Single-engine Cessna Caravan forced to land on Virginia road

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is investigating the forced landing of a single-engine plane on Loudoun County Parkway in Virginia. The NTSB announced the investigation on their X account on Friday.

“A small plane has landed on the Loudoun County Parkway at Arcola Mills Drive and is blocking all lanes,” the Virginia Department of Transportation said on Facebook.

News reports indicate the turboprop plane had just departed Washington Dulles International Airport before landing on the roadway after its initial climb.

The aircraft, a single-engine Cessna Caravan 208B (tail number N1983X), is operated by Southern Airways Express based in Palm Beach, Fla. The plane was manufactured in 2003.

Founded in 2013, Southern Airways Express is a commuter airline serving nearly 40 American cities across five U.S. time zones. Southern operates a fleet of over thirty aircraft, including the Cessna Caravan/Grand Caravan, the King Air Super 200, and the Citation Bravo.

According to flight tracking data, flight 9X246 was departing Dulles Airport from runway 30 and performed a forced landing on the road approximately two minutes after takeoff.

The aircraft came to a stop at the side of the road and the seven occupants onboard evacuated. Photos of the aircraft show the propeller blades were bent in the emergency landing.

Akasa Air orders 150 more Boeing 737 MAX jets

The Boeing Company announced Thursday that India’s Akasa Air has placed a follow-on 737 MAX order, confirming 150 more jets in its order book.

The purchase of 737-10 airplanes and an additional 737-8-200 jets was announced at the Wings India 2024 airshow.

Akasa Air will use the 737 MAX family to expand its domestic and international network in the coming years. Since launching operations in 2022, the airline has captured approximately 4% of India’s domestic market, serving 18 destinations with a fleet of 22 737 MAX jets.

“We are excited to announce this historic order for 150 new Boeing airplanes, increasing our total orders from Boeing to 226 jets,” said Vinay Dube, Akasa Air founder and CEO. “In addition to supporting our rapid domestic expansion, the efficiency and economics of these new airplanes position Akasa to launch international routes in the coming months.

The new aircraft will provide Akasa Air with added capacity and range on new and existing routes while reducing fuel use and carbon emissions by 20% compared to older-generation airplanes.

As Akasa Air looks to expand its network in India and South Asia, Boeing’s 2023 Commercial Market outlook forecasts the delivery of 2,705 new commercial airplanes over the next 20 years for the region, of which nearly 90% will be single-aisle jets.

Ashland Place Finance supports acquisition of three Boeing 737-800 freighters

Ashland Place Finance LLC, a commercial aviation financing platform, announced Wednesday the completion of a new facility financing the acquisition of three Boeing 737-800 freighters for Atalaya Capital Management and Crestone Air Partners.

This is the second transaction that Ashland Place has completed with Atalaya and Crestone. Ashland financed a Boeing 777-300ER for Atalaya in August 2022 and four CFM56 engines for Crestone in July 2022.

“The Ashland Place team possess a deep understanding of the industry and how to navigate the current economic environment," said Sebastian Lourier, Crestone's CEO.

Allen & Overy LLP served as legal advisor to Ashland Place, and Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP served as legal advisor to Atalaya and Crestone.

Homeland Security lab seeks to test seven drone types to aid first responders

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), National Urban Security Technology Laboratory (NUSTL) is seeking information from potential vendors capable of supplying specific Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) for the Blue List UAS SAVER project.

The Blue UAS Cleared List is a list of United States- and ally-manufactured UAS vetted by the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) to be policy-approved by the Department of Defense (DoD). All UAS on the Blue List have undergone cybersecurity testing by DIU or their contractors. Each device on the list is granted authority to operate from the DIU.

Over the past decade, first responders have begun integrating small unmanned aerial systems as a resource for a variety of operational needs. UAS, often referred to as “drones,” are used by first responders in support of public safety activities such as search and rescue, firefighting, and post-incident reconstruction.

UAS provides first responders with an aerial view of their environment and can be outfitted with various sensors tailored to different applications.

The NUSTL intends to conduct testing and evaluation of the following UAS models and requires two of each of the seven specified drones listed below:

• Ascent AeroSystems, Spirit UAS (K257)
• Flight Wave Aerospace Corporation, Edge 130
• Freefly Systems, Astro
• Inspired Flight, IF800 TOMCAT
• Parrot Drones, PARROT ANAFI USA GOV
• Skydio, Skydio X2
• 1Skydio, Skydio X10
• Teal Drones Inc., Teal 2

The anticipated delivery deadline for the drones is March 8.

Boeing appoints special advisor for comprehensive quality review

The Boeing Company announced Tuesday they have named Admiral Kirkland H. Donald, U.S. Navy (Ret.) as special advisor to Boeing President and CEO Dave Calhoun.

The immediate appointment of Donald comes after a door plug on an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737-9 MAX separated from the plane during flight causing severe depressurization aboard the aircraft.

Admiral Donald and a team of outside experts will conduct a thorough assessment of Boeing's quality management system for commercial airplanes, including quality programs and practices in Boeing manufacturing facilities and its oversight of commercial supplier quality. His recommendations will be provided to Calhoun and to the Aerospace Safety Committee of Boeing's Board of Directors.

"I've asked him to provide an independent and comprehensive assessment with actionable recommendations for strengthening our oversight of quality in our own factories and throughout our extended commercial airplane production system,” Calhoun said.

Donald currently serves as Chairman of the Board for the largest military shipbuilding company in the United States, Huntington Ingalls Industries, Inc. He also chairs the board of the nonprofit Battelle. His public board service also includes Entergy Corp., where he is Chairman of the Nuclear Committee.

Seven F-16s in various stages of production for Bulgaria

Last week, a delegation led by Bulgarian Defence Minister Todor Tagarev visited Lockheed Martin’s F-16 production facility in Greenville, S.C., to view progress in producing the country’s future F-16 Block 70 jets. Bulgarian Ambassador Georgi Panayotov, and Bulgarian Defence Chief Adm. Emil Eftimov joined Tagarev on his visit.

Seven Bulgarian F-16s are in various stages of production, and the inaugural flight of the first Bulgarian F-16 Block 70 is planned for later this year, Lockheed Martin said in a company press release Tuesday.

OJ Sanchez, vice president and general manager of the Integrated Fighter Group at Lockheed Martin, said: “Bulgaria is acquiring a proven, state-of-the-art fighter aircraft system that will deliver decades of 21st Century Security capabilities and NATO interoperability.”

Bulgaria will be the second European country to receive the F-16 Block 70. With a backlog of 135 jets, “the F-16 production line in Greenville serves as a cornerstone of security for allies around the world,” the company said. Today’s latest version, the Block 70/72, offers unparalleled capabilities and will be flown by six countries and counting.

More than 3,100 F-16s are operating today in 25 countries. The F-16 has flown an estimated 19.5 million flight hours and at least 13 million sorties.

Lockheed Martin announced last week the first two F-16 Block70 jets for Slovakia have been delivered for their fleet which will grow to 14.

The F-16 Block 70 performed its maiden flight one year ago at its Greenville facility.

US-owned company Aerovel to be acquired by Europe’s Airbus Helicopters

Airbus Helicopters and Aerovel have signed an agreement regarding the acquisition of Aerovel and its unmanned aerial system (UAS) Flexrotor. Airbus entered the deal to strengthen its portfolio of tactical unmanned solutions.

Flexrotor is a small tactical unmanned aerial system designed for intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition, and reconnaissance (ISTAR) missions at sea and over land.

"This strategic acquisition aligns with our vision to expand our UAS offering and respond to a growing customer demand worldwide for additional mission capabilities such as manned-unmanned teaming,” said Bruno Even, CEO of Airbus Helicopters. “Aerovel's expertise in autonomous flight technology will undoubtedly complement our UAS development with the VSR700.”

Designed to operate alongside shipborne naval assets, the Airbus VSR700 UAS under development will provide commanders with a larger and clearer tactical picture, greater search and rescue power, and bring to bear a highly capable autonomous platform in times of heightened threats.

"Joining forces with Airbus will allow us to scale innovation, accelerate our mission to advance unmanned aviation, and maintain our unwavering support for the U.S. military and its allies,” said Ali Dian, CEO of Aerovel.

The Flexrotor, a modern Vertical Takeoff and Landing unmanned aircraft with a maximum launch weight of 25 kilograms, has been designed for ISTAR missions for more than 14 hours in a typical operational configuration. The UAS can integrate different types of payloads including an electro-optical system and advanced sensors to suit customers’ unique mission needs.

With the ability to autonomously launch and recover from either land or sea requiring only a 12 by 12-foot area, the Flexrotor is ideal for expeditionary missions requiring minimal footprint.

Through the support of the U.S. Department of Defense, and contracted deployment in a variety of maritime security exercises, the Flexrotor is a mission-proven, force multiplier for operations in harsh, high-threat, GPS-denied environments.

The Flexrotor can also be used for missions such as forest fire surveillance (providing firefighters with critical images day or night) and ice navigation (helping guide naval vessels through ice in the Arctic Ocean).

Based in Bingen, Wash., Aerovel will remain a US-owned company and continue collaboration with the U.S. military.

The acquisition between Airbus Helicopter and Aerovel is expected to be approved and closed later this year.

Missile Defense Agency extends contract to upgrade sensors on HALO aircraft

The U.S. Missile Defense Agency (MDA) is pushing forward with work to upgrade sensors on three aircraft used to collect infrared data during ballistic missile defense tests. Work to upgrade the sensors experienced “COVID-related impact” issues, MDA said in contract documents released Friday.

In addition to COVID-related delays, the agency highlighted the rescheduling of integration tasks, acceptance testing, and supply chain issues delayed progress. Known as task order HQ0147-19-F-0039, the contract had a period of performance (PoP) ending Dec. 29, 2023.

“Additional time is required to complete three Next Generation Sensor Systems,” MDA said.

The agency wants to replace the primary electro-optic/infrared (EO/IR) sensors currently in use on their HALO-II and HALO-IV aircraft with HALO Next Generation Sensor (NGS) systems. The planes are airborne during MDA missile defense tests to collect electro-optic and infrared data.

“No new work is being added to the contract,” MDA said in a Justification and Approval (J&A) document requesting the contract extension. “This J&A requests approval to extend the PoP end date to May 1, 2024. The cost of the extension/overrun is ~$1.5M.

“The sole purpose of the PoP extension and upward cost adjustment is for the contractor L3Harris AEROMET to complete NGS systems with the goal of aircraft delivery. If the work were recompeted at this point, the new contractor would have to perform work already done under this contract.”

The Missile Defense Agency Competition Advocate approved the contract extension.