European partners expected.

Aviation Week editors Senior International Editor Bill Sweetman and Naval Editor Michael Fabey break down the issue with the V-22 engine that investigators say brought down an Osprey in May.

DEFENSE Lockheed Martin flew the upgraded F-16V, equipped with Northrop Grumman’s APG-63 active, electronically scanned array radar, for the first time Oct. 21. The -V configuration is being developed to upgrade Taiwan’s -A/-Bs and F-16s operated by other nations.

F-35 official hints Canada’s suppliers could lose work if it opts out of the program; FCC proposes rules that could enable 5G wireless service; foreign investment in aerospace is rising.

NASA high ice water content research flights aim to give pilots better awareness and warning of the poorly understood core engine icing phenomenon.

Attracting and keeping passengers have been motivating factors in the evolution of commercial aircraft design.

Oct. 27-29—American Astronautical Society Wernher von Braun Memorial Symposium. University of Alabama-Huntsville. Huntsville, Alabama. See astonautical.org Oct. 27-29—AHS International Technical Meeting on Rotorcraft Propulsion. Fort Magruder Hotel and Conference Center. Williamsburg, Virginia. See vtol.org/events/ahs-international-technical-meeting-on-propulsion

Defense Department signals it is weighing how to open up the aerospace sector to encourage broader competition from lower-level players.

Northrop Grumman Corp. is reducing its business sectors from four to three as of Jan. 1, 2016: Gloria Flach (see photo) has been appointed chief operations officer; she has been corporate vice president/president-electronic systems. Kathy Warden becomes vice president/president-Mission Systems, which will incorporate electronic attack; she has been vice president/president-information systems. Chris Jones will lead the Technology Services sector; he has been vice president/president-technical services.

Nov. 3-5—MRO Asia-Pacific. Singapore. Nov. 3-5—AerospaceDefenseChain. Scottsdale, Arizona. Jan. 21-22, 2016—MRO Latin America. Lima, Peru. Feb. 3-4, 2016—MRO Middle East. Dubai. Feb. 15, 2016—ATW’s Airline Industry Achievement Awards. Singapore. March 3, 2016—Aviation Week Laureate Awards. Washington.

Researchers from NASA take special precautions to fly through high ice water conditions without endangering test aircraft or crews.

Foreign F-35 operators are being compelled to fund U.S. software laboratories that generate data crucial to the fighter’s ability to identify new radio-frequency threats.

U.S. refusal to allow access to the four key technologies for KF-X has resulted in a political furor in South Korea.