Page 2 - Aerotech News and Review July 15 2016

Briefs
Iranian fighter jet crashes, pilots survive
Iranian state TV says an air force Sukhoi-24
has crashed while on patrol near the southern
city of Shiraz, and that the two pilots ejected and
survived.
The July 10 report did not say what caused the
fighter jet crash, but said an investigation is un-
derway.
Iran signed a contract with Moscow in Febru-
ary to purchase a newer version of the Russian-
made fighter jet, the Sukhoi-30.
Iran’s air force still relies largely on domes-
tically modified versions of long-outdated war-
planes, including Soviet MiGs and American F-14
Tomcats from the 1970s. AP
Chinese navy holds live-fire drills in
South China Sea
Chinese warships, fighter jets and submarines
held live-fire war games in the South China Sea,
state media reported, just days ahead of an inter-
national tribunal’s ruling on a challenge to Bei-
jing’s expansive claims in the waters.
The high-profile display of naval hardware is
China’s latest salvo in a propaganda offensive
aimed at demonstrating its military might and as-
serting its sovereignty over the disputed region.
Though China has said the exercises are rou-
tine, they come ahead of The Hague-based arbitra-
tion tribunal’s ruling July 12 in a case brought by
the Philippines contesting China’s claims in the
South China Sea. China says the tribunal has no
jurisdiction and says it will not accept the verdict. overruns, which Spirit periodically publicly re-
China Central Television showed video of
the July 8 drills, conducted by three fleets of the
People’s Liberation Army Navy in and around
the Paracel Islands, which are also claimed by
Vietnam.
Zhao Yanquan, a commander of a guided mis-
sile destroyer, said the scenario tested the troops’
ability to locate enemy submarines, where ene-
my warships are attacking from and when enemy
jets are taking off.
“We gather the information, analyze it and
make decisions upon it. For us, it is a real war
situation and therefore a test to that effect,” Zhao
said.
Earlier in the week, Vietnam protested the
Chinese drill and has demanded that Beijing
stop acting in a way that threatens security and
maritime safety.
Vietnam, China and Taiwan all claim the Para-
celss, which are occupied by China, and those
three along with the Philippines, Malaysia and
Brunei claim all or parts of the Spratly Islands,
which are believed to be rich in natural resources
and occupy one of the world’s busiest sea lanes.
AP
Navy studying how to proceed on new
plane-landing system
Navy officials are deciding what to do about a
new system to land airplanes on aircraft carriers.
The Daily Press of Newport News, Va., reports
that the Navy established the Advanced Arresting
Gear program in 2003 but it has been plagued by
years of technological problems, delays and cost
overruns.
A report July 8 from the Defense Department
Inspector General says that as of October 2015,
the program had recorded a 332 percent cost in-
crease associated with research, development,
testing and evaluation. The report says that’s an
overrun of $571.5 million from 2005 baseline
numbers.
Sean Stackley, assistant secretary of the Navy
for research, development and acquisition, says
the Navy is studying whether the system is afford-
able before going forward with it on future aircraft
carriers. Navy officials will make a decision by
December. AP
Appeals court upholds dismissal of
2 Aerotech News and Review
Spirit AeroSystems case
Shareholders failed to show that Spirit Aero-
Systems and four of its executives lied about three
manufacturing contracts that resulted in $434.6
million in losses, a federal appeals court panel
ruled July 5.
Upholding a lower court decision, the 10th U.S.
Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the investors
behind a class-action lawsuit failed to show the
aircraft parts maker or its executives made any
material misrepresentations or omissions.
The lawsuit followed an October 2012 an-
nouncement that the Wichita, Kansas,-based
company recorded $434.6 million forward losses
on the three contracts at issue in the appeal. U.S.
District Judge Eric Melgren threw out the lawsuit
last year before it got to trial.
In addition to the Spirit, the executives named
as defendants in the lawsuit are Jeffrey Turner,
Spirit’s former chief executive officer; Philip
Anderson, the company’s chief financial officer;
Alexander Kummant, senior vice president of
Oklahoma operations; and Terry George, vice
president overseeing the Boeing 787 project.
The class-action lawsuit was brought by stock-
holder Wayne Anderson as the lead plaintiff,
along with the International Association of Ma-
chinists and Aerospace Workers, among others.
Spirit AeroSystems agreed to supply parts for
three types of aircraft manufactured by Gulf-
stream Aerospace Corp. and Boeing, specifically
the Gulfstream G280 and G60, and the Boeing
787. Each project had production delays and cost
ported. Spirit acknowledged the risks in these
reports, but expressed confidence in its ability to
meet production deadlines and ultimately break
even on the projects.
But on Oct. 25, 2012, Spirit announced it ex-
pected to lose hundreds of millions of dollars, and
its stock price dropped 30 percent.
“The size of the loss does not suggest that the
four executives knew or recklessly disregarded
the risks that Spirit was eventually going to lose
money on the three projects,” the appeals court
panel concluded.
Justice Carlos Lucero partly dissented with ma-
jority opinion when it came to statements pertain-
ing to the 787 program. He concluded that two
executives likely had actual knowledge of the cost
overruns and had “intentionally lied to investors
about the status of the 787 project,” saying that
part of the case should have been allowed to go
to trial. AP
House passes measure to stop sale of
Boeing aircraft to Iran
A week before the one-year anniversary of the
Iran nuclear deal, the Republican-led House ap-
proved measures aimed at blocking U.S. compa-
nies from selling commercial passenger aircraft
to Tehran.
By voice vote July 7, lawmakers passed two
amendments directed at Chicago-based Boeing,
which had offered Iranian airlines three models
of new aircraft to replace the country’s aging fleet.
The amendment was added to a financial ser-
vices spending bill that the House cleared by
vote of 239-185. The House must reconcile dif-
ferences between its bill and the Senate’s version.
The Obama administration is certain to threaten to
veto any legislation that undermines the nuclear
agreement with Iran.
Rep. Peter Roskam, R-Ill., the amendment’s
sponsor, said the aircraft could be used by Iran’s
Revolutionary Guard.
“To give these types of planes to the Iranian
regime, which still is the world’s largest state
sponsor of terror, is to give them a product that
can be used for a military purpose,” Roskam said.
The Boeing aircraft could be reconfigured to carry
100 ballistic missiles or 15,000 rocket-propelled
grenades, according to Roskam.
www.aerotechnews.com ........ facebook.com/aerotechnewsandreview
The United States, Iran and other world pow-
ers reached the landmark nuclear agreement July
14, 2015. The deal ended international economic
sanctions against Tehran, allowing airline manu-
facturers to re-enter the market. AP
House votes to bar women from draft
registration
The House approved an amendment to the
spending bill that seeks to bar women from being
required to register for a military draft. The 217 to
203 vote is a victory for social conservatives who
fear that forcing females to sign up is another step
toward the blurring of gender lines, akin to allow-
ing transgender people to use public lavatories
and locker rooms.
The amendment, sponsored by Rep. Warren
Davidson, R-Ohio, would block the Selective
Service System from using any money to alter
draft registration requirements that currently ap-
ply only to men between the ages of 18 and 25.
Davidson, a former Army officer, said much
more study is necessary before such a significant,
if largely symbolic, step is made. The U.S. has
not had a military draft since 1973, in the wan-
ing years of the Vietnam War era, and the odds
for another wide-scale draft are remote. Still, the
draft registration requirement remains for men,
and many lawmakers believe women should be
included.
The House vote comes just a few weeks af-
ter the Senate passed an annual defense policy
bill that mandates for the first time in history that
young women sign up for a draft. That measure
calls for women to sign up with the Selective Ser-
vice within 30 days of turning 18, beginning in
January 2018.
The push in the Senate to lift the exclusion was
triggered by the Pentagon’s decision late last year
to open all front-line combat jobs to women. After
gender restrictions to military service were erased,
senior U.S. military officials expressed support
during congressional testimony for requiring
women to register. At the same time, however,
they said the all-volunteer force is working and
didn’t want a return to conscription. AP
Coroner ruled Death of Navy SEAL
trainee a homicide
A Southern California medical examiner says
a Navy SEAL trainee was repeatedly dunked by
an instructor in his first week of basic training and • Business Manager.............Lisa Kinison
has ruled his death a homicide.
The San Diego County autopsy report released
July 8 says Seaman James Derek Lovelace’s
cause of death is drowning with a contributing
heart problem. The homicide ruling doesn’t neces-
sarily mean a crime occurred, and the instructor
hasn’t been charged.
The Navy has said the 21-year-old was pulled
out of a pool during a swimming exercise May 6
after showing signs he was having difficulty tread-
ing water in a uniform and dive mask.
The military says Lovelace lost consciousness
and was taken to a civilian hospital, where he
died.
Lovelace had joined the Navy about six months
before his death. AP
Federal judge hears arguments in F-35
lawsuit in Vermont
A federal judge has heard arguments in a law-
suit against the U.S. Air Force regarding F-35
fighter jets.
WPTZ-TV reports that the judge heard from
lawyers July 7 in Rutland over whether the Air
Force did its job drafting an environmental im-
pact study projecting how the jets would fit in at
Burlington International Airport.
The lawyer for the plaintiffs — which includes
See BRIEFS, Page 4
How to contact
Aerotech News and Review
• Mail: 456 E. Ave. K-4,
Suite 8, Lancaster CA 93535
• E-Mail: editor@aerotechnews.com
• Phone: (661) 945-5634
• Fax: (661) 723-7757
Advertising
Corporate Headquarters:
(877) 247-9288
Subscriber Services
Subscriptions to Aerotech News
and Review are $59 for six months
or $89 for one year. For more in-
formation, contact the subscription
department at:
456 E. Ave. K-4, #8, Lancaster CA
93535
Story ideas, letters, editorials
Please address all letters and edi-
torials to Stuart A. Ibberson, editor,
456 E. Ave. K-4, Suite 8, Lancaster
CA 93535
Web Site
Access the Aerotech News web site
at www.aerotechnews.com
Submissions for upcoming events,
air shows and museums should be ad-
dressed to Web Updates, 456 E. Ave.
K-4, Suite 8, Lancaster CA 93535
For questions concerning the web site,
contact the webmaster at webmaster@
aerotechnews.com.
Where you can get
Aerotech News and Review
For information on Aerotech dis-
tribution, call Chris Ramos, Circula-
tion Manager, at (661) 949-7293 or
e-mail delivery@aerotechnews.com.
Aerotech News and Review is published
every Friday serving the aerospace and
defense industry of Southern Califor-
nia, Nevada and Arizona. News and ad
copy deadline is noon on the Tuesday
prior to publication. The publisher as-
sumes no responsibility for error in ads
other than space used.
Your comments are welcomed and
encouraged. Write to the address below.
• Publisher .........................Paul Kinison
• Editor..............................Stuart Ibberson
• National Advertising
Manager ..........................Paul Kinison
Aerotech News and Review
456 E. Ave. K-4, Suite 8
Lancaster, CA 93535
e-mail: editor@aerotechnews.com
Visit our web site at www.aerotechnews.com
July 15, 2016